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Collection No. 7

Confronting the Climate Crisis

Addressing the many manifestations of climate change requires the efforts of every country, every sector, and organizations large and small. Solutions will require both radical innovation and novel uses of existing knowledge. Yale Insights is talking with the scholars and practitioners who are providing the expertise and leadership to make the adaptation and mitigation of this unprecedented challenge a reality.

ESG data is exposing climate risk

Sean David Williams

  • The Decades-Long Effort to Account for the Value of Natural Resources

    Yale School of the Environment economist Eli Fenichel helped develop a national strategy to integrate environmental and economic decision-making.

    An aerial photo of a forest with a house in the middle
  • How Satellites Can Help Win the Climate Fight 

    Satellites can track methane leaks and other greenhouse gas emissions back to the source. We asked Karen Jones ’89, senior technology strategist in the Center for Space Policy and Strategy at The Aerospace Corporation, what it will take to act on the insights offered by space technology.

    A NASA image showing methane plumes in Turkmenistan.
  • We’ve Got Climate Solutions. Now We Need a Movement.

    Most Americans agree that the planet faces dire consequences if we don’t do more to address climate change. Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, outlines how businesses and individuals can push for action.

    Climate activists in New York City earlier this month. 
  • Moving Consumer Brands to Climate Neutral

    A nonprofit co-founded by Austin Whitman ’07 is helping consumers direct their spending to brands that are serious about solving climate change by certifying companies that measure their emissions, offset them in the short-term, and move toward decarbonization.

    Solar panels on the roof of a warehouse at the Sonae MC food logistics hub in Azambuja, Portugal.
  • Land Trusts’ New Tools for Fighting the Climate Crisis

    Land trusts are bringing innovative new tools to tackle the myriad problems created by climate change.

    Site Wind Right
  • What Will It Take to Transition to Electric Cars?

    Kenneth Gillingham, professor of environmental and energy economics, says that easing range anxiety and helping drivers understand the advantages of electric can help accelerate the shift.

    Glowing charging stations at night
  • Delivering Decarbonized Transport

    Dan Kim ’97, chief strategic officer and director of Next Renewable Fuels, argues that existing elements of the energy and transport sectors can evolve to contribute to a future decarbonized economy, alongside more disruptive innovations.

    The hood of a semi truck with a hydrogen fuel cell logo
  • Is Climate Risk More than Markets Can Handle?

    Yale SOM finance professor Stefano Giglio lays out the unique complications of grappling with climate risk, and explains his own work on stock portfolios that hedge climate change.

    A satellite image of Miami, Florida
  • Tallying the Social Cost of Carbon

    Casey Pickett ’11, director of the Yale Carbon Charge, explains how to put a dollar value on the myriad choices that make up our response to the climate crisis.

    A resident walking through flooding from Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, Louisiana, on August 30, 2021
  • Is Seattle Prepared for Climate Change?

    Ann Grodnik-Nagle ’06, climate policy advisor for Seattle Public Utilities, says that Seattle is focusing on both mitigation and adaptation, prioritizing vulnerable communities of color.

    Seattle's Space Needle obscured by smoke from wildfires in September 2020.
  • Better Data Is Letting Companies and Investors See Trillions in Climate Risk

    A growing pool of ESG data enumerates companies’ exposure to climate risk. Yale SOM’s Todd Cort explains how the data helps investors target capital toward the companies that are responding.

    ESG data is exposing climate risk
  • Uncovering Healthcare’s Hidden Climate Impact

    The healthcare industry produces 8.5% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as well as other forms of air pollution. Yale's Dr. Jodi Sherman says the first step to making healthcare sustainable is to understand the scope of the problem.

    An anesthesia mask from the point of view of a patient in surgery
  • What Does It Take to Create Financial Products That Can Save the Planet?

    Investors are increasingly eager to contribute to solutions for climate change and other environmental problems. Charlotte Kaiser ’07 of The Nature Conservancy’s NatureVest explains how the company builds financial products that attract mainstream capital while delivering conservation impacts.

    An overhead image of Ille Pierre Island in Seychelles.
  • California’s Path to a Carbon-Neutral Grid

    Elliot Mainzer ’98, CEO of CAISO, explains how California is working to avoid another summer of blackouts even as the state transitions to a carbon-neutral grid.

    A power substation at the LS Power Group Gateway Energy Storage project in Otay Mesa, California.