Outreach and Media


Practitioner perspectives Fig 1

U-LINK On the Move project team activities

Mach, Niemann, and Nyburg are members of a University of Miami Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-LINK) project team, On the Move, that published a study in Oxford Open Climate Change. Along with coauthors, including Donald and Seeteram, their study documents and explores practitioner perspectives on ways people move in response to climate—called climate mobilities—in South Florida. A key motivation of this research was to improve the ability of governments, civil society, and the private sector to engage with climate mobilities, where a first step is to understand how professionals view climate mobilities and their own roles in preventing or supporting climate mobilities. The research is based on 76 interviews with professionals involved in climate responses in South Florida and evaluates the perceptions of adaptation goals and the potential role of climate mobilities in pathways supporting those goals.
Read the full paper here. Read coverage of the research in Rosenstiel School News & Events.

The U-LINK On the Move project also supports team member and study coauthor, Xavier Cortada, in climate advocacy and socially engaged art. In an effort to get people to think about climate change, one of Cortada’s projects is “Underwater,” which recruits homeowners and shopkeepers to display their elevations to spark conversations about flood risks and insurance rates. Another aspect of this project is a series of “Underwater Homeowners Association” meetings, which help residents understand the impacts that rising seas may have on their properties. Mach regularly participates in these meetings.
Read more about the socially engaged art in The Washington Post.


NCA5 report cover

The toll of climate disasters is rising. But a U.S. report has good news, too

Mach and Turek-Hankins are authors of the Complex Systems chapter in the Fifth National Climate Assessment, which assesses the many ways climate change affects people, nature, and infrastructure around the world. Explore the report’s content here, and read a summary article in The New York Times here.   

 

  


University of Delaware lecture

John R. Mather Visiting Scholars Lecture

Mach was a visiting lecturer at the University of Delaware, presenting on preparedness for intensifying climate change. She brought her experience from her work in Miami, discussing “the full picture of risk and responses through the integration of different lines of evidence, experiences and perspectives.” Read more at UDaily and on X.

 

 

 


Lumberton, NJ buyout property

To build or not to build homes in risky places

Mach comments on the difficult choice local governments often have to make: where and how to build homes with climate-fueled disasters on the rise? This NPR article looks into three communities that are working to avoid development in harm’s way, and how that goal is playing out. Read the full article here.

 

 


LA River flood control infrastructureMulti-objective assessment of flood adaptation options in Los Angeles County

Mach is a co-PI of a new project funded by NOAA’s NCCOS Effects of Sea Level Rise (ESLR) Program. In collaboration with Brett Sanders, this project will evaluate, at a high resolution, the social, economic, and environmental benefits, costs, and tradeoffs of different approaches to manage flood risk in Los Angeles County, California, including nature-based solutions.

Read more about the project here.

 


Seeteram's climate mobility frameworkModes of climate mobility under sea-level rise

Seeteram is first author on a paper published in Environmental Research Letters. In this study, Seeteram develops new context-specific, integrative measures of social vulnerability across Miami-Dade County, and combines them with granular sea-level rise simulations accounting for inundation from high tides and groundwater and flooding from extreme precipitation and storm surge. The result is a nuanced evaluation, as seas rise, of differential direct and indirect risks at household to municipal to regionwide scales. Coauthors include Mach, Kevin Ash, Brett Sanders, and Jochen Schubert.

Read the full paper here. Read news coverage in EurekAlert!, Scientific American, EcoWatch, and Earth.com.


Broken road in TXHow climate change left a rural neighborhood nearly uninhabitable

A Texas Tribune article shares the story of residents of Liberty County, a neighborhood in TX that has gradually been abandoned after repetitive flooding and a struggling buyout program. Mach provides comments on how strictly post-disaster funding is often a contributing factor to lengthy buyout projects. She also points out that the help residents receive is commonly not enough for a successful relocation.

Read the full article here.


Cruz and Turek-Hankins were featured in the Science as Actionable Knowledge Video Series by the Global Council for Science and the Environment and NASA Applied Science (especiallyin parts 2 and 4). This is a wonderful feature of their work and approach in co-produced, community-based research. They discuss how they designed the indoor heat study in partnership with community-based organizations, residents, and local government.

Watch the video series here.


Floods in Libya

Extreme weather, climate change pose a threat to global infrastructure

The need for proper maintenance and management of flood-control structures is being discussed in the aftermath of the collapse of two dams and subsequent deadly flooding in Libya. Mach comments on how “climate-proofing” new and existing infrastructure is critical to minimizing destruction of property and lives lost.

Read more in The New York Times and News@TheU.

 


Erosion in Alaska

Why moving people out of harm’s way isn’t as easy as it might sound

Newtok, Alaska is one community that is working to move its residents away from dangerous conditions worsened by climate change. Mach comments on how the practice of managed retreat has been utilized to resettle over a million people world-wide, and how more relocations will need to take place in the future to avoid additional risks.

Read the full article in Yale Climate Connections.

 


Fire aftermath in Hawaii

In Hawaii, concerns over ‘climate gentrification’ rise after devastating Maui fires

While worries are rising about the state of Hawaii becoming the latest example of climate gentrification, Mach “cautioned against immediately labelling a situation climate gentrification, because that makes it difficult to tease out the other factors such as decades of discrimination, racism and land use changes.”

Read the full article in The Associated Press.

