EELU News and Events

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Hosts Event on the Role Individuals Can Play in Decarbonization

May. 25, 2023—Vanderbilt’s Michael Vandenbergh and Jonathan Gilligan join discussion on how recent legislation can incentivize action

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Introducing the “Climate at Vanderbilt” Podcast

May. 25, 2023—New series launched by J.B. Ruhl spotlights people, research, and programs focused on climate change

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Microgrids Can Improve Energy Reliability in Tennessee. Will Regulators Let Them?

May. 25, 2023—New Paper from Vanderbilt’s Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program examines opportunities and barriers to microgrids in the Volunteer State

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Environmental Policy Experts Convene at the Inaugural EELU State of the Environment Conference

Apr. 18, 2023—Hosted by the Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program, the event featured presentations and discussions from some of Tennessee’s most influential environmental leaders

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Vanderbilt receives $1 million in cy pres funding for electric vehicle research to be led by Michael Vandenbergh and Tina Hartert

Apr. 3, 2023—Two projects will examine the benefits of and barriers to widespread use of electric vehicles and potential public health impacts of EV adoption.

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Innovative Academic Proposals Highlighted at ELI-Vanderbilt Law School 2023 Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review Conference

Mar. 15, 2023—The March 31 conference, to be held in-person and via webcast, will feature discussions on U.S. climate adaptation policy, algorithmic decision-making tools, and ESG mutual fund performance.

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Incorporating Feasibility into Climate Mitigation Analysis

Feb. 8, 2023—New paper in Nature Climate Change highlights the need for research and policy initiatives to account for the feasibility of climate change mitigation policies.

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Michael Vandenbergh quoted in Inside Climate News coverage of the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit

Nov. 11, 2022—Vandenbergh directs Vanderbilt's Climate Change Research Network and co-directs the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program. He stressed the importance of private-sector buy-in on any international plan to reduce carbon emissions and deal with climate change. “Climate change poses an urgent, major threat, so all options, including private sector action, should be on the table,” he said. “It is true that, as a globe, we are not meeting the Paris Agreement terms, but that is not a reason to give up hope or to abandon smart strategies.”

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The Oceans and Geoengineering Policy: Marine-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal Options and International/Domestic Law, a conversation with Wil Burns Nov. 10

Oct. 19, 2022—Mike Vandenbergh, co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program, will moderate a discussion focusing on the oceans and geoengineering policy featuring Wil Burns, a visiting professor of environmental policy at Northwestern University, and Jonathan Gilligan of Vanderbilt University, at 12:30 p.m. Thusday, Nov. 10, in the Hyatt Room.

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Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Oct. 10, 2022—his day offers an opportunity to reflect on the history of Indigenous peoples, their rich and diverse traditions and cultures, and their foundational influence on the environment and natural lands.

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Former EPA administrator Carol Browner discusses environmental policy and the work of the Environmental Protection Agency

Sep. 20, 2022—Browner drew on her nearly four decades of experience advising on environmental and energy policies affecting global energy, the environment and public health to discuss with Vandenbergh current action on climate change, including the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. Vandenbergh worked for Browner as the EPA's chief of staff early in his career.

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Harnessing the Working-from-Home Transition, an opinion piece by Michael Vandenbergh and Sharon Shewmake in The Hill

Sep. 14, 2022—Vandenbergh and Shewmake discuss their research showing the importance of the work-from-home transition for climate policy and recommend that employers include greenhouse gas emissions attributable to employees working from home in reporting their environmental impact.

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The Impact of West Virginia v. EPA: Panel discussion featuring Jim Rossi, J.B. Ruhl, Chris Serkin and Mike Vandenbergh

Sep. 7, 2022—Watch a Sept. 6, 2022, panel discussion featuring energy expert Jim Rossi, environmental regulatory scholars J.B. Ruhl and Mike Vandenbergh, and land use expert Chris Serkin, who address the impact of West Virginia v. EPA on the ability of the federal government to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The discussion was moderated by EELU program director Caroline Cox.

