Christiana Figueres inspires action to cut carbon emissions in half this decade

At the Wrigley Lecture Jan. 30 at ASU, climate leader Christiana Figueres said extreme events like the Australian wildfires are foretelling of things to come if we continue to sleepwalk into the future. “That world is possible, but it is not inevitable,” she said.

We’re looking forward to the board meeting on Feb. 17-18. While we celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, we quickly turn our focus to influencing the next 15 years. Meeting agenda is on the board website (password: board). Questions? Contact Emma Hopson ([email protected]).

“Sunny Day Flooding,” a 9-minute documentary produced by Stephen Beschloss for the Global Futures Laboratory, investigates the climate crisis in Norfolk, Virginia — site of the world’s largest Naval base. Norfolk is the first U.S. location where complications from sea level rise began in earnest.

To equitably transform our food systems and tackle climate change, we must include indigenous voices and decision-makers. That’s why the 2020 Food Tank Summit, co-sponsored by ASU’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, focused on the wisdom of traditional knowledge systems.

Established in January 2019, the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science is directed by Greg Asner and builds on his lab work of coral reef mapping and measuring plant biodiversity in forests. The center is already making impressive impacts on global environmental decision-making.

For three years, Project Cities has been successfully connecting policymakers and students to co-create strategies for better environmental, economic and social outcomes. This success can be seen with Apache Junction, the program’s first community partner. “Project Cities is an invaluable resource,” said a city official.

Propelled by his long-time love for sea turtles, ASU marine biologist and conservation scientist Jesse Senko dedicated his life to saving the creatures. To reduce turtle bycatch from fishing nets, he developed effective solar-powered lights that attach to the nets and deter the turtles.