10.26
Amanda Mott
Associate Director for News
ammott@upenn.edu
Climate Change
Declines in shellfish species on rocky seashores match climate-driven changes
Declines in shellfish species on rocky seashores match climate-driven changes
Mussels, barnacles, and snails are declining in the Gulf of Maine, according to a new paper by biologists Peter Petraitis of the School of Arts & Sciences and Steve Dudgeon of California State University, Northridge. Their 20-year dataset reveals that the populations’ steady dwindling matches up with the effects of climate change on the region.
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus
Members of Penn’s Indigenous community discuss their views of Christopher Columbus and how Indigenous people have suffered from Columbus-style colonialism.
Architecture’s William Braham on energy, carbon, and buildings for the future
Architecture’s William Braham on energy, carbon, and buildings for the future
For Climate Week 2020, The Weitzman School speaks with Braham about Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan, and what he’s learned about the build environment and its carbon footprint over time.
The burning of California
The burning of California
Experts from the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center discuss the California wildfires, why people underprepare for disasters, and what individuals and governments can do to prevent wildfires in the future.
Seeking refuge in the climate emergency
Seeking refuge in the climate emergency
The Perry World House 2020 Global Shifts Colloquium looked at the need to address mass displacement and why climate change poses a national security threat.
Climate Week offers something for ‘every member of the Penn community’
Climate Week offers something for ‘every member of the Penn community’
With participation from schools, centers, and groups across the University and a focus on the interplay of the climate emergency with social justice issues and the global pandemic, Climate Week at Penn will run September 21-25. The week’s dozens of events will help participants learn about the climate crisis—and then act.
The striking shift in climate politics in a post-Sandy New York City
The striking shift in climate politics in a post-Sandy New York City
Analysis of conversations with 75 disaster responders, social activists, and others revealed that immediately following the superstorm, the city moved away from cutting greenhouse gas emissions and toward adaptation.
Southeast Asian megadrought dating back 5,000 years discovered in Laos cave
Southeast Asian megadrought dating back 5,000 years discovered in Laos cave
In a Q&A, Penn archaeologist Joyce White discusses the partnership with paleoclimatologists that led to the finding, plus possible implications of such a dramatic climate change for societies at that time.
Continued CO2 emissions will impair cognition
Continued CO2 emissions will impair cognition
Rising CO2 causes more than a climate crisis, according to a study from Penn and CU Boulder. It may directly harm our ability to think.
The Arctic could have almost no summer sea ice by 2040, decades sooner than expected
The Arctic could have almost no summer sea ice by 2040, decades sooner than expected
Statistical analysis by economists from Penn and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco could supplement current climate models and help global climate prediction.
Media Contact
In the News
Gizmodo
Why Joe Biden should trade his buildings plan for a Green New Deal
Billy Fleming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design spoke about Joseph Biden’s plans to weatherize American homes. “I can’t help but oscillate between despair and frustration with the lack of imagination and ambition in this plan,” said Fleming. “Sure, take care of the low-hanging fruit that Presidents Clinton and Obama left for you on climate. Then, for all our sakes, think about extending your grasp an inch or two higher.”
FULL STORY →
The New York Times
Florida sees signals of a climate-driven housing crisis
Research led by Benjamin Keys and doctoral student Philip Mulder of the Wharton School found that Florida’s coastal real estate market has been on the decline for nearly a decade.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Inquirer
What scares Pa. teens about climate change and how do they want to fight back, a year after massive global protests?
Freshman Nia Peterson shared how she became passionate about combatting climate change. “To provide ourselves and our futures a fighting chance, we first need to acknowledge the situation,” she wrote.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Inquirer
COVID-19 has more Americans thinking about science. Could this be a Sputnik moment?
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center spoke about how the evolution in the U.S. in recent years of perceptions of climate change, with almost 70% of Americans now agreeing that human activity is a contributing factor. “The evidence has become clearer. The communication has become more effective. And people have experienced events in their lives that they attribute to climate change,” she said. “That suggests this isn’t a hopeless task.”
FULL STORY →
Forbes
Study shows how pollution, climate change could make us dumber
Anna Schapiro of the School of Arts and Sciences co-authored a paper that created a predictive model of what might happen to human cognitive abilities over time as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise.
FULL STORY →
Bloomberg
Wharton professor on turning responsible investing interest into sales
Cait Lamberton of the Wharton School discussed the decision-making behind sustainable investing. “At the end of the day, the question for the consumer has to be, ‘If I do this, what changes in the world? What will be different because I took this action?’ And it doesn’t even have to be something large; it has to be something concrete,” she said.
FULL STORY →