Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
📤 645
📥 242
📝 267
Empowering people, driving solutions for a sustainable world. ibes.brown.edu
This March, Brown University will launch its first Climate Week—a celebration of ideas, innovation, & action for a sustainable future. Learn more:
https://ibes.brown.edu/news-events/brown-climate-week
Brown University School of Public Health
Cogut Institute for the Humanities
Watson School at Brown
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1 day ago
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Join IBES for "Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism" with
Providence College
Prof
Thea Riofrancos
! 🗓️ Friday, Feb 20 ⏰ 3pm seminar | 4pm reception 📍 13 Brown St & livestream ➕ Learn more & register:
https://events.brown.edu/ibes/event/324624-seminar-and-reception-extraction-the-frontiers-of
4 days ago
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Former IBES Voss Postdoc Lina Pérez-Angel used ancient lake sediment to reconstruct temperatures in Colombia during the Pliocene, when CO2 levels were similar to today. The new
@pnas.org
study suggests that parts of the tropics may warm more dramatically than expected. Read
@brown.edu
's coverage:
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Parts of the tropics may warm more than expected as CO2 rises, study finds
A reconstruction of temperature in Colombia during the Pliocene, when CO2 levels were similar to today, suggests that parts of the tropics might soon experience more dramatic warming than previously e...
https://www.brown.edu/news/2026-02-02/tropical-warming-co2
5 days ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
7 days ago
“Let them eat kale!”: Appeals to class-based resentment in American conservative opposition to climate change solutions" is out in
@socprobsjournal.bsky.social
@rachelwetts.bsky.social
and I provide evidence that conservative climate media discourse features appeals to social group identities (1/2)
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Director
Kim Cobb
reflects on how far IBES has come in recent years and all that lies ahead for the Institute, including serving as lead sponsor for Brown's first-ever Climate Week! Mark your calendar for March 2–7, and look out for more details on this campus-wide event series.
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8 days ago
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"Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait" by
@brdemuth.bsky.social
, Dean's Associate Professor at IBES and
@brownhist.bsky.social
, has been selected as the 2025-2026 Brown University Book Award 📕🏆 👏 Learn more:
insite.browntextbook.com/BrownBookAward
8 days ago
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IBES is launching a new program that helps
@brown.edu
students discover and prepare for careers that advance climate, sustainability, and environmental goals across all sectors. Learn more about the Student Transformative Engagement Pathways (STEP) Program:
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IBES launches STEP Program to expand student professional development opportunities in climate, sustainability and the environment
The new suite of student offerings includes a 500% increase in paid internships and research opportunities as well as professional development workshops, alumni networking, and an annual Climate Caree...
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2026-01-23/step-program
13 days ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
14 days ago
When reporter Juliana Merullo moved to Uruguay last year, she thought it would be "a green paradise" with EVs, rooftop solar and wind turbines everywhere you look. But it wasn't like that at all. This week on Possibly she explains what it's like living in a country powered by renewable energy.
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What is it like to live in a country with a fully renewable electric grid?
'I think I thought it would be like a green paradise, that everyone would be driving around in their electric cars, that all of the houses would have solar panels on them, that there would be those tr...
https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-culture/climate-environment/what-is-it-like-to-live-in-a-country-with-a-fully-renewable-electric-grid
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Erica Walker, an IBES affiliate in
@brown-epi.bsky.social
, offered commentary on the public health impacts of pellet mills in the Southern United States, which emit noise and air pollution into surrounding communities.
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15 days ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
19 days ago
This week on Possibly reporter Juliana Merullo talks to Ramón Mendez Galain, a physicist who helped Uruguay transition its electric grid to renewable energy almost overnight. Listen here:
www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...
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How did Uruguay transition to a fully renewable electric grid?
