Maxwell School News and Commentary
Filtered by: Environment
Koch Speaks With Freakonomics Radio About Why Arizona Grows Feed for Cows in Saudi Arabia
"What makes Arizona special is that when you have this desert land, you can grow alfalfa at an incredibly fast rate because of the amount of sunshine. So, as long as you have plentiful water, you can just grow," says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Agriculture, Middle East & North Africa, United States, Water
Catherine Herrold Receives Award to Study Locally Led Development in Serbia
The associate professor will analyze how Serbians organize for social change at the local level.
Timur Hammond - How Are We Shaped by the Places We Call Home?
Timur Hammond, assistant professor of geography and the environment, explores the impact of our environments in shaping identity and culture.
See related: Environment, Infrastructure, Urban Issues
Maxwell and Whitman Launch Joint Graduate Program in Sustainable Organizations and Policy
This joint program leverages the national reputations and programmatic strengths of both schools in preparing students to be versatile, multidisciplinary, forward-looking experts and leaders ready to take on the important challenges across the globe related to sustainability.
Sultana Discusses the Feedback Loops Between War and Fossil Fuels in Atmos Article
“The control of oil and gas resources has been a key factor in many conflicts and geopolitical imperialism, either by providing part of the motivation for an invasion or by helping countries fund their militaries,” says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. “Conflict, in turn, feeds production by driving up oil and gas prices,” she adds.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Middle East & North Africa, Natural Resources
Koch Weighs In on the Location of the UN’s 2024 Climate Summit in NY Times Article
While there is an unavoidable conflict in a petrostate hosting a climate summit, it may also be fitting: The country that was home to the oil industry’s beginnings may also host negotiations that could one day bring the petroleum era to an end. “It is possible to frame it as something of a closure,” says Natalie Koch, professor of geography and the environment.
See related: Central Asia, Climate Change, Europe, International Governmental Organizations
Golden Examines Implications for Organizational Pledges to Net-Zero Carbon Emissions in New Book
Jay S. Golden, Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at the Maxwell School, has written “Dynamic Sustainability: Implications for Policy, Markets and National Security” (Cambridge University Press, 2023).
See related: Economic Policy, Environment, National Security, United States
Research by Sultana Cited in Scientific American Article on Extreme Weather, Long-Term Health
Women in Bangladesh suffer disproportionately during floods, as Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, has documented in a study, in part because they bear the brunt of responsibility for managing water and food for their household, as well as taking care of their children.
See related: Climate Change, Gender and Sex, Mental Health, Natural Disasters, South Asia
Sultana Discusses the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) with BBC Newshour, CBC Radio, NY Times
"One of the challenges that's coming out of the COP is a focus on language rather than actual politics," says Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment. "So we can talk about abated/unabated [fossil fuels], whether there's possibilities for different forms of use, which source it's coming from. But I think what we really need to focus on is the overall production."
Popp Quoted in MIT Technology Review Article on the Return of Cleantech
“What is the path to market for these technologies?” asks David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs. He attributes the collapse of startups in cleantech 1.0 largely to the lack of demand for green products in highly competitive commodity markets.
See related: Energy, Sustainability, United States