In support of a U.N. call to action on extreme heat, the Duke Heat Policy Innovation Hub is partnering with two international organizations on a package of policy solutions designed to improve extreme heat governance and resilience worldwide.

Understanding effectiveness of nature-based solutions projects will be key for scaling up implementation. In a LinkedIn article, Nicholas Institute experts Katie Warnell and Lydia Olander discuss the findings of their new analysis of 27 public nature-based solutions databases and identify several ways to improve how data are collected and shared.

The Atlantic Conservation Coalition—comprised of four mid-Atlantic states, The Nature Conservancy and Duke University—received a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a variety of nature-based projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Duke experts will lead reporting on the progress of the 21 projects, which will conserve or restore more than 200,000 acres of coastal habitats, forests and farmland in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.

Heat seasons are lasting longer each year as temperatures continue to rise with climate change. Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, talked with The Chronicle about the implications for North Carolina, the role of Duke researchers in identifying solutions and the hub's collaboration with state and local partners to develop a Heat Action Plan Toolkit.

Are you a Duke University alum with plans (or potential plans) to attend Climate Week NYC (September 22-29) or the UNFCCC’s Conference of Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 11-22)? Duke University experts will again take part in these important convenings alongside climate thought leaders and decision-makers from across the world—and we are eager to connect with Duke alumni who will also be joining.

Pregnant people are especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, talked with The Washington Post about how they can stay cool overnight, when recovery from daytime heat is critical.

A new Nicholas Institute report, co-authored by Duke University graduate student Nicholas Sommer and Nicholas Institute expert Trey Gowdy, analyzes growth patterns of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in a dozen Southeastern states during 2023.

The death toll from an already record-breaking summer will increase, but experts tell USA Today that the numbers won't ever be right. Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub, explained that death certificates often identify a stroke or heart attack, for example, as a a patient's primary cause of death, while any references to heat exposure may only be found deep in the notes from an emergency room doctor.

Each year, student assistants from diverse Duke degree programs support and enrich the work of the Nicholas Institute. This academic year’s cohort of 31 undergraduate and graduate student assistants spanned 7 schools and 17 degree programs. Together, they contributed to the institute’s interdisciplinary work at the nexus of policy and practice.

Last month, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) convened 14 companies and five federal agencies for a roundtable on advancing climate resilience in the U.S., convened by C2ES, Resilience Rising, and the Resilience Roadmap project at the Nicholas Institute. This blog post shares insights from the robust conversation on the need to align public and private efforts to build resilience.