This week on Possibly we’re talking to Ramón Mendez Galain, a physicist who helped the small South American country transition its electric grid to renewable energy almost overnight
https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-culture/climate-environment/how-did-uruguay-transition-to-a-fully-renewable-electric-grid
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Read about a new report from
@climatedevlab.bsky.social
, led by IBES Professor
@timmonsroberts.bsky.social
⤵️
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21 days ago
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Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, a professor at IBES and
@brownpublichealth.bsky.social
@brown-epi.bsky.social
, is among the authors of a new study that finds as association between higher temperatures and increased violence-related hospital visits in the US.
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Interpersonal and Self-Inflicted Violence Linked to Temperature Spikes
Warming temperatures are connected to increases in violence-related hospital visits—including both interpersonal and self-inflicted violence.
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/interpersonal-self-inflicted-violence-linked-temperature-spikes
29 days ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Kim Cobb
about 1 month ago
* JOB ALERT* Join our team at
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
as Program Manager for a cross-campus research initiative "Equitable Climate Futures".
ecf.brown.edu
Apply by 1/15 for full consideration.
brown.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/staff-career...
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Equitable Climate Futures | Brown University
Equitable Climate Futures is an initiative that will build Brown’s capacity for climate research, with a strong focus on under-resourced and historically marginalized groups.
https://ecf.brown.edu
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
SustainableED
about 1 month ago
This spring, we’re hosting the inaugural SustainableED Conference! This event will convene researchers across a range of disciplines along with practitioners, non-profit organizers, and policymakers to generate policy-relevant insights from research. 🧵
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Expanded student career pathways, boundary-transcending research, and dozens of climate conversations on campus and in the media marked 2025 as a pivotal year in IBES’s evolution. Explore our year in review 🤎⤵️
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IBES 2025: A Year in Review
Through bold collaboration and boundary-crossing research, IBES is driving the climate conversations and solutions our world needs most.
https://ibes.brown.edu/strategic-plan/2025-annual-report
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Kim Cobb
about 2 months ago
It is hard to overstate how critical
@ncar-ucar.bsky.social
is to climate science in the US and around the world. It's the beating heart of our field. Generations of scientists have trained there, and almost everyone I know relies on deep collaborations with NCAR scientists. It's end is unthinkable.
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"We as researchers must stand up and communicate the importance of our work," writes IBES Prof
@timmonsroberts.bsky.social
, executive director of
@cssn.org
, whose research on climate disinformation campaigns has faced recent legal threats from opposition groups.
pen.org/tilting-at-w...
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2 months ago
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Meet IBES Voss Fellow Piete Gatesi ’27! Using heat and chemical treatments, Gatesi aims to engineer solid state batteries, a promising, more sustainable alternative to lithium ion batteries 🔋 Brown University School of Engineering Learn more:
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-12-08/piete-gatesi
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2 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
2 months ago
Only about a third of the glass used in the U.S. gets recycled. That’s much lower than Europe, where some countries have recycling rates above 90%. This week on Possibly we're asking: what gives? And what can we do about it?
www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...
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Why is the US glass recycling rate so low? - TPR: The Public's Radio
Only about a third of the glass used in the U.S. gets recycled. That’s much lower than Europe, where some countries have recycling rates above 90%. So what gives? And what can we do about it?
https://thepublicsradio.org/possibly-podcast/why-is-the-us-glass-recycling-rate-so-low/
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IBES researcher Alexie Rudman & ENVS concentrator Keira Yanez '27 teamed up with Providence residents to create the "Shoreline Stories" exhibit @ New Urban Arts. Join this weekend (Dec 13 & 14) to view images, writing, and creative pieces that speak to resilience, concern, pride, memory, and place.
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Community PhotoVoice Gallery: Shoreline Stories
This PhotoVoice gallery is the culmination of a community-led project that brings together residents’ own experiences and creative reflections on...
https://events.brown.edu/general/event/323410-community-photovoice-gallery-shoreline-stories
2 months ago
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“There’s not a single campus across the country that is immune to climate-related impacts and threats to its infrastructure,” IBES Director
@kimcobb.bsky.social
told the BDH. Brown's efforts to fortify buildings & mitigate rainwater accumulation are necessary for climate resilience, she said.
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Fighting the College Hill floods: Brown takes steps to contain stormwater
Increasingly severe rain storms are straining an aging city and campus infrastructure.
