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Research Topic: Climate Change

Climate, Resilience and Mobility: A Duke Climate Collaboration Symposium

Floods, droughts, storms, sea-level rise, changing rainfall and rising temperatures intensify the fragility and vulnerability of communities, particularly in the developing world. Some will adapt by migrating. Others may become trapped, lacking the resources to move.

Communities can adapt to climate threats while remaining in place if they have opportunities to build resilience. However, the United Nations (UN) estimates that more than $200 billion is needed annually to support developing countries’ adaptation to climate change. Current global aid covers less than one-tenth of that sum.

Join us in exploring this challenge—and potential solutions—on September 19-20, 2024, at a Duke Climate Collaboration Symposium hosted by the Duke Program on Climate, Resilience, and Mobility; the Duke Office of Global Affairs; and the Duke Climate Commitment.  

The symposium opens on Thursday, September 19, with a keynote address by Indermit Gill (Chief Economist, World Bank Group) and a panel focused on building resilience to climate change and the likely effects of these efforts on human mobility. The expert panelists will also discuss the potential for collaboration between NGOs, IGOs, government agencies, think tanks and academic researchers to enhance the knowledge frontier and improve policy response on these issues.

Panelists include Laurie Ashley (Climate Adaptation and Resilience Advisor, Center for Resilience, USAID Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security), Nicole Franz (Equitable Livelihoods Team Leader, Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN), Christian Lara (Strategic Planning Officer and Head of Resident Coordinator Office, UN), Marie McAuliffe (Head, Migration Research and Publications Division, International Organization for Migration) and Marie-Soleil Turmel (Science Advisor, Latin America and Caribbean Region, Catholic Relief Services).

The symposium continues with an invitation-only workshop on Friday, September 20, to further explore partnerships between researchers at Duke and non-academic organizations on topics at the intersection of climate change, migration and resilience.

The symposium is the third of the Duke Climate Collaboration Symposia, a series of convenings designed to accelerate climate solutions by developing new collaborations among Duke scholars and external partners. Each symposium focuses on identifying opportunities for Duke University to make the most of its interdisciplinary expertise and convening power for meaningful impact on climate challenges.

The series is funded by a gift from The Duke Endowment in support of the Duke Climate Commitment, which unites the university’s education, research, operations and public service missions to address climate challenges.

Duke a Partner in NC State’s new Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein

NC State will work with academic partners Duke University, N.C. A&T State University, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and Forsyth Tech Community College on research, workforce development, and community engagement efforts. More than 20 industry partners will also be part of the center, which will facilitate technology transfer and student internships and mentorships.

The center will engage partners from academia and industry to research, create, and commercialize new technologies, provide training for the emerging industry workforce, and gauge consumers’ protein preferences.

Norbert Wilson at the Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein launch event
Norbert Wilson

“The challenges of climate, nutrition, and sustainability are more pressing today than ever. If we are going to ensure that all people will have access to enough food in the future, we can’t ignore the need to make changes now,” said Sanford School of Public Policy Professor Norbert Wilson at Duke University. “As an agricultural economist, I’m excited to partner with NC State University through the new Bezos Center for Sustainable Protein. This Center is the right team of research and industry partners to innovate new climate-conscious and nutritious proteins.”

Protein is essential to human health, whether it comes from animal or plant sources. Without the amino acids in protein, our cells, tissues and organs can’t function. And as the global population expands, the health of both humans and the planet will increasingly depend on widespread availability of proteins that taste good and are produced in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect nature.

Andrew Steer, CEO and President of the Bezos Earth Fund
Andrew Steer

“Food production is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s critical we find ways to feed a growing population without degrading the planet,” said Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Earth Fund. “Sustainable protein has tremendous potential, but more research is needed to reduce the price and boost the flavor and texture to ensure nutritious, affordable products are available. It’s about choice.”

The grant funding will support research on three types of sustainable proteins: plant-based products; precision fermentation to produce proteins and nutrients that can be used in food formulations; and cultivated meat grown from animal cells.

Andy Jarvis, Bezos Earth Fund Director of Future of Food
Andy Jarvis

“Feeding a growing world requires producing tasty proteins that won’t further degrade nature,” said Andy Jarvis, the Earth Fund’s Director of Future of Food. “These centers will advance open-source, sustainable protein R&D to benefit consumer choice while protecting our planet.”

“Society needs to harness new ways of thinking and approaches to food production and formulation. It will take transdisciplinary research teams like this to develop new thinking on alternative proteins and research-based approaches to gain societal and regulatory acceptance. I’m eager to explore the enabling policies for a thriving and sustainable marketplace for new protein options,” said Wilson.

Rohan Shirwaiker, NC State
Rohan Shirwaiker

“This effort is all about expanding the sustainable protein knowledge base and ecosystem,” said Rohan Shirwaiker, James T. Ryan Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State, principal investigator on the grant, and co-director of the center. “The center’s capabilities and partnerships will add a new dimension to expand NC State’s biotechnology and advanced manufacturing expertise.”

