Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC)

2022-01-17Oceans Could Be Harnessed to Remove Carbon From Air, Say U.S. Science Leaders

“All of the land-based approaches have limitations, so it’s important to evaluate the possibility of also using the oceans,” said Romany Webb, a senior fellow and associate research scholar at Columbia University in the City of New York and co-author of the report on A Research Strategy for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal and Sequestration. Conducted by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the report recommended a $125 million research program to better understand the technological challenges, potential economic and social impacts and proposed six basic approaches: Nutrient Fertilization Seaweed Cultivation Ecosystem Recovery Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Electrochemical Processes Artificial Upwelling and Downwelling

2022-01-17Tracking endangered sea turtles with hardware the size of a pound coin

Oxford Researchers have developed ‘SnapperGPS’, a low-cost, low-power wildlife tracking system that can run for more than 10 years for less than $30. Location tracking devices are an important tool for biologists to study animal behaviour, informing conservation policy decisions and preventing human-wildlife conflicts. However, existing technologies are often expensive and come with heavy batteries, prohibiting studies with many animals. By employing the concept of snapshot GNSS, the SnapperGPS is able to reduce the signal acquisition and processing on the device and locate the receiver with a few milliseconds of the signal. This year, 9 out of 20 tags deployed on endangered loggerhead sea turtles in Cape Verde were recovered, capturing unexpectedly diverse behaviour among turtles.

2022-01-17Study of Antarctic ice’s deep past shows it could be more vulnerable to warming

The past is an important window in informing the future. The International Ocean Discovery Program, led by Imperial College London scientists, drilled into sediments in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, to examine its ice sheets during the Early Miocene, around 18-16 million years ago, and found that sea level rose by up to 60 metres during warmer periods, the equivalent of melting all the ice currently on the Antarctic continent. However, some questions remain uncertain, such as: ❓ The contributions of the larger East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) and the smaller West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) to past sea-level rise； ❓ Where the tipping point of no return for the low-lying areas of the ice sheet lies.

2022-01-172021 was a remarkable year for Earth’s climate

Before the bell strikes 12 o’clock to the new year of 2022, let’s look back at the notable climate events in 2021. It is a year where extreme weather phenomena took place throughout the year, and where international climate actions progressed. We are looking forward to more collective actions from our member universities in 2022.

2022-01-17How to talk about climate change: Ask questions

The latest national survey on Climate Change in the American Mind, conducted by Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that Americans who think global warming is happening outnumber those who think it is not by a ratio of more than 4:1. However, in the United States, and around the world, conversation and discussions on the topic are rare to hear in our daily life. As a matter of fact, “Talk” is the fertile field in which cultural change begins. How to initiate the conversation successfully, while avoiding getting your head in a bag as PhD candidate Dibiasky get herself into in the #dontlookupmovie?

Australian National University

2022-01-17Microbes provide sustainable hydrocarbons for petrochemical industry

If the petrochemical industry is ever to wean itself off oil and gas, it has to find sustainably-sourced chemicals that slip effortlessly into existing processes for making products such as fuels, lubricants and plastics. Researchers from UC Berkeley and the NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers have developed a chemical technology that combines fermentation and chemical refining to produce petroleum-like liquids from renewable plants.

2021-9-13 Ultra-efficient tech to forge sustainable energy future

Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have developed a system to transport data using atomically-thin semiconductors in an extremely energy efficient way.

The University of Tokyo

2021-9-10 Fostering Advanced Human Resources to Lead Green Transformation (GX)

The project (SPRING GX) aims to produce globally competent researchers who will contribute to realizing a Green Transformation (GX)* in all fields on a large scale (about 600 people enrolled in a doctoral program).

Tsinghua University

2021-8-5 1Methane Emission Measurement and Reduction in the Energy Sector

Methane is the second largest greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide (CO2). The global warming potential of methane is around 84-87 times greater than that of CO2 in a 20-year period, and 28-36 times higher than that of CO2 over a 100-year time frame. Methane is also the second largest greenhouse

2021-8-5 1The Final 25%: How to tackle hard-to-reach emissions

The world is in a climate crisis, and Oxford researchers are at the forefront of trying to find solutions in adaptation and resilience, nature, energy transition, clean road transport and green finance.

University of Cambridge

2021-8-30 Cambridge-authored book explores how artificial intelligence could help address climate change

Humanity is facing two existential threats. The first: uncontrolled CO2 emissions irreversibly changing the climate. The second: a hostile artificial intelligence (AI) becoming the dominant form of intelligence on Earth. But while the situation may appear bleak, this two-pronged crisis also presents an opportunity.

