Climate Week NYC 2024, held Sept. 22-29, gathered hundreds of business and political leaders across the globe to address the need for climate action. Among the distinguished voices included Duke University, whose lineup of climate experts shared their insights and research at several key events as part of Duke's Climate Commitment. A photo essay from Duke Today showcased the involvement of Duke scholars, including several from the Nicholas Institute.

Western North Carolina “was as prepared as most communities can be” for Hurricane Helene, Martin Doyle, director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute and professor of river science and policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment, told The Duke Chronicle. Doyle explained that Helene's destruction was amplified by increased atmospheric moisture and subsequent heavier rainfall, driven by rising global temperatures.
 

Speaking to WUNC for its Scorched Workers series, Jordan Clark, senior policy associate at the Duke Heat Policy Innovation Hub, pointed to local research that will help groups in North Carolina provide appropriate resources to outdoor workers and other communities vulnerable to extreme heat. But first, Clark said it's vital for people to take heat seriously. "It's an invisible threat you can't see," he said.

The federal government in the United States is increasingly taking action to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. But how do we know what’s working? A group of Duke University experts partnered with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to develop a framework for assessing progress toward goals laid out in agencies’ 2024–2027 climate adaptation plans.

This summer, students in Duke University’s Climate+ program used data science techniques to research climate challenges and potential solutions. They studied topics like saltwater intrusion, energy materials, rainfall predictions and links between climate and health. More than 30 students participated on eight project teams.

Jackson Ewing, director of energy and climate policy, speaks with Duke Today about explorations of how low- and middle-income countries can overcome challenges to clean energy transitions. On September 27, he will moderate a Climate Week NYC panel: “How Can Energy Transitions Balance Growth, Decarbonization, and Human Development?”.

Learn about insights shared on September 19, 2024 at Climate, Resilience and Mobility: A Duke Climate Collaboration Symposium, which was organized by the Duke Program on Climate, Resilience, and Mobility; the Duke Office of Global Affairs; and the Duke Climate Commitment.

Duke Today features a quote from Sylvia Earle's keynote speech at the student-organized Summit for Ocean Stewards on Sept. 13 (supported in part by the Nicholas Institute). Earle, who graduated from Duke in 1956 and earned her Ph.D. here in 1966, is a renowned marine biologist, oceanographer and activist.
 

Renewable energy produced nearly a third of the electricity used around the globe, according to a new report, but even more could have been used by modernizing electrical grids. The biggest challenge in the United States is coordinating all the states, cities, counties and utilities to invest and expand and update the grid at the same time, Duke Ph.D. student Tyler Norris told Marketplace.

Debt-for-nature swaps were conceived nearly 40 years ago to help financially struggling nations get relief from their foreign debt payments in exchange for their commitment to carry out conservation and climate activities. Ahead of moderating a Climate Week panel on the subject, Nicholas Institute expert Liz Losos spoke with Duke Today about reforming these transactions to ease post-COVID debt crises while helping meet international biodiversity and climate targets.