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/12/fighting-the-college-hill-floods-brown-takes-steps-to-contain-stormwater
2 months ago
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Tomorrow at noon! Join us online as four experts discuss emerging tools and frameworks that not only protect financial portfolios and institutions, but reframe nature as a pillar of economic resilience:
https://events.brown.edu/event/319990-values-at-risk-2025-nature-climate-and-the
2 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
2 months ago
If you’re planning to deck your house with lights this holiday season, you have a choice to make: stick with incandescent light bulbs, or go for LEDs. This week on Possibly we break down what each option means for the planet, and your electric bill.
www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...
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What kind of holiday lights should I buy?
If you’re planning to deck your house with lights this holiday season, you have a choice to make: stick with incandescent lightbulbs, or go for LEDs. This week on Possibly we break down what each opti...
https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-culture/climate-environment/what-kind-of-holiday-lights-should-i-buy
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Tomorrow! Forge new community-oriented partnerships and research teams during ECF's 2025 conference, a day of inquiry featuring panels, poster sessions, and facilitated conversation. Learn more + register:
https://events.brown.edu/event/319822-equitable-climate-futures-seeding-collaborative
2 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Brown University School of Public Health
2 months ago
NEW RESEARCH: With #RSV hospitalizing 80,000 US children each year, a
@brown.edu
team aimed to learn how population density affects its spread among young children.
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
@rebaker.bsky.social
#RSV
Learn the results!⤵️
https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-11-26/rsv-urban-rural-immunization
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Brown History Department
2 months ago
Lukas Rieppel Named 2025
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
Catalyst Research Awardee — The annual award supports Brown University faculty in pursuing research that aligns with IBES’s goals of accelerating exploratory research with the potential to impact communities and engage with non-academic partners.
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IBES announces 2025 Catalyst Research Awardees
IBES awarded grants to six core and affiliate faculty members, allowing them to conduct research that crosses boundaries and benefits communities, both at Brown and around the world.
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-10-02/catalyst-winners-2025
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Climate Social Science Network
2 months ago
"10 Years After Paris Accord, Climate Denial Is Surging" - see
@lisagsf.bsky.social
and
@stevenleemyers.bsky.social
' piece in the NY Times, featuring the work by our scholars on the infiltration of misinformation in international climate negotiations.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/c...
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Many Fighting Climate Change Worry They Are Losing the Information War
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/climate/climate-change-disinformation.html
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Timmons Roberts
2 months ago
Excellent coverage of exactly the problem we face 35 years into the effort to face
#climatechange
: "a decades-long disinformation bombardment.," as
@whitehouse.senate.gov
put it. Now on solutions--see work by Climate Action Against Disinformation groups
caad.info
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/c...
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Many Fighting Climate Change Worry They Are Losing the Information War
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/climate/climate-change-disinformation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5E8.6agx.QikHHMQ5uiGL&smid=url-share
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Just over two weeks until Values at Risk 2025! Don't miss this opportunity to hear from our esteemed guests, each of whom brings their own unique expertise to the topic of climate risk. Register to attend the Dec 9 webinar:
events.brown.edu/event/319990...
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3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Climate Social Science Network
3 months ago
Reporting by
@mongabay.com
on our new Global Assessment and larger trends of climate obstruction in the COP:
india.mongabay.com/2025/11/obst...
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Obstruction tactics delay climate action, says global assessment
A new global assessment explores who is blocking action on climate change through coordinated disinformation campaigns.
https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/obstruction-tactics-delay-climate-action-says-global-assessment/
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Matthew A Kraft
3 months ago
@edsustainable.bsky.social
is hosting our first annual interdisciplinary conference! Research at the intersection of education and the environment. 🎓🌎 May 1st, 2026 Providence, RI Easy one paragraph abstract submission ⬇️
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Please share w/ your networks!
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Brown faculty, including IBES fellow
@baylorfk.bsky.social
& affiliate
@maratimes.bsky.social
, are part of the new SIMCoast initiative modeling microplastics in Narragansett Bay. “It’s a fantastic way to do interdisciplinary work and learn from others,” Freilich told
@browndailyherald.bsky.social
.