The center will also provide more reasons for biomanufacturing firms to locate in North Carolina, generating jobs and economic growth. The grant funding will help prepare the workforce for jobs in advanced food technology through various university and community college partnerships, while industry partnerships will support food production and processing, including small companies and start-ups.

Bill Aimutis, co-director
Bill Aimutis

“This is a significant opportunity for North Carolina to not only be a state with a thriving animal-sourced foods sector, but also one where it is a powerhouse in complementary proteins, building new industry and driving economic growth for the state,” said Bill Aimutis, co-principal investigator on the grant and co-director of the new center who has extensive experience working with sustainable protein producers and start-up companies. “With the center we are looking to develop solutions that will provide greater diversity of choices for consumers that are both tasty and sustainable.”

This announcement builds on the Bezos Earth Fund’s $1 billion grant commitment to help transform food and agricultural systems to support healthy lives without degrading the planet, which also includes efforts to reduce emissions from livestock.

Resilient Communities Built on Farmer Flourishing: Policy Frameworks for Climate-Ready Local Food Systems

The world needs more farmers committed to climate-resilient practices—but they often face enormous social, environmental and policy challenges to maintaining productivity and profitability. This project will engage with farmers, policymakers and businesses in North Carolina’s Durham and Orange Counties, gleaning insights to inform new county land use and climate action plans. The team also aims to create a database of county-level policies from across the nation to aid grassroots organizations and decisionmakers in advancing climate-resilient local food systems.

Note: This project is funded in part by the Duke Climate Research Innovation Seed Program (CRISP), the Office of Durham and Community Affairs and the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Monetizing Resilience to Mobilize Climate Capital: Understanding the Value of Climate-Smart Agriculture in East Africa

The investments required to protect developing countries from climate change are at least 10 times larger than international public finance flows, with an estimated gap of $194 billion to $366 billion per year. To help fill that gap, this project will study new approaches to private-sector investment. Focusing on smallholder farmers in East Africa, the team aims to help develop new financial instruments, including resilience credits, carbon credits with resilience co-benefits and resilience bonds, among others.

Virtual water trade: Does bilateral tariff matter?

Abstract

Virtual water trade (VWT) is the trade of water ‘embodied’ in a product. This paper explores the extent to which bilateral tariffs, World Trade Organization (WTO), and Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) reshape the trade of water across nations and alleviate water scarcity issues. To achieve this goal, we built a panel database on blue (irrigation water) and green (rainwater) VWT among paired trading countries from 1998 to 2002. Using a standard gravity model, we study how the bilateral tariff and WTO/ RTA affect the intensity of blue and green VWT. The results indicate that, on average, a 1% tariff reduction increases the green virtual water trade by 0.219%. In most water-stressed countries, a 1% reduction in tariffs increased blue VWT by 0.416% and green VWT by 0.424%. By crops, we find that tariffs had a negative effect on VWT for the less water-intensive crops, but a positive effect or no effect on the more water-intensive crops. We further find in the most water-stressed countries, RTA facilitated VWT. As a climate mitigation strategy, water-scarce countries can increase VWT, thus reducing the production of water-intensive crops, by lowering tariff rates independently or through trade agreements.

What motivates farmers to say Yes! to gleaning?

This infographic summarizes the research of Samantha Schulteis, and is coauthored by Norbert Wilson and Charlotte Clark. Research findings suggest that farmers recognize social, environmental, and economic benefits of gleaning participation. Farmers in our study were most motivated to participate in gleaning due to social benefits, specifically hunger reduction. Economic benefits were not as incentivizing as expected, based upon findings from previous studies. Participants generally did not recognize the connection between gleaning and environmental benefits, such as emissions reductions. The findings suggest that gleaning organizations should place special emphasis on the hunger-reduction aspects of their work. There is also opportunity for gleaning organizations to inform prospective farmers of gleanings’ wide-ranging benefits, especially related to the environment.

Sam Schulteis infographic - page 1

Sam Schulteis research 2nd page

 

Wilson contributes to Associated Press special project: The Protein Problem

Agriculture feeds 8 billion people every day, but also generates enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and threatens wild animals and plants because of the land and water needed to raise our food. Demand for protein — especially meat, which takes by far the biggest toll on the environment — is soaring as the population grows, tastes change, and incomes rise. The AP deployed journalists to 16 locations in 10 countries on five continents to better understand this protein problem — and learn about ways some creative thinkers and innovators are trying to solve it.

Thanks to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group, which supports AP’s Health & Science Department, and to Chris Barrett of Cornell University, Upmanu Lall of Columbia University, Sonali Shukla McDermid of New York University, Linda Prokopy of Purdue University and Norbert Wilson of Duke University.

The Protein Project HomepageExplore the interactive website that includes a quiz to test your knowledge. Story features include:

Climate Change, Food Systems & Sustainability

Intellectual Community Planning Grant

We propose deepening Duke’s research agenda in the intersection of climate change, food systems, and sustainability and engaging with Triangle faculty. Climate change will be the primary lens, but we will also more broadly engage faculty and students to discuss what we should eat as a society.

