Exploring the Underbelly of Chile’s Salmon Farming Industry

Shimon Anisfeld, senior lecturer and research scientist in water resources and environmental chemistry at YSE, has launched a new public website on water management issues.

Launched in tandem with his new textbook, “Water Management: Prioritizing Justice and Sustainability,” Anisfeld's website offers teaching and learning resources on a broad array of water issues — from inequitable access to hygiene to flooding, drought, and climate change .

“Water touches every aspect of our society. The goal of the textbook-website combination is to provide an up-to-date, integrated resource for those who want to better understand the various aspects of the water crisis,” Anisfeld said.

The new website and textbook address water supply and scarcity, water governance and allocation, tribal water rights, transboundary conflict and cooperation, and off stream and instream uses including hydropower, fishing, recreation, flood management, waste disposal, and dams. The material also examines the impact of changing technology on water resources, emerging nature-based solutions, and justice issues. As water management is often a local issue, Anisfeld also includes case studies to illustrate problems and resolutions. The website will be continually updated with the most current data..

“Water ‘hotspots’ are manifestations of serious underlying stresses on our interconnected social–physical water systems. These stresses require sustained attention from water managers, scientists, policymakers, and the public, even after the headlines have faded. That attention, in turn, requires a shared understanding of how water systems function, the stresses they are experiencing, and the tools available to increase their resilience," Anisfeld noted in the preface of his book.

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Dan Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy, and Justin Farrell professor of sociology spoke about climate crisis resilience at the Vatican’s global climate change summit, held May 15 to 17.

 “I was pleased to present my work on revamping the international trade system to better align with the world community’s commitment to climate change action and a more sustainable future in general (see the Villars Framework for a Sustainable Future),” Esty who spoke about his work developing a sustainability agenda for the World Trade Organization said. “And it was a special joy to have the moral authority of the Pope reinforce the push for a just transition to a sustainable global economy.”

Hosted by the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Sciences, the three-day summit and workshop, “From Climate Crisis to Climate Resilience,” brought together hundreds of political leaders, scientists, and policy experts — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov.  McCarthy, and Former White House Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy. Farrell who was inducted last year into the Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Sciences and was on the advisory committee that put the event together spoke on historical land dispossession and current and future climate risks of Indigenous peoples which was the focus of his 2021 Science paper.

“This extraordinary convergence fostered global dialogue and collaboration, blending insights from natural and social sciences within the moral context of the Vatican,” Farrell said. “With a truly global perspective, the academy amplifies voices from around the world, especially from the Global South, adding a diverse and inclusive dimension to scientific discussions held here.” 

 Pope Francis addressed participants early in the summit, saying the “stakes could not be higher” and encouraging people “to continue to work together in effecting a transition from the current climate crisis to climate resilience in equality and social justice.” 

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Yuan Yao, assistant professor of industrial ecology and sustainable systems, will be part of multi-institutional research initiative aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the lifecycle of computers.

The project, funded by a $12 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, focuses on reducing the carbon footprint of computing by 45% within the next decade. It will pursue three main goals: create standardized protocols to measure and report carbon costs over the lifetime of a device; develop ways to reduce the carbon footprint of computing; and explore ways to reduce the carbon emissions of fast-growing applications such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality systems. The five-year initiative is one of three projects chosen by the NSF as part of its Expeditions in Computing program.

Yao will lead efforts on carbon modeling, accounting, and validation of semiconductors and computer systems, covering both embodied and operational emissions.

“Artificial Intelligence is advancing rapidly and holds the promise of fostering a more sustainable future. However, it also poses significant environmental challenges, such as the generation of greenhouse gases and waste from the manufacturing and disposal of chips and devices, as well as the impact associated with energy consumed during operations. This project will help support the sustainable development and application of AI,” Yao said.

The team is being co-led by Harvard Professor David Brooks and University of Pennsylvania Professor Benjamin Lee, and includes researchers from California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University and The Ohio State University.

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Peter Crane, former dean of the Yale School of the Environment (then the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies), has been awarded the Darwin-Wallace Medal for his work in advancing evolutionary biology.

Crane, who served as dean from 2009-2016, was recognized by The Linnean Society of London for his groundbreaking contributions in the field of living and extinct plant diversity. He will receive the medal May 24, 2024, during the anniversary meeting of the society at Burlington House in London. He is one of nine Linnean Society medal and award winners honored for working to protect the natural world.

His research on plant life focuses on understanding plant evolution and the diversification of flower plants. He is co-author of the highly-cited “The Origin and Diversification of Land Plants” and has published more than 200 articles and essays.

“Professor Sir Peter Crane FRS stands as a world leader in evolutionary biology, globally acclaimed for his groundbreaking contributions to the field of plant diversity, both living and extinct. His extensive body of work spans from the origin and fossil history of plant life to its current state, encompassing themes of conservation and practical utility. His palaeobotanical discoveries, combined with phylogenetic analyses of morphological data, have profoundly altered our outlook on early angiosperm evolution,” the society said in a news release.

Crane  is currently president of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and served as director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Chicago Field Museum.

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Kenneth Gillingham, professor of environmental and energy economics, has been elected as a fellow to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Gillingham, who is senior associate dean of academic affairs at YSE, was recognized for his “distinguished contributions to environmental and energy economics, applying microeconomics, industrial organization, and energy modeling.”

Gillingham is one of six Yale faculty members elected to AAAS.  Also elected were Vivian Irish, Daniel C. Eaton Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the  School of Medicine;  Michael Caplan, C.N.H. Long Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the School of Medicine; Frederick Sigworth, professor of celullar and molecular physiology and biomedical engineering at the School of Medicine; Claire Bowern, professor of linguistics  in the Department of Anthropology;  and Claudia Valeggia, professor of anthropology in the Department of Anthropology.

Gillingham’s work draws on the field of applied microeconomics, behavioral economics, industrial organization, and integrated assessment modeling of climate change. He has published widely on consumer decisions and policy in transportation, with a specific focus on the transition to clean energy, including electric vehicles and solar energy. His studies often examine peer influence in adoption of green behaviors.

Previously, Gillingham was a senior economist for energy and the environment at the White House Council of Economic Advisers where he helped craft climate strategy.

“I am immensely honored to be elected an AAAS Fellow, joining an esteemed group of scholars committed to innovative research. AAAS is a crucial organization, with a mandate to provide clear insights from research to policymakers, a goal that I deeply share,” Gillingham said.

He will be honored  September 21 in Washington D.C.  at the Fellows Forum, which will celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows program.

The AAAS Fellowship dates back to 1874 and has included some of the nation’s most esteemed scientists, including inventor Thomas Edison, anthropologist Margaret Mead, and biologist James Watson.

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