Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions - September 3, 2015


Upcoming Events
September 10-11
Ontario, Canada
 
October 22
Durham, NC

For information on other upcoming events, visit the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions website. 

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Tim Profeta Discusses Cost and Legality of Clean Power Plan
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Our Impact: First Comprehensive Estimate of Blue Carbon Losses Drives Policy 
When a Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions-led study provided the first comprehensive estimates of global carbon dioxide emissions from the loss of coastal marine ecosystems, the world was alerted to a serious climate change threat: those emissions--as much as 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year--were potentially 10 times greater than previously thought and rivaled total national emissions from some developed countries. Learn how the Nicholas Institute became one of the early investigators of payments for blue carbon protection in the ninth installment of our 12-part series highlighting the environmental policy impacts of the Nicholas Institute in its first decade.
Agenda Posted for Environmental Forum
Register to attend the Nicholas Institute's forum "Leadership in a Time of Rapid Change: Envisioning Solutions to Environmental Challenges" on the Duke University campus October 22. The draft agenda with confirmed speakers to date is available online. The forum will feature panels on: Shaping Environmental Policy in the Big Data Era, Advancing Policies and Investments to Achieve Global Sustainable Development Goals, Using Innovative Finance to Sustain the World's Fisheries, Creating the Electricity Sector of the Future, Exploring the Future of Environmental Markets and Designing a Regulatory System that Adapts to Emerging Risks, Technologies. 
Study Examines Morphology of Streams
Social forces shape the morphology of restored streams in North Carolina--that's the conclusion of a study in the journal Water Resources Research co-authored by the Nicholas Institute's Martin Doyle. Specifically, the requirement--and social expectation-of stability has led to the creation of a peculiar stream morphology--one not prescribed by the state's natural science research community.
RGGI Linked to Emissions Reductions
The emissions trading program in the northeastern United States to limit carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector is responsible for about half the region's emissions reductions--an amount far greater than reductions achieved in the rest of the country, according to a study published in the journal Energy Economics. The analysis used econometric methods to quantify emissions reductions due to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and those due to the recession, complementary environmental programs and lower natural gas prices. It suggests that without the 2009 introduction of RGGI, undertaken by a consortium of states in the Northeast, the region's emissions would have been 24 percent higher.
Virdin Discusses Ending Illegal Fishing 
Overfishing is a key environmental challenge of our time. Experts estimate that, globally, 29 percent of assessed fish stocks are biologically overfished--up from 10 percent in 1970. Illegal, unregulated, or unreported fishing is a large contributor to this problem. John Virdin, director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute, writes in The Hill that in the past six months he's noticed a convergence of improved surveillance technology, public awareness, and government interest that may allow us to turn the tide on illegal fishing.

The Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions helps decision makers create timely, effective, and economically practical solutions to the world's critical environmental challenges.
Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, Duke University,
 P.O. Box 90335, Durham, NC 27708.