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Weighing the environmental impacts of a byproduct of biofuel combustion: plant skeletons
Pile of shredded straw from Miscanthus sinensis, Chinese silver grass

Chinese silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis, is a common source of biomass, burned to produce electricity or heat in power plants. Each piece is roughly 2-3 centimeters in length. (Image: Reto Gieré)

Weighing the environmental impacts of a byproduct of biofuel combustion: plant skeletons

The School of Arts and Sciences’ Reto Gieré and Ruggero Vigliaturo and colleagues found that phytoliths—small, silica-containing deposits present in many plant species—are emitted during biofuel combustion.

Katherine Unger Baillie

‘Climate Risk Solutions,’ a 30-part report on climate change proposals
Spring field flooded by high water of a small river.

‘Climate Risk Solutions,’ a 30-part report on climate change proposals

Wharton’s Steven Kimbrough and Carolyn Kousky and Penn Law's Cary Coglianese discuss the solutions offered by a new report by a number of Penn experts on climate change, “Climate Risk Solutions.”

Penn Today Staff

Talking climate change with Rafe Pomerance
A person sitting in a red chair gesturing with hands.

Environmental activist, Rafe Pomerance, founder of Arctic 21 and a senior fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, spoke at the Penn’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy last week. 

  • Q&A

    • Talking climate change with Rafe Pomerance

    In a Q&A, the longtime environmental activist, who came to campus to speak at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, discusses where we are today and how we can avoid the worst effects of a warming planet.

    Michele W. Berger

    Minding the gap between mass transit and ride-hailing apps
    Person holding a cellphone with a lit up image of a car emanating from it.

    As Uber and Lyft become more widely available, researchers zero in on how these ride-hailing services are affecting urban development and the environment.

    Minding the gap between mass transit and ride-hailing apps

    With support from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, doctoral students Caitlin Gorback and Summer Dong are researching how services like Uber and Lyft are changing our transport habits, cities, and environments.

    Gina Vitale , Michele W. Berger

    Contest fosters local solutions to global sustainability challenges
    A person in a pink button-down shirt leaning against a brick wall.

    Rising senior Richard Ling started a nonprofit, Collective Cause, and through that, ran a competition called Sustainable Solutions. The goal was to encourage high school and college students to brainstorm local solutions to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

    Contest fosters local solutions to global sustainability challenges

    SoleProvider won the Sustainable Solutions competition created by rising senior Richard Ling. The automated texting system offers Philadelphia’s homeless a simple way to request a particular need and for users to fulfill it.

    Michele W. Berger

    A unique perspective on renewable energy
    Rachel Kyte stands at a podium speaking, the sign on the podium reads "Kleinman Center for Energy Policy."
  • Q&A

    • A unique perspective on renewable energy

    In a conversation with Rachel Kyte, the U.N. special representative and CEO of Sustainable Energy for All discusses how this energy sector has changed in the past decade and what happens when political will doesn’t match the science.

    Michele W. Berger

    The Green New Deal: What it says, what it doesn’t say, and how close we are to adopting it
    A view looking up into a forest of trees, with light streaming through.

    In February, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) introduced a non-binding resolution to Congress known as the Green New Deal. It’s unclear how far it will progress, but it is fueling a long-needed conversation about climate change, according to Mark Alan Hughes of Penn’s Kleinman Center.

    The Green New Deal: What it says, what it doesn’t say, and how close we are to adopting it

    Mark Alan Hughes, director of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, discusses the basics of this energy-mobilization proposal.

    Michele W. Berger

    Power struggle: Nuclear energy contends with climate change
    Aerial view of Three Mile Island

    Power struggle: Nuclear energy contends with climate change

    Earth and Environmental Science Department Chair Reto Gieré explains how 40 years after the worst nuclear accident in the U.S., a global energy dilemma endures.

    Penn Today Staff

    When green ‘fixes’ actually increase the carbon footprint
    The Amazon World Headquarters Campus Spheres terrariums

    When Amazon announced plans to bring its headquarters (seen here) to Seattle a decade ago, it promised eco-friendly infrastructure and encourages a sustainability ethos to go along with it. But according to new research from Penn and others, its arrival likely led to gentrification and stable or increased carbon emissions.

    When green ‘fixes’ actually increase the carbon footprint

    New research shows that when tech companies move in, they often encourage a sustainability mindset, but lead to gentrification and stable or higher emissions.

    Michele W. Berger

    Bringing reliable power to all of India
    Bringing reliable, sustainable power to India

    Source: Flickr user DFID

    Bringing reliable power to all of India

    Doing so requires a just and sustainable energy transition and common but differentiated responsibilities among nations to mitigate effects of energy systems on climate change.

    Michele W. Berger , Lindsey Samahon