Sustainability News

In our latest piece on Medium, co-authors Peter Schlosser and Steven Beschloss examine the wildfire outbreak across the western US and if this is finally the climate-oriented moment that will move people to take that next step towards impact and change. "In short, are these fires, is this deadly pandemic, is another round of pounding from hurricanes, capable of awakening a reluctant, distracted public? Has the alarm bell grown so loud that it can’t be ignored any longer? Have we reached a tipping point when Americans and others walk to their proverbial window and shout: 'I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore'?"

You can read the piece on Medium. To ensure you don’t miss any Global Futures Laboratory Medium posts, follow our Medium channel directly, or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn where we announce all new posts.

Today, ASU Center for Biodiversity Outcomes Founding Director Leah Gerber and Associate Center Director of Biodiversity Valuation and Assessments Beth Polidoro published a Science article titled “Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution.”

In addition, 18 researchers from other universities and NGOs co-authored this publication including ASU Conservation Innovation Lab graduate students Erin Murphy and Miranda Bernard.

This work emerged from the center’s Plastic Emissions Working Group supported by the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center.

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As harmful atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to increase, understanding the planetary carbon balance has become the single most important scientific question.

A new report by two leading ecological scientists at Arizona State University quantified the global soil carbon sequestered by roots plus the amount leached into the soil. They revealed that climate and land-use are major influencers of belowground carbon sequestration. The study, “Global patterns and climatic controls of belowground net carbon fixation,” also found that the amount of carbon sequestered belowground changes with precipitation but its effect varies among large vegetation types.

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The Princeton Review has named Arizona State University one of the Best 386 Colleges in its 2021 rankings, which were compiled by surveying 143,000 students across the country.

On sustainability, The Princeton Review ranked ASU nearly perfect. On a scale of 60-99, ASU’s green rating is 98, and has been for four years straight. ASU’s most recent commitment to sustainability involved the launch of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, which is dedicated to keeping our planet habitable and future generations thriving. For this ranking, university and colleges are graded on whether students’ campus quality of life are both healthy and sustainable, how well the institution prepares students for clean-energy jobs and how environmentally responsible school policies are.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University are co-hosting an informal panel debate for International Day of Democracy. Can parliaments learn from the past six months to become stronger and more effective institutions that impose checks and balances on executive powers to better serve the people?

Featuring experts from around the world, the panel will be moderated by Foreign Policy managing editor Ravi Aggarwal. Read the flyer for more information and register online to attend and receive the recording.

This year has changed the way we move about our cities and communities, and what that movement means. As cities roll out and begin to implement their reopening plans, we find ourselves at a crucial moment to examine and rethink the inequality blueprinted into the roads, tunnels, sidewalks and bus stops of urban areas like Mexico City and Phoenix.

Panelists include sustainability scientists Diana Bowman, professor in the School for the Future of Innovation and Society and associate dean for international engagement in the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, and Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, as well as Fátima Masse, project coordinator, Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad.

Join a Sept. 22 binational discussion to consider the future of mobility in a pandemic- and climate change-battered world. The event will be held in English. More information and registration.

Join the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory Tuesday, September 15, 10:00 - 11:30 am AZ time, for a panel discussion with members of the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative team working on advancement and implementation of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). This team has worked with countries around the world in designing and computing National MPIs.

Learn about the MPI and gain insights into the personal perspective of key figures working around the world to address the missing dimensions of poverty in global development policy and practice. This event will consider links to the informal economy / human economy, inequality and justice challenges, and explore implications for addressing compounding global crises related to COVID-19 and the "new and differently poor" in terms of future development processes. More information and registration.

This event is being hosted by the Human Economies Focal Area of the Global Futures Laboratory. All are welcome to attend.

When FABRIC, Tempe's fashion incubator, learned of the urgent PPE shortage, they stepped up and to date have sewn over 200,000 reusable isolation gowns that meet FDA regulations. Join us Sept. 15 (1-2 p.m.) for a virtual talk with 2 business & fashion innovators from FABRIC. More information and to register.

ASU faculty, staff and students are invited to register for the livestream of the 2020 Global Governance Forum, Sept 16-18. The event features a session, Global Governance and the Emergence of Global Institutions for the 21st Century, moderated by GFL’s Amanda Ellis at 9am AZ time on Sept 18. In connection with the world body’s 75th anniversary, the UN75 Global Governance Forum seeks to promote a more inclusive and effective United Nations through dialogue and recommendations that better harness the ideas, capabilities, and networks of both state and non-state actors for achieving the UN’s commitment to peace, sustainable development, human rights, and a stable climate. More info and register.

The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory has signed on as a host institution for this year’s Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education. As a host institution, we have unlimited registration passes for the ASU community. Sign up using the instructions below to gain free access to this great event.

1. Click here to register. If you are a Presenter or Student Presenter, use the Presenter link provided in your acceptance email and add the Discount Code to receive a free registration.
2. Fill out all the relevant fields. Be sure to use your institutional email address only (@asu.edu or @thunderbird.edu).
3. On the Submit Payment page, enter the following Discount Code: ASUEDU091020. This will drop your total to $0.00.
4. Complete your registration.

GCSHE is a virtual conference taking place on October 20-22 that offers 3 full days of live content and networking, plus thirty days of on-demand access (through November 22). Explore the session types and tracks, and view the schedule.

Arizona recently received a drought one-two punch: The state will receive another reduction of Colorado River water and the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a dry winter in the Southwest.

Last year the state received its first-ever cutback of Colorado River water under the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan. The cuts are a plan to keep Lake Mead, a reservoir at the Arizona-Nevada boundary, functional. Water levels for both Lake Mead and Lake Powell have precipitously dropped as a result of historic overallocation and a drought that started in 2000.

Read the ASU Now Q&A with Sarah Porter of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at the Morrison Institute on how these new developments will impact the Copper State and its residents.

American cities represent part of the nation’s long and grim history of discrimination and oppression against Black people. They can also be part of the recovery from all that harm.

Thus begins a new essay in The Conversation penned by sustainability scientists Mark Roseland, director and professor in the School of Community Resources and Development, Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and Christopher Boone, dean of the College of Global Futures.

The piece, published Sept. 10, addresses how cities can partner with community land trusts to provide affordable housing and help low-income and historically oppressed families.

School of Sustainability 2020 alum Jasmine Bolich is passionate about film production, and wants to make a positive impact in the industry through being an advocate for sustainability practices. In her Q&A below, Bolich explains how she came to study sustainability (hint: sustainability degrees are flexible and can be applied to any field!), her capstone project, and how her degree is opening up opportunities for her.

Question: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?