Environment, Energy Focuses of Campaign

Duke University officials recently announced the launch of a $3.25 billion fundraising campaign whose strategic goals include enriching the Duke experience, activating Duke's power for the world and sustaining the university's momentum. Dubbed "Duke Forward," the campaign looks to build on the university's international leadership in environmental research and education specifically in environmental policy, health and environment, the sciences, energy, corporate sustainability, engineering and environmental law. Environment and energy are highlighted as two ways these dollars will help activate Duke's power for the world. 

Alumni Talk Centered on Sustainability 

Jay Golden, director of the Duke Center for Sustainability & Commerce at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions recently spoke to a group of alumni about the future of corporate sustainability.

Coastal Carbon in the UNFCCC Process

A new policy brief by researchers at Duke's Nicholas Institute examines the evolution of blue carbon, the carbon stored and released from coastal ecosystems, in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process. It offers an account of how blue carbon entered the process, where it stands and what path lies ahead.  

Grant to Support Ethiopia Water Project 

A Duke University research initiative to help understand how communities in rural Ethiopia are able to respond to uncertainty over water and climate in the face of historic droughts and climatic variability has received a $149,000 grant from the United States Agency for International Development. The project partners many Duke units, including the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

Institute Staff Pen Chapter in Book 

Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions Director Tim Profeta and Ecosystem Services Program Director Lydia Olander have written a chapter in the September edition of the SAGE Reference Series Environmental Leadership. Their chapter examines the Nicholas Institute's unique structure as a university-based institute.

Paper Explores Expansion of REDD 

Reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) program activities have expanded over time. In the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Nicholas Institute researchers find that continuing to expand what's included under the umbrella of REDD can present opportunities for greater emission reductions while helping to address the underlying drivers of forest loss. Expansion can, however, increase the complexity of program implementation.

East Coast Fisheries Forum Guide Out 

The Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a joint initiative of the Nicholas Institute and other leading academic and policy institutions, released a report detailing the activities and outcomes of their East Coast Forum. The forum allowed fisheries managers the opportunity to discuss the integration of socioeconomic information into decision making. 

New Staff Join the Nicholas Institute

Duke's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions welcomes four new staff members this fall, filling roles in development, research and finance.