In order to stay safe and healthy during wildfire smoke events, communities need to understand the health impacts of exposure, know the interventions they can take to mitigate risks, have access to accurate air quality data, and most importantly, have access to clean indoor air. Recent research underscores opportunities to improve smoke readiness across these dimensions.
Wildfires are increasing in intensity, frequency, and size, decimating ecosystems and devastating communities. As worries about the impacts of wildfires grow, researchers are ramping up efforts to understand wildfires’ water quality repercussions. Studies conducted following the Marshall and Camp fires will help lay the groundwork for future water resiliency efforts and community preparedness.
Studies show climate events can have catastrophic consequences for human health including the spread of disease vectors and contaminated food or drinking water supplies, but new research is identifying ways to reduce the risks.
How quickly we reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions critically depends on how fast we learn in the process. New research uses learning curves to explain staggering declines in costs of key climate technologies like solar photovoltaics and batteries, grounding hopes that we can get where we need to go—as long as we don’t delay getting started.
As climate change causes more extreme heat days across the globe, heat has become a critical issue for public health and city planning. Recent research illuminates why extreme heat poses even greater health and economic threats than previously thought, but also points to ways we can build effective solutions to address it.
To scale offshore wind, developers and policymakers need to understand what drives social acceptance and how to integrate community values. New research offers insight into the who and why of renewable energy support and opposition, and what specific actions could support a just transition.
This research review explains new studies that demonstrate how incorporating social systems into climate models is important for creating realistic climate forecasts and making informed policy decisions.
New research showcases how coupling existing state efforts (1) to accelerate renewable energy adoption in underserved low-income communities and (2) to replace aging gas distribution networks with district heating and cooling could transform overburdened communities into high energy-performance communities that are safer and more resilient.
As European nations operationalize their commitments to the Paris Agreement, policymakers from across the EU and the UK are promoting the creation of more renewable energy communities (RECs) to scale up decentralized renewable energy production across Europe. However, researchers argue that RECs could actually exacerbate socioeconomic divides. Local and national policies can address potential pitfalls and ensure that RECs can indeed be a mechanism for energy justice in the transition.
As awareness of climate risks grows, more businesses are struggling to quantify climate change impacts, but applying climate model data appropriately is a major challenge. Researchers are identifying new ways climate science can help businesses, investors, and insurance underwriters make more informed decisions.
