On Dec. 7, members of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) gather in Paris for three days to discuss global solutions for addressing climate change, sustainable development and energy.

The event focuses on four key action areas, which include achieving Sustainable Development Goals, launched by the United Nations in 2015; and Redefining Value, a global effort by WBCSD and its partners to lead the development of protocol and processes to incorporate social and natural capital into business decision-making.

The four-day event also brings together members of the WBCSD's Water Cluster group for a session featuring:

• The launch of the Natural Infrastructure for Business platform,
• A demonstration of the Green Infrastructure opportunity screening tool by the Earth Genome and
• An overview of WBCSD water tools family.

CBO is involved in projects specific to the Water Cluster group and WBCSD action areas, specifically:

• Development of a data-driven decision support tool for corporate decision-making in water use, and
• Collaboration with organizational partners on ways to centralize access to biodiversity data and create methods for integrating data into corporate risk-management protocols.

Members from the global organization's Ecosystems, Forest Solutions and Water teams also plan to discuss opportunities to promote WBCSD goals during the IUCN 2016 World Congress in Hawaii.

More information about the Paris WBCSD Council Meeting here.

Information about the WBCSD here.

In a recent contribution to the Journal of Sustainability Education titled "On Hope and Agency in Sustainability: Lessons from Arizona State University," School of Sustainability Dean Christopher Boone examines how ASU prepares students to address the pressing challenges of living and working sustainably.

Boone starts by explaining the appeal of sustainability to many students — it offers a hopeful alternative to doom and gloom while encouraging everyone to participate in the creation of a desirable future. He then describes how — with the strong support of President Michael Crow — sustainability education flourished at ASU, making this optimistic science accessible to all of its students.

Focusing on curricular strategies while addressing some extra-curricular strategies, Boone discusses in detail how the principle of sustainability has been integrated into ASU. He also shares the post-graduate employment patterns of alumni who are now agents of sustainability in their places of work.

Janet Franklin, a distinguished sustainability scientist and professor in ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, has been elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of her contributions to understanding of human impacts on ecosystems.

In notifying her of the award, Rush D. Holt, CEO and executive publisher of Science, cited Franklin’s “distinguished contributions on human impacts on ecosystems by developing novel species distribution models, combined with innovative geospatial analysis and extensive fieldwork.”

This award adds to a growing list of honors for Franklin, including election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2014 and selection as an ASU Regents’ Professor in 2015.

The cultural force of actions such as the pope’s encyclical is more effective against denial of climate change than the information by itself, said ASU's Dan Bodansky – a Foundation Professor of Law and Senior Sustainability Scholar – during a recent panel discussion at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. 

Bodansky also pointed out that even non-binding international agreements have had success, citing the 1975 Helsinki Accords on human rights.

The panel was called “Bringing the Global Community to the Table: Paris 2015 U.N. Climate Change Conference.” The panelists – who included Deputy Director of China’s National Center for Climate Change Strategy, Zou Ji – expressed optimism about the U.N. climate conference in Paris, calling U.S. participation on the heels of domestic climate-related moves a “game-changer.”

Still, the panelists took care to point out that progress, not a solution, is the best-case scenario for the talks.

ASU sustainability scientists Petra Fromme, Robert Page and Billie Lee Turner II were nominated for the title Regents' Professor by President Michael Crow and were approved by the Arizona Board of Regents on Friday.

Regents’ Professor is the highest faculty honor and goes to full professors from one of the three Arizona public universities whose exceptional achievements have brought them national or international distinction. With the most recent vote, ASU has a total of 83 Regents’ Professors.

Ann Marie Raymondi, a 2013 graduate of the School of Sustainability's Master of Science program, has been named a NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Graduate Fellow following a rigorous selection process. Now pursuing her master’s in biology at Boise State, Raymondi is one of only 13 to receive a prestigious Minority University Research Education Project (MUREP) Advanced STEM Training and Research (ASTAR) fellowship.

The fellowship application required students to develop a research proposal, which was then evaluated by NASA for scientific rigor and impact. Raymondi's research will examine the effects of fire and climate change on plant communities in the sagebrush-steppe system. This is an important line of inquiry as many ecosystems that support life on Earth are undergoing rapid change, underscoring the need for tools to aid our understanding.

In addition to research conducted at Boise State during the academic year, Raymondi's award provides her with an annual 10- to 15-week center-based research experience at a NASA research center.

USAID has awarded new scholarship funding to ASU’s Global Development Research Scholar program for students to engage with biodiversity projects in Brazil.

Biodiversity projects led by CBO faculty affiliates and partner organizations are among new opportunities that are part of the “Targeting Brazil Biodiversity for Research and Innovation Fellowships at ASU” initiative and a chance for students to be involved in important conservation work as a part of their graduate student experience. Scholarships are available through ASU’s GDR program with USAID, and students must apply by December 1 for consideration.