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Former EPA Administrator Carol Browner to deliver inaugural Distinguished Lecture on Climate Change Governance Sept. 19

Sep. 1, 2022—Browner’s lecture is made possible by the Sally Shallenberger Brown EELU Program Fund and sponsored by the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program. Browner became the longest serving EPA administrator in history under President Bill Clinton and was director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy in the Obama administration. She now practices as a senior counsel with Covington & Burling.

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Research by Michael Vandenbergh cited in Fast Company coverage of private eco-labeling system

Jul. 29, 2022—Research by Climate Change Research Network Director Michael Vandenbergh is cited in this Fast Company article about a private eco-labeling system developed by Climate Neutral that certifies carbon-neutral products from businesses that also have a plan in place for future carbon reduction.

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Stephen Owens ’81 nominated to chair the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Jul. 21, 2022—Owens has served on the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board since December 2021. He has practiced environmental law in Phoenix, Arizona, and has previously served as the EPA's assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.

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J.B. Ruhl discusses implications of West Virginia v. EPA in ClimateWire coverage of the decision’s impact on regulation

Jul. 8, 2022—Ruhl likened the EPA's situation to a Goldilocks scenario, in which the agency must strive to achieve a balance between the Court's finding in 2007 that the EPA wasn’t doing enough to regulate greenhouse gases and its decision in West Virginia v. EPA that it was trying to do too much. “You can’t do nothing just because it’s a big problem, but you can’t do too much because it’s a big problem. So what’s just right?” Ruhl said.

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Michael Vandenbergh discusses how “doomism” is “undercutting our chance to avoid castrophic climate change”

Jul. 1, 2022—In an interview with WPLN public radio reporter Caroline Eggers, Vandenbergh discussed the implications of the Supreme Court decision in West Virginia v. EPA. "We are going to solve this problem," Vandenbergh said. "The opinion...just tells us we're going to have to solve this problem without the Supreme Court's help."

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J.B. Ruhl quoted in Audubon News article about proposed change to the Endangered Species Act

Jun. 24, 2022—Ruhl says that one important theme informing changes to Endangered Species Act programs that "climate change is transforming ecosystems in ways that could make areas outside current and even historical range of a species—and even areas that would not currently be occupiable—occupiable."

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Michael Vandenbergh quoted in Thomson Reuters discussion of how carbon-footprint labels can steer consumers to climate-friendly options

May. 17, 2022—"Climate-friendly cuppa? Carbon footprint labels aim to steer green buying" was posted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation News on May 16, 2022. While carbon labeling is not a panacea, Vandenbergh tells reporter Carey L. Biron that it is "a piece of a much larger system that can function even if the national government process is inadequate."

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Climate Change Research Network scholars Michael Vandenbergh and Jennifer Cole featured on Free Range podcast

May. 4, 2022—Listen to Mike Livermore's interview with Climate Change Research Network director Michael Vandenbergh and social psychologist Jennifer Cole, a post-doctoral fellow of the CCRN, who discuss political polarization and its impact on climate change policy on the Free Range podcast.

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Energy expert Jim Rossi quoted in Missouri Intercept article about the shutdown of gas conglomerate’s pipeline

Apr. 28, 2022—Spire Inc. has lobbied against the replacement of gas-burning appliances with electric ones, considered a crucial step in reducing U.S. carbon emissions, and sued the energy department to keep it from enforcing rules against installing dirty furnaces and boilers. “It’s one thing to share data, info, perspectives. It’s another thing to take a consistent self-interested perspective in lobbying for the gas industry and maybe against other uses of energy," Rossi said.

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Michael Vandenbergh named 2022 Carnegie Fellow to tackle polarization and climate change

Apr. 27, 2022—Vandenbergh's award of $200,000 will support his research into overcoming political polarization to address the causes of climate change and the issues it is creating. He is one of 28 Andrew Carnegie Fellows selected for the 2022 cohort.

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