 


Car drives through flood water in Miami

$1.5 Million NSF Award addresses inequities in flood adaptation in South Florida

Mach is a co-PI on a groundbreaking NSF project to make flood risk adaptation faster and more effective to address rapidly escalating flood risks and social inequities in decision-making processes. With team members Amini, Larson, Niemann, and colleagues at the University of California, Irvine, the project brings together civil engineering, adaptation science, and regional planning partnerships with the goal of making flood modeling technologies more time-sensitive, equitable, and effective, starting in Miami-Dade County.

Read more in EurekAlert and Key Biscayne Independent.


Super Heat Trio: Cruz, Muse, Turek-Hankins

 Super Heat Trio measures the dangers of indoor heat

Cruz, Muse, and Turek-Hankins are members of the THREAD U-LINK team conducting research on extreme heat, its impact on vulnerable residents, and potential ways to mitigate its effects. Together they deployed heat and humidity sensors in homes across Miami-Dade County, and conducted interviews with residents. Muse is also using high-resolution satellite data of land surface temperatures to perform social vulnerability analyses across the county.

Read more about their research in News@TheU, and about how their research is much needed with the newly declared “heat season” in Miami-Dade County in Inside Climate News.


Columbia managed retreat conference banner

Research group members present at Columbia University managed retreat conference

Carrère, Mach, and Seeteram presented their research and joined panel discussions at the Columbia Climate School’s conference on managed retreat: At What Point Managed Retreat?: Habitability and Mobility in an Era of Climate Change. They were joined by stakeholders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as other academics, scientists, and community members to better understand the issues surrounding equitable managed retreat.

 

Carrère presents her researchMach presents her researchSeeteram presents her research


Mach joins NBC Miami news segmentClimate in Crisis: South Florida Solutions

NBC 6 South Florida featured Mach as an informant for an episode of their news series on local adaptation options, “Climate in Crisis: South Florida Solutions.” The episode looked into the “complicated and controversial climate solution, but one that most climate scientists feel is inevitable: managed retreat.”

Watch the news segment here.

 

 


Electric vehicle charging stationEmissions redistribution and environmental justice implications of California’s clean vehicle rebate project

Mejía-Duwan is the first author of a study published in PLOS Climate, with Mach and Miyuki Hino as co-authors. The study reveals that vehicle electrification is indeed reducing statewide emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in California, but the changes are not equally distributed. In fact, emission reductions occur more in least disadvantaged communities as compared to disadvantaged communities (defined according to CalEnviroScreen 4.0). Read the full article here.

Find coverage of the research in New Scientist, Phys.org, The Denver Post, and Gizmodo.


 Extreme heatUnprecedented heat extremes ‘could occur in any region globally’

Turek-Hankins commented on a research publication in Nature Communications that finds that regions that have avoided record-breaking heat in the past may be more susceptible to future heatwaves. From the article in Carbon Brief, “she says this study ‘raises the stakes for proactive heat adaptation’, but adds that ‘addressing the factors that make someone more susceptible to heat-related health impacts – such as poor housing quality or social isolation – are worthwhile endeavors even without a heatwave.’” Read the full article here.


Concordia Americas Summit panel2023 Concordia Americas Summit

Mach was a panel member at the 2023 Concordia Americas Summit, where leaders across sectors, industries, and geographies discussed the pressing issues facing the Western Hemisphere in relation to climate change.

Read more in News@TheU.

Watch the panel discussion here or below.


Mach moderates a panel discussion at Aspen Ideas: ClimateAspen Ideas: Climate

Mach moderated a panel discussion focused on managed retreat at the Aspen Ideas: Climate event co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and the City of Miami Beach. The panelists considered “The Step Back,” by carefully assessing what is being done to rethink land use in a changing climate, and what the opportunities might be in the future.

Watch the panel discussion here or below.


Laura tags a sharkNew wave of animal oceanographers aids researcher

McDonnell’s research on blue sharks and shortfin makos, assisted by satellite tags, was featured in a News@TheU article. The research she has been conducting during her doctoral studies helps fill a gap in ocean observation studies by providing high-resolution temperature readings at extreme depths from the tags on the sharks.

Read the article here.

 

 


AGU Fall Meeting 2022 bannerReseargh group members present at AGU Fall Meeting

Agopian, Mach, Muse, Niemann, and Seeteram presented their research at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in Chicago. Agopian shared his national index of floodplain development, Mach presented practitioner perspectives on climate mobility in South Florida, Muse shared research on heat exposure and resilience planning in Atlanta, Niemann presented research on local legal tools and policies that have shaped floodplain development in New Jersey, and Seeteram shared her research on climate mobility pressures in response to sea-level rise.

 

Niemann presents research at AGUMuse presents research at AGUMach presents research at AGU


Mach et al paper imageFrom flood control to flood adaptation

Mach, Koller, Kraan, and Niemann, along with their co-authors, published a review article that critiques how flood risk management is evolving in a changing climate: namely, there is a crucial shift from flood control to flood adaptation. The paper points to key challenges and opportunities for flood adaptation.

Find the article in Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, and read Mach’s twitter thread here.

 


Flood map from Sanders et al paperUneven burden of urban flooding

Mach co-authored a paper, led by Brett Sanders and his flood modeling team, that develops a new flood modeling platform that can assess the implications of multiple flood drivers (including those outside of FEMA scope) – at the parcel scale, in a complex urban environment – and simultaneously support rapid generation of model simulations for adaptation planning. A key takeaway is that flood exposure is approximately 30 times that estimated by FEMA flood maps, and it is not evenly distributed across society. Read the full article in Nature Sustainability.

