The second annual "From Billions to Trillions: Catalyzing Private Investment in Climate Solutions" summit brought together leaders across numerous sectors to discuss the changing landscape of climate finance.

The Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University has named Alix Peterson Zwane as its director of research and engagement strategy, effective April 1.

At a March 27 gathering in Goodson Chapel, faith leaders and organizers came together to discuss initiatives being employed by houses of worship as they become hubs of climate resilience, writes the Duke Research Blog. The conversation was part of Duke University's Cooling Communities project, which is advancing community-driven solutions to extreme heat.

Oceans Week at Duke University, held March 24-28, celebrated Duke’s leadership in ocean sustainability and explored how institutions like Duke can source local, regional and sustainable seafood to reduce carbon footprints and support coastal communities.

At a March 2025 event, a panel of Duke alumnae exchanged perspectives on their energy career journeys and provided advice for students and young professionals about advancing in the industry. The panel was sponsored by Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment at the Fuqua School of Business.

The Energy Data Analytics Lab, led by Kyle Bradbury, tracks buildings sector emissions data as member of Climate TRACE, a global coalition of universities, scientists, and AI experts mapping human-produced emissions around the world. The lab's most recent work enhanced the best-available spatial resolution of buildings climate data from 11 to 1 k², leading to better detailed and more accurate emissions estimates, reports The Chronicle.

Doctoral candidate Tyler Norris returned as a guest on the Catalyst podcast, discussing how electric load flexibility can help power the AI-focused data center boom. 

U.S. power demand has soared in recent years with growing artificial intelligence, construction and electrification needs. The Bloomberg Energy Daily cites new Nicholas Institute research saying the United States can meet this rising consumption and quickly add huge loads to its grids without building new power plants by deploying grid flexibility—strategically cutting consumption by the equivalent of about one day a year’s usage.

Clean energy professionals expressed optimism about innovation and job growth but acknowledged the challenges ahead at the Nicholas Institute's annual Women in Energy event. WRAL reported on how recent federal and state policy decisions could reshape the trajectory of North Carolina’s clean energy industry, long considered a leader in solar energy and battery manufacturing.

In talking about climate change at just about every level a person can, Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, prioritizes meeting people where they are and focusing on common ground and solutions. “I think you have to help people envision a different future that is positive,” she told Duke Today. Ward and other Duke scholars were profiled for their work on humanizing and localizing the enormity of climate change for people of all backgrounds.