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Brown begins work on $7 million microplastics research initiative
Brown’s team in the SIMCoast initiative will focus on modeling microplastics in the Narragansett Bay.
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/11/brown-begins-work-on-7-million-microplastics-research-initiative
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Brown Anthropology
3 months ago
WATCH | “Subjects of the Sun”: Rethinking solar justice with Myles Lennon. During an October 18 book talk hosted by
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
, Assistant Prof Myles Lennon challenged audiences to see solar energy as not only a climate solution, but a reflection of deeper social and economic inequities.
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WATCH | “Subjects of the Sun”: Rethinking solar justice with Myles Lennon
During an October 18 book talk, Assistant Professor Myles Lennon challenged audiences to see solar energy as not only a climate solution, but a reflection of deeper social and economic inequities.
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-10-27/lennon-book-talk
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IBES is hiring! The Student Transformative Engagement Pathways (STEP) Program Director will guide development and execution of expanded paid internships & research assistantships in climate, sustainability, and the environment for undergrads across Brown.
brown.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/staff-...
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
3 months ago
Spotted lanternflies, Japanese barberry, Oriental bittersweet – When plants and animals like these invade our environment, they can disrupt other organisms that are native to the region. But can we stop these species? And should we?
www.oceanstatemedia.org/what-should-...
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What should we do about invasive species, and should we do anything at all?
Spotted lanternflies, Japanese barberry, Oriental bittersweet – When plants and animals like these invade our environment, they can disrupt other organisms that are native to the region. But can we st...
https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/what-should-we-do-about-invasive-species-and-should-we-do-anything-at-all
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Climate Social Science Network
3 months ago
A big move in the right direction by world leaders. See CSSN Director
@timmonsroberts.bsky.social
quoted in
@earthjournalism.bsky.social
:
earthjournalism.net/stories/coun...
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Countries Sign A Declaration To Fight Climate Disinformation At COP30
https://earthjournalism.net/stories/countries-sign-a-declaration-to-fight-climate-disinformation-at-cop30
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Phosphorus is essential to life on Earth, but in the wrong places and quantities, it’s an environmental hazard. IBES Prof Stephen Porder and UVM Assoc Prof Eric Roy, a former Voss postdoc, joined Facing Future to discuss the phosphorus conundrum and explain their work on the phosphorous cycle.
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The Phosphorus Conundrum
YouTube video by Facing Future
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP2IO2Z0E6c
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Possibly
3 months ago
Red seaweed has been washing up on Rhode Island beaches for years, but what is it? On our latest episode of Possibly: what’s causing this red seaweed to appear, how it’s different from harmful “red tides” and how it might help the planet.
www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...
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Should we be concerned about red seaweed washing up on Rhode Island’s beaches?
Red seaweed has been washing up on Rhode Island beaches for years, but what is it? This week on Possibly we explain what’s causing this red seaweed to appear, how it’s different from harmful “red tide...
https://www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-culture/climate-environment/should-we-be-concerned-about-red-seaweed-washing-up-on-rhode-islands-beaches
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How can we deepen collaboration across disciplines & communities to tackle the climate crisis more effectively? Explore answers during the Equitable Climate Future Initiative's 2025 conference on Dec 3! Learn more:
https://events.brown.edu/event/319822-equitable-climate-futures-seeding-collaborative
3 months ago
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Join IBES's Values at Risk 2025 webinar! On Dec 9 at noon, experts in finance, insurance, policy, and environmental science will explore how we can better anticipate, price, and manage climate-related risk. Learn more + register: https://ow.ly/3UVH50XnZaK
Carolyn Kousky
Environmental Defense Fund
3 months ago
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IBES Director
@kimcobb.bsky.social
joined LA's AirTalk radio show to discuss Bill Gates's recent memo on climate change — in which he expresses concerns on how the climate crisis is being framed and addressed — and how should we talk about climate moving forward.
laist.com/news/la-city...