Read associated coverage in News & Views from Nature Sustainability, LA Times, and The New York Times.


Hurricane damageWe need to rethink how to adapt to the climate crisis

Mach and colleague, Galen Treuer, reflect post-Ian in an op-ed in The New York Times on how we can become much more prepared for climate impacts and risks. The essay discusses the necessity of breaking from the status quo of rebuilding and relying on hard infrastructure, and instead testing new approaches and learning how to build back safely. Read Mach’s twitter thread here.

Mach also provides comments on post-disaster decisions to rebuild after Hurricane Ian in an Axios article, CNN video, and LX News video.


Brickell streets flood with king tidesNew course offers deep dive into the dynamics of sea level rise

The Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science will offer a new course during the 2023 spring semester: MSC 348, and it’s all about Sea Level Rise. Nine UM researchers will come together to teach the course’s eight modules, covering topics from global and regional signals of sea level rise to the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets; from climate model projections to flood events, waves, and tides; and from cities most at risk to water management policies and construction. Mach will be co-teaching a module focusing on the ways in which societies are preparing for more flooding.

Read more in News@TheU.


Person in wheelchair near flooded roadStudy aims to aid people in wheelchairs impacted by climate change

Mach and Turek-Hankins are members of a UM U-LINK research team that is bringing awareness to the disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis for people with spinal cord injuries. While South Florida may seem like an ideal living place for people in wheelchairs, people with disabilities often experience the worst impacts of climate change, and current measures in place to help with these impacts are usually designed more for the general population than for those with disabilities.

Read more in News@TheU.


High flood waters show danger sign‘Clairvoyant’ 2012 climate report warned of extreme weather

The Associated Press made connections between events actually experienced and warnings included in the IPCC’s 2012 special report on extreme events, disasters and climate change. The article describes how the report was “clairvoyant,” and listed five examples of recent real-life events that were highlighted as case study climate risks in the report. Mach pointed out how “imagining something scientifically or saying this exists in a scientific assessment is a radically different thing compared to living it,” such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more in the Associated Press.


Newspaper displayed record headThe world’s wealthiest nations are feeling this summer’s extreme impacts

Mach commented on the distribution of experienced impacts of climate change in a Grid article. Climate impacts are happening nationwide, not just in the highest-risk locations. However, there is variability of risk and exposure even within wealthy areas.

Read more in the Grid.

 

 


Miami sunset on high heat dayHeat research in South Florida

The Miami New Times covered several indoor and outdoor heat studies in South Florida. One such study is being led by Turek-Hankins. The research is a collaboration between UM and Catalyst Miami to document Miami residents’ indoor living conditions by placing 60 sensors in households to collect temperature and humidity data.

Read the article here.

 

 


Muse is featured on cover of Legacy's 40 under 40 Muse featured as one of Legacy's 40 Under 40

Muse was recognized as one of Legacy Magazine’s 40 Under 40: Miami’s Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow. This list of accomplished leaders is made up of individuals excelling professionally and civically in Miami. The Miami edition featured Muse on the cover.

See the full magazine issue here.

 

 


Figure from Donald's climate narrative paperStudy finds environmental injustice is key to decoding climate change debate

Donald recently published her research in Environmental Research: Climate. The paper applies an iterative approach to understand how history and the present day interact in shaping narratives about climate change in Miami and how they translate—or not—into climate policies. Overall, the study sheds light on the different things people talk about when they speak about climate change. These narratives are crucial in understanding why traditional modes of science communication can fall flat or how different climate policies have varying prospects for success, as climate governance continues to evolve.

Read the paper here and read coverage in the News@TheU.


Figure from Muse Atlanta heat paperStudent studies heat exposure, resilience planning

Muse’s heat and equity research was published in Environmental Research: Climate. The paper examines patterns of heat exposure across Atlanta, as well as the ways in which heat exposure and risks are addressed in municipal climate plans and policies. In a surprising finding, Atlanta's patterns of heat exposure contrast the national norm. Outside of the densest urban core, census block groups with larger presence of historically marginalized populations (predominantly Black, lower income) are among the cooler regions of the city, although heat exposure in these regions likely has a nuanced relationship with overall risks from extreme heat. Climate resilience planning, just beginning to address heat, has largely focused on expanding tree canopy within the urban core.

Find the paper here and read coverage in the News@TheU.


EmissionsSCOTUS opinion seen as setback in fight against global warming

News@TheU asked climate and legal scholars to weigh in on the Supreme Court’s ruling against the Environmental Protection Agency. SCOTUS limited the EPA’s power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. Mach commented on how the ruling is “disturbing” and “worrisome,” as “responding to climate change requires flexibility and adaptive governance. At the local level and at the national level, we need to be able to rise to new challenges.”

Read the full article here.


Underwater Markers display elevations of students' homesMiami Senior High Climate Town Hall and Community Connection Fair

Mach, Niemann, and Nyburg’s Climate Mobility U-LINK team joined Miami Senior High students for a Climate Town Hall and Community Connection Fair. About 2,000 students took part in a participatory art project, led by team members, Xavier Cortada and Adam Roberti, to teach how the climate crisis will impact their futures in the city of Miami. During the project each student was tasked with discovering the elevation of their home and creatively displaying it on their Underwater Markers. Part of the Town Hall included a panel discussion focused on combating climate change, from state law to local activism. Mach and Muse were members of the panel, along with U-LINK team members Jessica Owley and Roberti.

Read more about the Underwater project here, and find coverage of the Town Hall event here and here.