News coverage of climate change has increased, with policy traction and funding opportunities related to food/climate. For example, foundations have tripled their giving for climate change mitigation since 2015, according to a report by ClimateWorks, and the US federal government made a large financial commitment to tackling climate change via the Inflation Reduction Act in August 2022. Further, the National Science Foundation noted that convergent research is necessary to address pressing societal problems of food and agriculture’s overlapping systems and cultural relevance for multiple disciplines.

Signup: Email WFPC

Question for Proposed Exploration

Thus, we propose an intellectual community to address our central question: Considering climate change, what would be an equitable, just, and sustainable food system?

Duke Faculty Group’s Qualifications/Experience

  1. Elizabeth Albright, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Environmental Science and Policy Methods, Nicholas School – policy/decision-making in response to extreme climatic events
  2. Sarah Bermeo, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Political Science, Sanford – climate migration, food security, political economy, donor aid allocation
  3. Saskia Cornes, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Franklin Humanities; Program Director, Campus Farm – environmental humanities, sustainable food systems, pedagogy in context of climate change
  4. Gavan Fitzsimons, Edward S & Rose K Donnell Professor of Marketing and Psychology, Fuqua – consumer behavior, including food choice and eating behavior
  5. Lisa Gennetian, Pritzker Professor of Early Learning Policy Studies, Professor of Public Policy, Sanford – applied economist; causal mechanisms regarding child poverty shaping children’s development
  6. Akhenaton-Andrew D. Jones, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Engineering – global water challenges via engineering and policy analysis, environmental equity & justice
  7. Ryke Longest, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of Clinical Programs, the Co-Director of the Environmental Law
  8. Brian McAdoo, Associate Professor of Earth and Climate Science, Nicholas School of the Environment – effects of disasters triggered by natural hazards on marginalized populations
  9. Jarvis C. McInnis, Cordelia & William Laverack Family Assistant Professor of English; Trinity – African American & African Diaspora literature and culture, especially the role of agriculture in the global south (primarily the US South and the Caribbean)
  10. Lee Miller, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic Legal Fellow, Lecturing Fellow of Law, Law – food and agriculture law and policy, subnational climate change mitigation and resilience; adoption of regenerative agriculture systems; the federal farm bill; development of local/regional food systems
  11. Michele Nowlin, Clinical Professor of Law, Co-Director, Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Law – protection of natural resources and public health through the practice of environmental law
  12. Martin Smith, George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics, Nicholas School of the Environment – the economics of the oceans, including fisheries, marine ecosystems, seafood markets, and coastal climate adaptation.
  13. Erika Weinthal– Professor of Environmental Policy and Public Policy, Nicholas School – global environmental politics and environmental security with a particular emphasis on water and energy
  14. Norbert Wilson, Professor of Food, Economics, and Community; Divinity & Sanford; Director, Duke WPFC – food security and food policy, including issues of access, choice, and food waste
  15. Norman Wirzba, Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Theology, Divinity; Senior Fellow, Kenan Institute for Ethics – intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, agrarian/environmental studies
  16. T. Robert Fetter, Senior Fellow, Duke Center for International Development – sustainability and environmental justice; upstream producers of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides; downstream makers of consumer packaged goods

Activities

  • (Fall 2023) Literature Review & Interviews – hire a research assistant (RA) to conduct a literature review and faculty interviews to sketch out an initial promising research agenda and to find areas of mutual connection between the different disciplinary areas. The RA will present the research to the faculty project group to stimulate discussions to give this multidisciplinary group a common starting point. Completed. Download PDF.
  • (Spring 2023 – Fall 2024) Faculty Project Group Collaborative Sessions – host four in-person sessions with the project faculty and identify and invite relevant Triangle faculty to join. This group may include a few graduate students and post-doctoral scholars and center staff as relevant (around 25 people per meeting). The RA will assist with meeting planning, and Duke WFPC staff will help design effective meeting agendas. Meeting topics will cover: identifying research gaps, extramural grant proposals to pursue, exploring the relaunch of a faculty working group on food topics, and content for a class on climate, food, and sustainability (“What Should We Eat?”).
  • (Fall 2023 – Spring 2025) Course Planning & Class Launch – plan a class syllabus on these intersectional topics led by Norbert Wilson (joint Divinity & Sanford – cross-listed in Nicholas, the target audience is upper division graduate and masters students) with several guest speakers from this project team and possibly from faculty from the Triangle. Analysis of past Duke courses touching on the food system.

Anticipated Deliverables

Areas of Faculty Interest

Faculty research interests - results of faculty meeting

Faculty research interests - from faculty discussion

Faculty research interests - from faculty discussion

Wilson part of inaugural Duke Climate and Sustainability Teaching Fellows program

WFPC Director Norbert Wilson is part of the inaugural program, and will revise his course PARISH 820: Food Policy. Fellows are encouraged to consider how they might use these environments for hands-on learning experiences and applications of climate and sustainability knowledge. Throughout the workshops, discussions on climate and sustainability are interspersed with trainings from Learning Innovation staff about techniques to teach students about climate and sustainability through non-lecture-based approaches.

Fellows will spend the summer working on course revisions and syllabi, and each of these updated courses will be taught in the 2023-24 academic year.

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