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Brown History Department
3 months ago
Lukas Rieppel Named 2025
@brown-ibes.bsky.social
Catalyst Research Awardee — The annual award supports Brown University faculty in pursuing research that aligns with IBES’s goals of accelerating exploratory research with the potential to impact communities and engage with non-academic partners.
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IBES announces 2025 Catalyst Research Awardees
IBES awarded grants to six core and affiliate faculty members, allowing them to conduct research that crosses boundaries and benefits communities, both at Brown and around the world.
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-10-02/catalyst-winners-2025
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At a recent IBES seminar,
Columbia University
's
Adam Sobel
called for a transparent approach to climate risk science—one that guides practical decisions in an era of extremes. Learn more and view a recording of the event:
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-11-12/sobel-climate-risk
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WATCH | Usable climate science: Adam Sobel on making risk research work for the real world
At a recent IBES seminar, Columbia University’s Adam Sobel called for a transparent approach to climate risk science—one that guides practical decisions in an era of extremes.
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-11-12/sobel-climate-risk
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Andrew Freedman
3 months ago
A sobering take on what a slew of new reports say about how the world will look under 2-3°C+ of warming. W/
@laurapaddison.bsky.social
& insights from
@drkatemarvel.bsky.social
,
@kimcobb.bsky.social
,
@weatherwest.bsky.social
& others.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/c...
(For CNN subscribers.)
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New reports paint picture of an ‘extremely dangerous’ future with warming expected to blow past key limit | CNN
Melting ice sheets. Massive flooding. Dead coral reefs. Humanity is careening toward an untenable future as global temperatures rise, scientists warn
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/climate/3-degrees-warming-reports-iea-united-nations
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Several IBES Voss Fellows have brought their research beyond campus this semester, presenting at Providence’s Hamilton House as part of the Conversations in Science series: a collaboration that connects Brown scholars with lifelong learners eager to explore real-world environmental challenges.
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IBES Voss Fellows bring climate research to the community
Members of the 2025-2026 Voss Undergraduate Fellowship cohort have shared their research with local audiences through the Conversations in Science series at Providence’s Hamilton House.
https://ibes.brown.edu/news/2025-11-10/voss-hamilton-house
3 months ago
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IBES Voss Postdoc Elodie Freymann is first author of a new report that documents a novel foraging behavior in fire-crested alethes. The African birds followed humans & bushbuck, likely to flush out insect prey, diverging from their typical ant-following strategy.
www.frontiersin.org/journals/bir...
3 months ago
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IBES Professor Amanda Lynch co-authored a new policy brief published by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, which argues that, in the Arctic, the global transformation brought about by AI and ML technology is "not merely disruptive – it is decisive." Read "Algorithmic North" ⤵️
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https://www.gcsp.ch/sites/default/files/2025-11/GCSP-Policy-Brief-21_Algorithmic-North%3Bdigital.pdf
3 months ago
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IBES affiliate David Savitz, a professor emeritus of epidemiology and pediatrics, offered commentary on how uncertainty around toxin data can affect public health outcomes.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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reposted by
Institute at Brown for Environment & Society (IBES)
Nature Climate Change
3 months ago
Viewpoint:
@carlschleussner.bsky.social
@paucastro.bsky.social
Alexandra Lesnikowski,
@adellethomas.bsky.social
@romainweikmans.bsky.social
@timmonsroberts.bsky.social
Ambuj Sagar, Sonia Klinsky, Thomas Bernauer discuss status of
#ParisAgreement
Articles on it's 10th anniversary
rdcu.be/eOBBU
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Expert retrospective on a decade of the Paris Agreement
Nature Climate Change - To mark the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, Nature Climate Change asked experts to reflect on the progress of and barriers to several of its key Articles. They...
https://rdcu.be/eOBBU
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A new paper co-authored by IBES Asst Prof
@danibarra.bsky.social
examines chemical fingerprints in preserved trees understand how plants responded to the low CO2 levels and cooler temperatures of the last glacial period, about 20,000 years ago. Read the full press release:
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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