U-LINK team speaks at climate town hall panel eventULINK team at Climate Town Hall


UM Climate Academy Symposium posterInaugural Climate Resilience Academy Symposium

UM’s Climate Resilience Academy hosted a symposium to showcase ongoing climate resilience research. Muse presented research from his U-LINK’s team on extreme heat (team members include Cruz, Mach, and Turek-Hankins). Mach and Turek-Hankins’ research on spinal cord injuries was represented by U-LINK team member, David McMillan. Mach, Niemann, and Turek-Hankins’ Climate and Racial Justice U-LINK team shared research through previous Climate Justice Scholar, Natalia Brown. Nyburg presented research from his U-LINK team (team members include Donald, Mach, and Niemann). Koller and Prall also shared their research at the symposium.

Read more about the symposium in News@TheU.

Muse presents researchMcMillan presents research


Image from Force Majeure filmRisk and response: Lessons from First Reformed and Force Majeure

Koller provided a review of the films Force Majeure and First Reformed as part of the series “Science on Screen: Extinction and Otherwise” at the Museum of the Moving Image. In the review Koller connects the fictional storylines and conflicts to the real-world climate crisis, building on evidence provided by the IPCC. Some central themes of the films, which extend to real life, include questioning if we are past the point of no return and how we manage (or mismanage) risks, whether or not they are inevitable.

Read the full reviews here.


Extreme heat research in South FloridaNew U-LINK teams tackle South Florida’s resilience

Ten new U-LINK teams have been established to help explore the needed preparations for the impacts of climate change in South Florida, such as seal level rise and increasing temperatures. Two new teams include Climate Prep group members. Cruz, Mach, Muse, and Turek-Hankins, along with their team members, are determining the demographics and regions of South Florida that are most vulnerable to extreme heat and examine the challenges this heat brings. Additionally, Mach, Turek-Hankins, and team members are exploring the needs of people living with spinal cord injuries in South Florida and what adaptations must be made in response to climate change.

Read more about the U-LINK projects here.


Koller discusses his NY community project.Q&A with Steven Koller

Koller is collaborating with community organizations in New York to improve water quality and raise awareness about water management challenges in a historically polluted floodplain that is expected to be intensively developed in the coming years. The Van Alen Institute spoke with Koller about this project.

The Q&A interview can be found here.

 

 


IPCCAR6WG2coverIPCC releases 6th Assessment Report

Mach is one of the lead authors of the IPCC’s Working Group II release of the Sixth Assessment Report, which assesses and critiques the ongoing efforts to cut emissions and the resulting impacts. Adverse impacts to ecosystems, food security, water resources, human health, and infrastructure are all discussed in the report, as well as the inequities caused by many of these impacts and the mitigation and adaptation strategies used to combat them. The report emphasizes that time is running out to make change, and the type of change we need must be equitable and transformative.

Find the full report here, and read media coverage in WLRN, News@TheU, and FOX43.


Nikosi MuseClimate gentrification and Miami podcast discussion

Muse spoke on the Climate Futures podcast about the concept of climate gentrification and how it’s affecting Miami communities. In addition, “downward raiding,” another form of gentrification is discussed before touching on Muse’s dual role as a scientific advisor on climate change adaptation to the City of Miami and a PhD scholar.

Listen here.

 


Alizé Carrère“Climatopias” + PBS tackles climate adaptation podcast discussion

Carrère discussed her research projects and experiences on the America Adapts podcast. The episode covers her four-part adaptation docuseries she launched with PBS and her doctoral research on “’climatopias,’ the forward-looking plans that architects, designers and futurists are drawing up in response to imminent environmental change.”

Listen here.

 


New Orleans floodsNSF grant will help vulnerable Gulf Coast areas address sea level rise

Mach is co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation funded project that will help communities along the Gulf of Mexico better prepare for the risks of sea level rise. The research team is composed of co-principal investigator, Murat Erkoc, also from UM, researchers from Florida Atlantic University, Louisiana State University, and Texas A&M, and they will work toward building capacity for stakeholders and policymakers in both small towns and big cities in order to better respond to the risks in coordination. Read more in News@TheU.


AGU 2021 and AMS 2022 logosReseargh group members present at AGU and AMS conferences

Research team members recently presented their various projects at American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society conferences. Turek-Hankins, as an invited speaker at AGU, spoke about societal preparedness for multisector impacts of extreme heat. Mach, Niemann, and Seeteram shared their research at AGU as well, all dealing with aspects of climate mobility and retreat. Muse presented at AMS on his research on heat exposure and resilience planning in Atlanta, GA, where he was awarded the "Outstanding Environment and Health Conference Oral Presentation Award."


NPR All Things Considered logoNPR podcast discussion: Property buyouts alter neighborhoods

Mach joined NPR’s All Things Considered program for a segment on how post-disaster voluntary property buyouts can sometimes negatively impact the people left behind if the implementing agency is not careful. In order to avoid eroding the social fabric of neighborhoods, buyout processes should be transparent and take everyone’s ideas into consideration, such as what to do with the new vacant land.

Listen here or below.


CJ Series artworkClimate and racial justice team achievements

A News@TheU article featured Mach, Niemann, and Turek-Hankins' U-LINK team's work, describing how their goal of creating a long-lasting community of climate justice scholars is being achieved. Some highlights of the team's efforts include: Turek-Hankins moderated the finale event in their Climate and Racial Justice Talk Series - these four events cumulatively drew an audience of nearly 800 students, faculty members, and advocates; three climate justice scholars received grants from the team to help support local organizations in their efforts - one such grant program ended in scholar, Natalia Brown, becoming the first climate justice program manager for Catalyst Miami; and a new interdisciplinary, experiential climate and racial justice course will be offered the fall of 2022.