Current CBO-affiliated projects in Brazil in need of student scholars are varied and challenging:

• Researching the history and impact of biofuels innovations
• Addressing hydro-social environmental impact of sugarcane production on land-use food security
• Surveying tiger beetle taxonomy/conservation and use as bio-indicators and crop pest control
• Understanding resource and land management issues related to cement and iron miners of RESEX
• Researching conservation issues related to river dolphins, particularly the Amazon River dolphin
• Surveying conservation issues related to the Franciscana dolphin

Duties for fellows assigned to the projects include:

• Providing technical and programmatic support to partner communities and the USAID mission in Brazil, generating subsidies for environmental assessment and monitoring through diversity
• Determining the impact on biodiversity due to human activities,
• Working with CBO and CBO faculty affiliates and working as a CBO ambassador to strengthen CBO and ASU’s partnerships with Brazilian organizations,
• Qualifying and improving specialized human resources trainings in the Amazon regional to meet regional demand,
• Disseminating research findings and
• Establishing new relationships with diverse entities that foster future collaborations.

For a detailed list of project opportunities available, contact gdrscholars@asu.edu and visit the GDR website for information on how to apply.

Application deadline is December 1, 2015.

The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis recently awarded CBO funding from the Science for Nature and People (SNAP) program to support a working group led by lead investigators from the IUCN, the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The working group will focus on simplifying and stimulating the “routine documentation and assessment of the ecosystem services and human well-being benefits delivered by Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) as they are identified by national and local organizations.” KBAs are areas of particular global biodiversity importance to achieve biodiversity outcomes. The group intends to make the data available publicly through platforms such as the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) in order to support improved environmental decision-making by both the public and private sectors, thereby achieving biodiversity outcomes.

Principal investigators of the group include CBO director Leah Gerber and CBO affiliate researcher Penny Langhammer.

Learn more about SNAP working groups here.

Arizona can increase its energy generation enough to power more than 603,000 homes by 2030, according to a recent renewable energy build-out study by The Sonoran Institute, in collaboration with ASU’s Energy Policy Innovation Council (EPIC).

The study – undertaken in response to the EPA's Clean Power Plan rule, which requires states to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from existing electricity generation facilities by 2030 – finds that Arizona can generate at least 4,300 megawatts of new energy by that time. It reports that the state can achieve this by drawing on existing solar and wind projects undergoing planning and permitting, and by tapping the state’s potential for siting large-scale renewable generation facilities in a number of new locations.

In collaboration with EPIC, which is co-directed by sustainability experts Kris Mayes and Mike Pasqualetti, The Sonoran Institute identified 15 solar and wind projects that could be generating power by 2022 – the rule’s interim deadline. Additional projects are already being located on lands identified as potentially suitable by 2030.

Engineer Bruce Rittmann and physicist Klaus Lackner, both ASU sustainability experts, will lead a new research project to aid U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to boost production of a promising source for clean, renewable energy.

DOE has awarded ASU a three-year, $1 million grant to fund the Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Capture and Membrane Delivery project aimed at enabling more large-scale cultivation of microalgae. Microalgae are species of microscopic single-cell organisms, such as Spirulina and Chlorella, that exist in fresh water and sea environments and can be used to make biofuels and an array of consumer products, using only sunlight and CO2.

Beside renewable biofuel production, microalgae biomass is being used for a suite of products, ranging from food supplements to feed for mammals and fish, to therapeutics and cosmetics.

“Our goal is to develop systems to make growing microalgae more affordable and sustainable and to produce it on scales large enough to meet growing demands in the United States and globally,” says Rittmann.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Council has announced plans to hold the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii next year, making it the first time the event will take place in the U.S. The event is scheduled for September 1-10, 2016.

Every four years, leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, U.N. agencies, and indigenous and grass-roots organizations come together at the congress to develop and advance solutions to many of the world’s most pressing environmental and development challenges. More information about the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress here.

The Center for Biodiversity Outcomes works with the IUCN on several fronts and is currently developing a formal partnership with the IUCN Red List. CBO has partnered with IUCN to pilot the new Key Biodiversity Standard, which assesses areas of significant global biodiversity importance. CBO researcher Penny Langhammer leads this effort and serves as lead author for the KBA standard. The project receives support from NCEAS Science and Nature for People (SNAP). CBO also works with the Joint Species Survival Commission/World Commission on Protected Areas and the National Marine Fisheries Service, and provides support to a faculty affiliate to coordinate and lead CBO’s IUCN-related activities and communications.

In September 2015, James Collins, ASU professor of Natural History and the Environment with the School of Life Sciences, and a CBO faculty affiliate, shared his vision for how The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) fits into U.S. plans to address environmental challenges in the coming decades.

Watch his presentation here.

If you're ready to start your career in natural sciences but need help navigating the interview process or building a strong resume, ASU's Wildlife and Restoration Student Association (WRSA) wants to help.

