Earth and Environmental Science

Michael E. Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that disasters like Hurricane Fiona are indicative of climate change’s present-day consequences, driving home the importance of taking action now.

Witold Henisz of the Wharton School says that new Republican anti-environmental state policies have created an opaque system in which politicians have total discretion.

Allison Lassiter of the Weitzman School of Design says that the infrastructure act doesn’t inject enough money into public water supply systems to fundamentally change them.

Mark Alan Hughes of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that cities are powerful tools for collective action on climate change, noting that Philadelphia is vulnerable on climate adaptation but well-positioned to improve.

Cary Coglianese of Penn Carey Law says that the EPA will need to find a way to audit the declarations of green construction companies to avoid potential damage to the entire sector.

Shelley Welton of Penn Carey Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that blaming renewables is a distraction, a way to forestall a transition that is underway but needs to be moving faster.

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a new study about rising heat waves focuses on mathematical probabilities rather than the true political obstacles.

Shelley Welton of Penn Carey Law and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy says that continued reliance on fossil fuels will create a worsening cycle of threats to the electricity grid.