ULINK energy justice event artworkEnergy and housing justice in a changing climate

Mach, Niemann, and Turek-Hankins' U-LINK research team hosted the finale event in their Climate and Racial Justice Talk Series. The event, moderated by Turek-Hankins and featuring Denise Abdul-Rahman, Sanya Carley, and Khalil Shahyd, was a discussion about the interconnections between energy and racial justice by . 

Watch the event here. Please find additional information on our websiteULINK energy justice event flyer


NASA shuttle launchNASA is preparing for the ravages of climate change

Mach comments on a Climate Action Plan released by NASA, which has two thirds of its assets within 16 feet of sea level—including Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Some areas of focus covered by the report include planning for climate risks as new missions move forward, adapting infrastructure as much as possible, ensuring access to space, reducing carbon emissions, and providing education to decisionmakers.

Read the full article in Wired.


RSMAS Frontiers newsletterLab members featured in Rosenstiel School newsletter

The Rosenstiel School’s fall 2021 Frontiers newsletter highlighted the accomplishments of Cuff, Muse, Turek-Hankins, and Mach (pgs. 11 and 12). Accomplishments and awards featured include:
• Cuff: awarded McKnight Doctoral Fellowship and UM Doctoral Fellowship
• Muse: appointed to the Miami Climate Resilience Committee; awarded UM Racial Justice Grant
• Turek-Hankins: awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship; published global systematic review of extreme heat adaptation; invited to serve as chapter author for the Complex Systems chapter in the Fifth National Climate Assessment
• Mach: invited to serve as chapter lead for the Complex Systems chapter in the Fifth National Climate Assessment; co-editor in chief of Climate Risk Management; PI of U-LINK Phase II On the Move grant; co-PI of NOAA Adaptation Science grant


Jalyse Cuff headshot

McKnight fellowship awarded to lab member

Cuff, a first year PhD student in the Environmental Science and Policy program, is an awardee of the 2021 McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program. Her research at UM explores the understanding and involvement of coastal communities in the policy making process related to sea level rise and resiliency.

Read more about Cuff’s research inspirations and the other 2021 McKnight Fellows in News@TheU.


Farm worker in strawberry field

A major federal response to occupational extreme heat is here at last

Turek-Hankins and Mach published a science opinion in The Conversation about the Biden administration’s recent announcement to tackle extreme heat in vulnerable communities. Specifically, the synthesis article focuses on emerging research about the dangers of chronic heat exposure among workers, and how gaps in the Biden administration’s strategies should be addressed.

 


Adaptation PBS docuseries previewLab member launches PBS Digital docuseries

Carrère launched a docuseries, Adaptation, on PBS Digital that covers local and community adaptations to environmental change around the world. The four-episode series explores adaptation experiences in Bangladesh (sea level rise), USA (invasive species), Vanuatu (coral reefs) and Ladakh (global warming/melting glaciers). An educational curriculum was also created around the docuseries that is designed as a tool for classrooms (grades 6-12+) to talk about climate change, geography, and culture in a way that connects us as a global community.


NYT covid articleNews media coverage of COVID-19 public health and policy information

A team of actionable knowledge researchers, including Mach, collaborated on a study that explored news media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Media coverage from Canada, the United Kington, and the United States was assessed based on scientific quality and sensationalism, which play a role in informing decision-making by policy makers, the private sector, and individuals.
Read the study in Humanities & Social Sciences Communications here. Cliff notes version here.


Turek-Hankins paper figure

Climate change adaptation to extreme heat

Turek-Hankins is the first author of a study published in Oxford Open Climate Change that reviews the current state of implemented heat adaptations on a global scale. This study fills an important gap that covers the extent that heat adaptations are occurring and where.

The paper was featured in a News@TheU article, and can be found here to read.

 

 


Flooded homes before buyout

WLRN podcast: Managed retreat in South Florida

Mach joined WLRN’s Sundial for a podcast conversation focused on managed retreat, the idea of “removing people and assets from places that are really at risk from flooding or other hazards,” after the release of the latest IPCC report. This podcast explored how managed retreat could look in South Florida in the future, considering social, legal, financial, and political influences.

Listen to the podcast here (third podcast on the page).

 


IPCC AR6 WG2 cover

UM researchers' reflections of IPCC report

Along with several other University of Miami researchers, Mach discussed the key takeaways of the IPCC Working Group I’s Sixth Assessment report in a News@TheU article, including the requirement for fast, substantial reductions in emissions, as well as investment in a broad portfolio of clean energy technologies. Mach, a lead author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, also pointed to the next report as a resource containing options available for helping manage and adapt to the increasing climate risks.  

 


Columbia manged retreat conference 2021Columbia manged retreat conference

Kraan, Mach, Nagle Alverio, Niemann, and Seeteram represented the Climate Prep research group at Columbia University's 2021 manged retreat conference. Kraan and Niemann presented their research focused on U.S. voluntary buyouts: relocation outcomes and a systematic, comparative literature analysis, respectively. Mach joined a panel conversation that brought up issues of social justice surrounding retreat options that focus on protecting property versus a focus on nurturing people and communities. Nagle Alverio shared her research on the role that international organizations have in planned relocations. Seeteram presented her climate mobility framework for equitable SLR adaptation and later joined the closing plenary.

