Environment

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, discusses Amazon's climate pledge.

Amid the crushing summer heat wave that has slammed the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada, Alyssa Gehman, a marine ecologist who lives by the sea in Vancouver, B.C., walked down to the shore to go for a swim. As expected, the beach was packed with others looking to beat the heat. She made her way to the edge of the water. It smelled like putrid shellfish — cooking. Emily Carrington, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Legacy Survey of Space and Time member and Associate Professor of Astronomy Mario Jurić discusses a giant comet.

With the publication of “Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe” 20 years ago, the UW’s Peter Ward, professor of biology, and Donald Brownlee, professor of astronomy, explained why microbial life may be ubiquitous in the universe, but intelligent life may be rare indeed. They are now working on a sequel, tentatively titled “The Rare Earth Hypothesis: Assessing the Frequency of Complex Life in the Cosmos, in the Age of Exoplanet Discovery.”

As each new generation inherits the world, vital knowledge is forgotten. Peter Kahn, professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences at the UW, is quoted.

"Trees can cushion urban areas from heat waves … This also means that trees reduce energy costs for running fans and air conditioners, a crucial issue for poor households that tend to spend a higher share of their household budgets on energy," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

The Burke Museum is referenced in this article about the fascinating process of how spider webs are made.

Amazon wants to cut carbon emissions by 2040 through its no-strings-attached pledge program. The UW’s Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, are quoted.

Emily Levesque, assistant professor of astronomy, is quoted in this article about a galactic phenomenon.

Abigail Swann, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Ecology, comments on a new study about the formation of the Amazon rain forest.

The global trade in ivory is worth about $23 billion. While governments are starting to crack down on the trade, it might be too little, too late. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

"Some ask whether climate policy has reached a 'social tipping point,' a self-reinforcing contagion process that will decarbonize the economy. Tipping points can be activated by interventions such as divesting from fossil fuel assets or exposing the moral failings of a fossil fuel economy, both of which are reflected in the recent developments in Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil," write the UW's Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science.

A proposal by the European Union would match U.S. and China bans on elephant poaching. But given recent record seizures, it may be too late for elephants. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.

Seabirds are “sentinels” of ocean health. If marine ecosystems are suffering, the birds will be among the first to show it. Now a major study finds that seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere are already struggling. And without extra precautions, those in the Southern Hemisphere might be next. Dee Boersma, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

Nania, a critically endangered forest elephant, became separated from her herd when she was only three months old, and ever since has been hand-reared by wildlife carers in her homeland, Burkina Faso. But now they are searching for her mother using DNA analysis of dung. Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted.