climate change
Time when climate was topsy-turvy in Western U.S. aids climate prediction efforts
Mar. 2, 2015—Climate scientists now put the odds that the American Southwest is headed into a 30-year “mega drought” at 50/50. Meanwhile, the forecast for the Pacific Northwest is continued warming with slightly drier summers and even wetter winters. However, 21,000 years ago, at the peak of the last Ice Age, a period known as the Last...
Vanderbilt professor speaks on climate change at TEDxNashville
Jun. 1, 2014—Michael Vandenbergh, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law and director of Vanderbilt’s Climate Change Research Network, recently spoke on “Buying Time: The Private Governance Response to Climate Change” at TEDxNashville. Professor Vandenbergh’s academic research explores the relationship between formal legal regulation and informal social regulation of individual and corporate behavior, the influence of social...
Climate Connections: Bridging the Gap Between Students and Sustainability
Mar. 19, 2014—Join SPEAR and VSG on Thursday, March 20, from 5-7 PM in Sarratt Cinema for an inspiring and informative discussion of the intersection of the environment with society. Through two TED Talks and an open panel, how climate change is intertwined with nearly everything that influences daily life, including economics, entrepreneurship, policy, food, health, and faith,...
In Class and Across Campus, Vanderbilt Helps Future Generations Find Relief for an Overstressed Planet
Mar. 18, 2014—[Originally published in Vanderbilt Magazine] Written by Joanne Lamphere Beckham From corporate boardrooms to statehouse chambers to the halls of academe, sustainability is one of this century’s biggest challenges. Although defined in many ways, sustainability is generally understood as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet...
Use water at ‘comfortable’ temperature to wash hands and fight global warming
Dec. 11, 2013—[Originally posted by Research News at Vanderbilt] Signs in many bathrooms across the country recommend washing hands in hot or warm water. In fact, if Americans could be persuaded en masse to use a comfortable water temperature when washing their hands, it could prevent the annual greenhouse gas emissions totaling the equivalent of the United...
Vanderbilt greenhouse gas emissions down 19% since 2008
Oct. 23, 2013—[Read MyVU story here and full 2012 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory here] Since 2005, Vanderbilt’s Greenhouse Gas emissions have decreased by: Vanderbilt’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Office has released an updated inventory of the campus’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the calendar years 2005-2012 to mark Campus Sustainability Day, Oct. 23. This inventory illustrates Vanderbilt’s current...
State of the Climate in 2012 Report Released
Aug. 8, 2013—The American Meteorological Society (AMS) released their State of the Climate in 2012 report earlier this month. The peer-reviewed report uses climate indicators to track and identify changes and overall trends to the global climate system. Some indicators include greenhouse gas concentrations, cloud cover, sea surface temperature, sea-level rise, and snow cover. Scientists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)’s...
William Nordhaus to speak on the economic perspective on climate change
Mar. 18, 2013—On Friday, April 5th from 4pm – 5:30pm, William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University, will be speaking in Wilson Hall Room 126 on “The Economic Perspective of Climate Change” as part of the McGee Public Policy Lecture Series. A reception will follow immediately. William Nordhaus is Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale...
Greenhouse gas emissions down 12 percent since 2008
Oct. 25, 2012—Vanderbilt releases updated report to mark Campus Sustainability Day Overall greenhouse gas emissions from Vanderbilt’s campus and medical center have decreased by 12 percent from an all-time high reached in 2008—and by 7 percent from 2005 to 2011—even though the institution has seen significant growth in square footage, staff, students and research dollars over the...
NSF funding boosts Vanderbilt climate change studies in Sri Lanka
Sep. 11, 2012—The small island nation of Sri Lanka exemplifies some of the worst conditions and best Sri Lanka’s climate, terrain, natural resources and socio-political conditions make it a microcosm of how developing countries must adapt to climate change responses to the world’s environmental challenges. Located in Southern Asia off the coast of India, Sri Lanka is...