Kraan's Columbia managed retreat presentationMach's Columbia managed retreat presentationNagle's Columbia managed retreat presentationNiemann's Columbia managed retreat presentationSeeteram's Columbia managed retreat presentation


Managed retreat concept artReframing strategic, managed retreat for transformative climate adaptation

A special issue of Science focused on climate-induced relocation includes a review paper by Mach and co-author, Siders, that argues that managed retreat is an opportunity to preserve the essential while redesigning high-risk areas in ways that are better for everyone.

The review has been covered by The New York Times, The Conversation, AtmosNews@TheUScienceDaily, and EurekAlert!.

 


Hurricane Harvey floodingManaged retreat can reinvent cities while protecting lives

Mach and co-author, Siders, wrote an op-ed published in The Conversation that discusses the possibilities of what manged retreat can look like. The piece also discusses how and why conversations about managed retreat, while difficult, are important.

"Thinking carefully about what parts of our lives and communities should stay the same opens space to think creatively about what parts should or could change."

 


Turek-Hankins paper - heat indexStudy shows disadvantaged communities may get overlooked for climate adaptation funding

Turek-Hankins' research was featured in the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science's newletter, Frontier. The research, published in the fall of 2020, evaluated California's use of the CalEnviroScreen environmental justice index, and found that some communities may be overlooked for state climate adaptation funds based on the tool.

 


Sunny day high tide flooding

World Oceans Day and sea level rise

Kraan collaborated with the Outrider Foundation to write two blog posts about sea level rise for World Oceans Day. The first blog post covers the complex impacts of sea level rise on US coastal towns, and the second presents global examples of managed retreat.

 

 

 

 


Staten island buyoutPromoting equity in retreat through voluntary property buyout programs

Kraan reviews and critiques issues of equity and justice raised for buyouts to date in a recently published policy analysis. The analysis considers the full range of groups affected by buyouts—from where buyouts might occur, through to the eventual destination communities. Based on this analysis, Kraan suggests policy options for addressing equity issues, along with reporting indicators necessary for better understanding the processes and outcomes of buyouts for all involved. Mach and Niemann are also members of the author team. 


Miami climate resilience meeting 5-21Student joins Climate Resilience Committee as a voice for vulnerable communities

Muse was appointed to the City of Miami's Climate Resilience Committee in April. The Committee aims to provide recommendations to the City Commission on policy and land use in ways that will help the City thrive in the face of all climate change threats. In his new role on the Committee, Muse will act as an advocate for low-income and vulnerable communities through these recommendations, making sure underserved communities are represented throughout the consideration and use of climate and sea level rise strategies. 


Simpson figure risk interactionsA framework for complex climate change risk assessment

A global team of climate risk scholars, including Mach, published a paper in One Earth that presents a framework for assessing complex climate change risks. The work builds and expands upon existing frameworkds with the hope that more informed decision making can be done in ways that reduces negative climate change impacts. 

Read media coverage of the paper in EurekAlert! and Carbon Brief.


Earth day presentaion zoom screen

Earth Day and climate justice

Turek-Hankins and Niemann, along with colleague, Scot Evans, joined Teddy Lhoutellier on Earth Day for a conversation on climate justice. The discussion highlighted connections between environmental and climate injustices on a broad scale and in Miami. 

Watch the recorded presentation here.

 

 

 


Vineyard floodingClimate-informed hydrologic modeling and policy typology to guide managed aquifer recharge

Mach, along with a team of researchers, published a paper in Science Advances that developed a computer modeling framework that maps future floodwater projections in a changing climate. These maps could aid water managers in redirecting floodwaters toward groundwater aquifers in ways that could help manage flood and drought risks. 

Coverage of the article can be found in Stanford News and Courthouse News Service


NSF grant recipientsStudents earn fellowships to propel their graduate studies

Turek-Hankins is one of five University students to earn the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for 2021. This scholarship will facilitate her research focused on whether federal policies intended to alleviate the energy burden on low-income households are actually doing so, as well as research on equitable climate adaptation policies.

Read News@TheU article.

Biden climate planPresident Biden wants to slash carbon emissions in half by 2030. Here’s what it will take

Mach comments on the ambitious goals President Biden announced in his climate plan. Along with fellow University professors of environmental law and atmospheric science, Mach agrees that the U.S. will need to implement all existing solutions in an aggressive way. She emphasizes that focusing on equity and just transitions is crucially important, as well as maintaining coordination.

Read News@TheU article.

NBC article imageRising temps due to climate change impact maternal health, studies show

Turek-Hankins comments on the inequities surrounding AC access and usage in an NBC Miami article that discusses research connecting negative birth outcomes with exposure to extreme heat during pregnancy. Research has shown that low-birth weights and premature birth rates increase with extreme heat exposure during pregnancy, especially for Black women in the U.S., and Turek-Hankins points out that someone’s socioeconomic inability to pay for AC could lead to very dangerous situations that lead to these outcomes.

UM Graduate Symposium 2021 artwork2021 UM graduate and postdoctoral research symposium

Koller and Kraan presented their research at the 2021 UM Graduate and Postdoctoral Research Symposium. Koller presented a poster of his research on physical infrastructure to prevent flooding, which can be seen here. Kraan shared her research on post-voluntary home buyouts through an oral presentation.