On November 23, the WRSA is hosting a career workshop at ASU’s Polytechnic Campus that gives students access to professionals in the field for help in preparing a resume or honing their interview skills.

Representatives from non-profit organizations and government agencies including Arizona Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, will be on hand to offer resume advice and conduct mock interviews with students.

Interested participants should RSVP and bring a current resume to the event. For more information, see the event flier.

Take part in an evening of engaging stories and conversation with three scientists to find out how they shaped their career paths to reach their individual goals.

Guest speakers include Sharon Hall, Ph.D., ASU School of Life Sciences; Melissa Wilson-Sayres, Ph.D., ASU School of Life Sciences; and Maclovia Quintana, MS, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

The event takes place Wednesday, November 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Life Sciences E 244.

More information here.

In this month's video Q&A, David Hondula - a senior sustainability scientist and assistant research professor in the Center for Policy Informatics - discusses climate with regard to extreme heat and his research into its impacts on human health.

This guest post is by Chris Williams, Senior Vice President of Conservation at American Rivers. We’ve partnered with American Rivers to share the adventure of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in Google Maps. -Ed.

For 6 million years, the Colorado River has flowed through the heart of the desert southwest, its waters slowly carving out a canyon so vast it can be seen from space—yet so remote it didn’t appear on early maps of the region. It wasn’t until 1869, when John Wesley Powell led a small exploration party on a rafting trip, that the natural wonders of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon came fully into view.

Now with Google Street View, you can ride the whitewater rapids, cruise the sleepy river bends, and discover the side canyons that make the Colorado River a treasured resource.

Start at an iconic spot like Deer Creek Falls or North Canyon, or climb up to the Nankoweap Granaries. Geology fans will enjoy formations like Hermit Shale and Tapeats Sandstone. On your journey, look out for wildlife like big horn sheep and signs of a volcanic dam that naturally occurred centuries ago.

While you admire its grandeur, remember that the river is also at risk. One of the United States’ most important resources, the Colorado River provides drinking water for 36 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, supports a $26 billion recreation industry, and irrigates nearly 4 million acres of land that grow 15 percent of our nation’s crops. But it’s also one of the most endangered, dammed, diverted and plumbed rivers in the world, thanks to a century of management policies and practices that have promoted the use of Colorado River water at an unsustainable rate. By the time it reaches the Gulf of California in Mexico, the river is barely a trickle—a ghost of its once magnificent self. You can see evidence of the river’s decline In Street View, like the high water mark (showing 1950s driftwood on top of the rock), or sedimentation along the river’s edge down by Lake Mead.

We’re proud to partner with Google and Street View to raise awareness of the need to protect and restore the river. It’s time to speak up and protect the wonder of the Grand Canyon and the riches of a healthy Colorado River. Join American Rivers and help us protect and restore this iconic river of the west—for today and for future generations.

The School of Life Sciences will offer a new course next spring focused on specimens and specimen-based informatics practices. The new course, "Discovering Biodiversity: Field to Database," is open to both undergraduates and graduates, and will be held at the ASU Natural History Collections biodiversity teaching lab.

The course provides students in ecology, conservation, anthropology, sustainability and museum science the opportunity to advance their understanding of biodiversity discovery methods. It is designed to address the question of how to create and process field- and specimen-based information that “drives our understanding of past, present and future trends in biodiversity.”

Class size is limited. For more information, see the course information flier below or contact Nico Franz, director of the Biodiversity Knowledge Integration Center.

Course information: DiscoveringBiodiversity-2016-Flyer

Since graduating from the School of Sustainability in 2012 with a Master of Arts degree, Lucky Sharma has worked with Fortune 500 companies like Apple and US Airways.

And though her name may suggest otherwise, luck has had nothing to do with her success. Sharma participated in interdisciplinary research and worked as a teaching assistant to help offset the cost of her education, which she says would have been “almost impossible” to obtain without the financial support she received.

The San Franciso resident — who recently took a job with Tesla Motors as a commodity manager — talked about her passion for a greener future and how ASU’s emphasis on interdisciplinary study helped her get where she is today in this recent interview with ASU Now.

It’s easy to associate algae as being a nuisance. Noticing slimy green algae building up on the sides of your crystal blue pool might have you rushing to remove it. But before you prepare to scrub it away, let’s take a moment to consider how algae could actually benefit our water, particularly in wastewater treatment.

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Leah Gerber, director of the ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, appeared on Tuesday night’s edition of Horizon on PBS Channel 8 to discuss the work and goals of the center. The center was recently featured in an ASU Now article.

Gerber began the interview by explaining that "the data suggests we are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction on Earth largely due to…human impacts."

To find out more and hear how the CBO is working with scientists and other organizations to develop a pragmatic approach to extinction, watch the full interview here.