London School of Economics and Political Science

2021-8-23 The Social Cost of Carbon is Still the Best Way to Evaluate Climate Policy

Professor of Economics Matthew Kotchen argues that the social cost of carbon, which accounts for the future damage that atmospheric carbon causes, is preferable to an alternative approach put forward by two prominent economists

2021-7-16 Supporting urban adaptation to climate change: what role can resilience measurement tools play?

Cities are emerging as leading forces for climate change adaptation and resilience, due to their financial, technological and human capacities. Many approaches and tools have been developed and used over the last few decades to measure climate resilience in cities and identify areas that need further intervention.

Indian Institute of Science

2021-2-8 1Uttarakhand flood: Breach of hidden lake under glacier caused flash floods: IISc scientist

A breach of a hidden lake under the Nanda Devi glacier is a potential reason for the flash flood that hit the Rishi Ganga Valley in Uttarakhand on Sunday morning, said scientists at IISc.

2021-12-10Repopulating Endangered Animals Can Play a Vital Role in Cutting Carbon Emissions

“We have to draw out a significant amount of CO2 and store it on the planet to stabilize the temperature. Animals can help us get to this goal a lot faster”, said Os Schmitz, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology of Yale School of the Environment (formerly Yale F&ES), Yale University. In a statement sent to COP26 leaders by a coalition of 60 scientists, economists, and civic organizations led by Professor Schmitz, it is noted that rewilding, restoring, and conserving the role of species could magnify carbon uptake by 1.5 to 12.5 times or more across the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. The conclusion is based upon his research on the carbon cycle. During the research, he found that animal activity, such as foraging, redistributing seeds and nutrients over lands and seascapes, and trampling and compacting soil sediments enhances carbon density.

2021-12-10Nature-based Solutions Can Mitigate Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture

We all know that agriculture bears the brunt of climate change, but how can the adverse effects be limited? Researchers from Imperial College London found that Nature-based Solutions might have answers to offer. A new report by the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment (CCFI) at Imperial College Business School explores the risks and opportunities facing the global agricultural sector from climate change. By adopting a cost analysis method, the report identified some of the good practices of NbS while noting that their true costs may be underestimated. However, the authors argue that uncertainty should not be an excuse for inaction, with the carbon market currently representing a reasonable attempt at valuing natural benefits whilst the private sector has the opportunity for improving the quantity and quality of transactions in these markets.

London School of Economics and Political Science

2021-12-10Loss of Ancient Grazers Triggered A Global Rise in Fires

Biodiversity has close interconnection with climate change. But how? Research led by Yale's Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology found that the extinction of megaherbivores triggered a dramatic increase in fire activity in the world’s grasslands. While the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use drew world’s attention to the synergy between climate and ecosystem, this research reminds us that in addition to the direct impacts of land use transformation and forest destruction, we also need to take into account the role of grazing livestock and wild grazers in fire and climate change #mitigation.

University of Cambridge

2021-12-10Arctic Ocean Started Getting Warmer Decades Earlier Than We Thought

Scientists rely on simulations to project future climate change. However, recent research co-led by the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge found that the Arctic Ocean has been getting warmer since the start of the 20th century, decades earlier than records suggested, providing a missing piece of the climate change puzzle. Using the chemical signatures found in marine microorganisms, the researchers found that since 1900, the Arctic Ocean temperature has risen by about 2 Celsius while sea ice has retreated and salinity has increased. Placing it in a longer context of an 800-year timescale the temperature and salinity records remain constant until the 20th century, when marked change sticks out.

2021-11-25Prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize awarded to Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment of the London School of Economics and Political Science has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its excellence and innovation. The Prizes are the highest national honour that a further and higher educational institution in the UK can receive. They recognise work carried out by UK universities and colleges which showcases quality and innovation and delivers real benefit to the wider world through education and training.

2021-11-23Island Conservationists Identify Key Barriers to Meeting Biodiversity Targets

The impacts of invasive alien species, habitat loss and climate change are compounded in the small island, which are biodiversity hotspots yet, paradoxically, are also extinction hotspots. A recent study led by experts from the University of Oxford identified the key barriers and solutions for small islands to meet biodiversity targets.

2021-11-19When ecology meets art, you get a dating site for trees

“Falling in Love, One Tree at a Time." is what it says on a dating website for Joshua trees, created by Juniper Harrower, a first-year master’s student in the Department of Art Practice, UC Berkeley. Grew up in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, Harrower felt like “gut punch” when she learned that Joshua trees in the Park could be gone in 100 years due to the impact cast by climate change. Being madly in love with art and holding a Ph.D. degree in environmental studies already, she then started to hone her visual art skills by pursuing a second master’s degree. Check her journey in combining the power of art and science to spur social change in addressing climate change.

Australian National University

2021-11-19Associated Press Offers Interactive 'Primer' on New Extreme Heat Data Set

Using the data from Columbia Climate School, Columbia University in the City of New York, Associated Press (AP) has produced an interactive feature that explores increasing heat extremes in cities worldwide. Go tour the world’s hottest cities, and learn how increases in extreme heat are likely to impact megacities around the world in the coming decades.