Collaborative research flyerResearching together: An open dialogue on collaborative methods for environmental justice research

Donald helped coordinate and host a forum that covered practical methods and real experiences of carrying out collaborative, community-based environmental justice research. The discussion featured the research and work of community leaders, UM faculty, and graduate students, including Muse, who shared his research on extreme heat mapping in Miami. 

UM 2021 climate symposium artworkSub-Tropical and tropical coastal resilience symposium

Mach presented recent research related to climate and conflict and disaster mitigation at the university’s Sub-Tropical and Tropical Coastal Resilience Symposium. The symposium was organized into three broad topics: Mobility, Metabolisms, and Resilience, brought together scholars, government, community, and professional practice leaders to explore lessons from the Caribbean and South Florida, as well to discuss their applicability within and beyond the region.

Turek-Hankins and Muse headshotsRecipients of inaugural racial justice grants 

Muse and Turek-Hankins, as a team, were one of thirteen recipients of the Racial Justice Pilot Grant Program, which aims to support student-led research initiatives, service projects, and programmatic activities that focus on race, racial justice, and racial equity. Muse and Turek-Hankins’ project is titled, “Defeat the Heat: Mapping extreme heat exposure in Miami’s Black neighborhoods,” and will recruit citizen scientists to help explore what heat exposure looks like in Miami’s Black neighborhoods and providing insight into best options for key adaptation strategies. 

Read more in the News@TheU article

Black wall streetBlack Wall Street’s lessons in entrepreneurship

Darwyn Kelly’s March article, from True Works Publications, goes over the history of Black Wall Street’s community, and how it can provide key lessons to continuing to build an entrepreneurial Black community.

True Works Publications is Kelly’s newsletter that aims to “inform millennials about the power of real estate” in order to “build generational wealth and lead happier lives.” Find all True Works Publications newsletters here.

Speaker headshots and series artworkMiami climate and racial justice activism

The third U-LINK Climate and Racial Justice Talk Series event hosted a conversation with Miami grassroots organization leaders who are working to support and empower the members of our community, including, Mayra Cruz, Santra Denis, and Valencia Gunder.

Watch the event here.

 


Grassroots event flyer

Sea secrets flyer

Sea Secrets webinar: Managing floods, heat, and fires to keep people and nature safe

Mach, Muse, and Turek-Hankins shared their research focused on flood and extreme heat risks during the Rosenstiel's 2021 Sea Secrets webinar series.

Watch the event here.

 Climate one podcast flyer

Temperature check: Science, Texas, and climate chaos

Mach was a featured guest on the podcast, Climate One, where she discussed connections between climate science, policy, and societal impacts.

Listen to the podcast through the Climate One website, Apple PodcastsStitcher, or Spotify.

Frozen power line

Frigid weather exposes the nation’s frail power grids

Mach comments on the aging infrastructure in the United States, and how the changing climate can lead to failures of the outdated performace standards - similar to what was experienced in Texas during February's winter storm.

Read the full article in News@TheU.

 Miami leadership event artworkMiami climate justice leadership event

The second event in the U-LINK Climate and Racial Justice Talk Series explored the role that institutions and organizations play in the journey to addressing climate and racial injustices. The panel hosted Dwight Bullard, Dr. Henri Ford, and Dr. Cheryl Holder.

Watch the event here.

 

 

Miami climate justice leadership flyer

Washington headshot and artworkMedical ethicist: Race is the most important predictor of environmental harm

Harriet A. Washington was the featured speaker at the inaguaral event in the U-LINK Climate and Racial Justice Talk Series (initiated in part by Mach, Turek-Hankins, and Niemann). Washington discussed the impacts of historic race-based policies and practices in housing, health, and the environment. Read a post-event summary article in News@TheU

Washington artworkU-LINK team launches climate and racial justice talk series

Niemann comments on the intersections of racial justice and climate justice when sharing information on an upcoming conversation series focusing on antiracism and climate impacts, specifically on underserved communities. Mach, Turek-Hankins, and Niemann are members of the U-LINK research team hosting the events.

Read the news story in the University's News@TheU.

climate justice text

A conversation with Harriet A. Washington

Mach, Turek-Hankins, and Niemann are members of a U-LINK research team that has planned a series of climate justice conversations. The inaugural event for the series hosted Harriet A. Washington, an award winning science writer. 

 

 

Washington flyer Paris Agreement

Paris Agreement: What's next?

With the United States planning to rejoin the Paris Agreement after Biden takes office, Mach comments on the importance of the Agreement, and how politics and science interact to create the real-life societies we live in. Find her comments in articles discussing the updates on the Paris Agreement in Audubon and The Christian Science Monitor.

Agu fall meeting 2020 bannerClimate prep lab members present research at AGU Fall Meeting 2020

Climate prep lab members shared their research at the 2020 AGU Fall Meeting. Mach shared her research titled, “Actionable knowledge for equitable adaptation in the built environment: supporting global-to-local resilience.” Mach also presented work completed with co-authors, including Kraan, from their Climate as a risk factor for armed conflict paper. A related presentation given by co-author, Cullen Hendrix, can be found here. Turek-Hankins shared work titled, “Equity-oriented adaptation to extreme heat in California,” which was based on her paper, with Mach as a co-author. Seeteram was a presenter of research titled, “Resilience for whom? A climate mobility framework for evaluating equity outcomes in climate change adaptation.” Mach’s co-author, Nicholas Simpson, presented their research, “Assessing and responding to complex climate change risks.” Nolan presented research, completed with Mach as a co-author, titled, “Constraints and enablers for increasing carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere.” His presentation can be seen here. Niemann shared her work, carried out with Kraan and Mach as co-authors, titled, “Goals and outcomes of U.S. voluntary buyouts: a systematic review.” Another of Mach’s co-authors, Fran Moore, presented work titled, “Linking social, political, and technical feedbacks to model tipping points in the climate-social system.” The presentation can be watched here.

