Duke on Demand

The lesser prairie chicken has been in decline throughout most of its range for decades due to the usual panoply of threats: habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. In recent years, the primary source of these threats can be attributed to energy development (in the form of oil, gas and wind) and transmission. Wolfe discusses the Environmental Defense Fund's work, with a wide variety of stakeholders, to substantially engage energy industries and other development interests in pro-active conservation measures benefiting the prairie chicken through the development and implementation of a Lesser Prairie Chicken Habitat Exchange.

Casey Roe, outreach coordinator for Duke's sustainability office, highlights how faculty and staff can get involved to help create a more sustainable campus.

The Duke University Energy Initiative hosts a panel of energy experts from Canada, who explore current business, political and environmental issues that shape the energy relationship of Canada and the United States. These include oil sands and shale gas production; Canadian hydrocarbon transport to the U.S.; foreign national resource ownership; the water, air and cultural impacts of resource extraction; and more. Panelists • Marvin Romanow, former CEO, Nexen Inc. • Dale Eisler, Assistant Deputy Minister, Task Force on Energy Security, Prosperity, and Sustainability, Natural Resources Canada. • Simon Dyer, Policy Director, Pembina Institute Moderated by Duke visiting professor Stephen Kelly, former deputy chief of the U.S. Mission to Canada.

Even though the United States could possibly become the world's largest oil producer by 2020, America would still not be "energy independent." U.S. energy production would continue to be tied to global markets and climate concerns, according to professor Richard Newell, director of Duke's Energy Initiative. In a live "Office Hours" webcast interview at noon on Feb. 22, he will discuss advances and limits in American energy production.

Dr. Einaudi’s work deals with the science of climate change and its possible impacts. Specifically, his presentation discusses the following questions:
• Is the climate changing?
• Are humans responsible for climate change?
• What are the impacts of climate change?
• What will the changes be in the next century or so?
The complexities of the Earth System, the uncertainties of its behavior and its predictability will be outlined. Climate change is a global phenomenon where all nations are involved: the relative responsibilities of developed versus developing nations will be discussed. Finally, the nature of the public debate on global warming will also be reviewed along with the interaction between scientists and policymakers.

Faculty members talk about their work at the Marine Laboratory, a campus of Duke University and a unit within the Nicholas School of the Environment. The lab's mission is education, research, and service to understand marine systems, including the human component, and to develop approaches for marine conservation and restoration.

Coming fall 2013~ SSRI West
Stop by, grab a cookie and mingle
Share ideas and create team projects