2021-11-12Study Shows “Dark Side of Ambition” in Climate Policy

With the eyes of the world on COP26, researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) say the broader environmental and social implications of extreme emission reduction schemes need to be taken into account.

Sciences Po

2021-11-11Dealing With Climate Change On Small Islands

Why are small islands more vulnerable to the global and major ordeal of climate change? How do they face this huge challenge and what can we learn from their experience? These are among the crucial questions examined by Carola Klöck and Michael Fink in their recently coedited volume entitled Dealing with Climate Change on Small Islands: Toward Effective and Sustainable Adaptation, published by Universitätsverlag Göttingen.

The University of Tokyo

2021-11-11Mangrove Restoration Has Ecological and Economic Benefits

Funding to restore mangrove forests is money well spent, according to a new meta-analysis by ecological economists at the University of Tokyo.

London School of Economics and Political Science

2021-11-10COP26: Imperial experts reflect on the story so far

COP26 has seen surprising net-zero pledges, methane reduction targets and climate finance announcements, but what do they mean?

2021-11-10LSE becomes the first Carbon Neutral verified university in the UK

In a first for UK higher education, the London School of Economics and Political Science has been independently verified as carbon neutral for the academic year 2020/21, for all its measured emissions.

University of Cambridge

2021-11-10Cambridge-Built Carbon Credit Marketplace Will Support Reforestation Efforts Worldwide

A new Cambridge centre will bring together computer scientists and conservation scientists to build a trusted marketplace for carbon credits and support global reforestation efforts, the first initiative of its kind in the UK.

Stellenbosch University

2021-11-03Paleo-climate simulations of Namibia’s quiver tree populations show significant range shift over past 22 000 y

Going 22 000 years into the past and projecting 50 years into the future, ecologists from Stellenbosch University (SU) simulated the paleo- and future geographic range of arid South Africa and Namibia's iconic quiver tree, Aloidendron dichotumum.

2021-10-24Six teams awarded CBEY’s 2021 Climate Innovation Grants

Six student teams were recently awarded Climate Innovation Grants by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY). CBEY awarded almost $15,000 this year to help further innovative ideas to address climate change and its environmental and social impacts. The Center has awarded these grants for the past five years in an effort to support projects and ideas that can have wide-ranging impacts and tackle diverse systemic issues related to the current climate crisis.

2021-10-23What to Expect From the COP26 Meeting

Science and policy experts from the Columbia Climate School attended and spoke at COP26. State of the Planet caught up with a few of them to learn more about the conference and what we should expect this year.

2021-10-19More Inclusive and Coherent Global Action on Deforestation Urgently Needed

Deforestation and forest degradation, mainly due to agricultural expansion, lead to the loss of roughly 9 million hectares of natural forest per year, say a team of political and environmental researchers including from the University of Oxford.

2021-10-03Using Berkeley Technology, Glasgow Debuts New GHG Monitoring Network

UC Berkeley’s Ronald Cohen demonstrated a sensor network he pioneered to provide realtime monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions in cities.

Tsinghua University

2021-09-22Tsinghua University Inaugurates Institute to Promote Carbon Neutrality

The Tsinghua University Institute for Carbon Neutrality (ICON, Tsinghua University) was formally established on September 22.

2021-07-06The Pacific Northwest Heatwave in Context

Beginning on June 26th, and lasting for the better part of a week, a massive “heat dome” settled across the Pacific Northwest, creating some of the most extreme heat conditions ever observed in North America. With record-setting temperatures upwards of 40 degrees Celsius above average, this heatwave generated significant global media coverage.

Sciences Po

2021THE INTERDISCIPLINARY WORKSHOP ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (AIRE)

The interdisciplinary workshop on environmental research (AIRE) was formed at Sciences Po with support of the Research division in 2018. Coordinated by Richard Balme, Full professor and researcher at Sciences Po, it gathers about twenty researchers-teachers, research engineers and thirty PhD students of Sciences Po.

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

2020-2Climate sensitivity: What is it, and why is it important?

Climate sensitivity is a fundamental measure of global climate change. This briefing paper explains how climate sensitivity is estimated from different lines of evidence – modelling, observations, and palaeoclimate records – and why its exact value remains uncertain.

Stellenbosch University

2020-11-11Cape Town’s climate strategy isn’t perfect, but every African city should have one

It may take an extreme heatwave, a mega wildfire or a severe coastal storm to begin to appreciate the dangers of climate change.

2020-07-03Use of Climate Change Projections for Resilience Planning in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In this study we use three different methodologies to document and compare temperature and precipitation projections for the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) over the 21st century.