Hurricane Iota2020 Atlantic hurricane season was a novel one

Mach was one of several University of Miami Rosenstiel School experts to comment on the historic 2020 Atlantic hurricane season in a News@TheU article

“Science-society dialogues about climate-related displacement, migration, and retreat have been ramping up tremendously on this topic. And this year’s intense hurricane season has only served to amplify the considerations. Questions of insurance, bond ratings, and other dimensions of finance are also pressing, and there are important uncertainties about when and how changes in markets and policies will unfold.” - Katharine Mach

Turek-Hankins paper imageRisk screening methods for extreme heat: Implications for equity-oriented adaptation

Turek-Hankins and Mach, along with their co-author, Hino, published a study that evaluates the currently used environmental justice index in California (CalEnviroScreen 3.0), as well as two additional adaptation-relevant vulnerability indices (the Social Vulnerability Index and the Heat-Health Action Index). “This study demonstrates important nuances relevant to implementing equity-oriented adaptation and explores the challenges, trade-offs, and opportunities in quantifying vulnerability.”

The paper was covered by the Rosenstiel School’s division of The University of Miami’s News@TheU.Biscayne Bay

Biscayne Bay is crying out for our help!

Darwyn Kelly’s October article, from True Works Publications, introduces the impacts of neglect and mistreatment of Biscayne Bay, and suggests some solutions to restoring the Bay, including taking accountability as a community.

True Works Publications is Kelly’s bi-weekly newsletter that aims to “inform millennials about the power of real estate” in order to “build generational wealth and lead happier lives.” Find all True Works Publications newsletters here.California wildfires

Climate change is central to California’s wildfires

Miller and Mach, along with their co-author Field, had an opinion piece published in Scientific American to address misleading claims about the cause of California wildfires. Several conservative columnists blamed California Democrats for exacerbating the fires, using Miller, Mach, and Field’s study as supporting evidence. This opinion piece calls out the dangerous climate denialism, and redirects readers to the clear science: climate change plays an undeniable role in the unprecedented wildfires of recent years.Havard mag photos

Controlling the global thermostat

Mach contributes to a recent featured article in Harvard Magazine that covers the work and viewpoints of climate change scholars as they research long-term challenges and actions for solutions. She emphasizes the fact that both mitigation and adaptation are essential to addressing the changes that are already occurring. Mach also comments on what will potentially be the first field experiment connected to stratospheric solar geoengineering, the Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), where she serves on the independent advisory committee that is reviewing the project.

Us flag flies in front of wildfireClimate change: An everlasting issue as 2020 election nears

Mach comments on the future of climate change leading up to the 2020 presidential election in the University of Miami’s student newspaper, The Miami Hurricane. While it is clear that the Trump administration has dismantled climate policy, remedying climate change impacts cannot happen overnight. Finding climate change solutions, or combatants, depends on how our societies can effectively implement the available solutions.Smoke from California wildfires

California’s mega fires have arrived 30 years early

Mach discusses climate change-heightened disasters, and how surprisingly impactful floods or fires shouldn’t necessarily be taking societies by surprise, given the amount of prediction scientists have given in the past. Despite the knowledge that climate change impacts are becoming more intense, the needed levels of adaptation are still lacking to manage the risks. Read the article in Scientific American.

health worker justiceFunding for antiracism and climate justice dialogues

Mach, Turek-Hankins, and Niemann are members of one of seven teams of researchers that were granted funding through the University of Miami’s Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-LINK) social equity challenge. The grants were awarded with the goal to “elevate society’s awareness of racial inequities and to develop timely solutions for addressing oppression and discrimination in all its forms.” Mach, Turek-Hankins, and Niemann will join Scot Evans (School of Education and Human Development), Abigail Fleming (Environmental Justice Clinic, School of Law), Armen Henderson (Miller School of Medicine), and Margo-Fernandez Burgos (School of Education and Human Development) for their project titled, “Antiracism and climate justice dialogues to build an interdisciplinary course and research inquiry.” Read more from News@TheU.

Steve leads tourExploring the local environmental history and future

Koller was recently quoted in a local New York City newspaper about an educational tour he led around the Gowanus Canal. A Superfund site and one of the country’s most polluted waterways, the Gowanus Canal is now surrounded by a thriving neighborhood, much of which sits less than ten feet above sea level. The tour walked the extent of Superstorm Sandy’s flooding in the area, and discussed both Gowanus’s historical hydrology and a proposed rezoning which could add thousands of new residences into the 1% chance annual floodplain.

Fire caused yellow and smoke skyDiscussions of climate change impacts

Mach was recently quoted in several media articles discussing current climate impacts. The University of Miami’s News@TheU featured Mach’s personal experiences with climate change risks and the feasibility of applying managed retreat to reduce these risks. Science Friday looked into the effects of climate change colliding with a vulnerable, aging population, where Mach questions the use of the word “vulnerable.” The New York Times shared responses from two dozen climate experts on the growing risks of climate change. Mach commented on how the attention of climate change impacts may be shifting from the “most vulnerable” to the wider public.  

kraan presentation postersSharing research at the UCLA Climate Adaptation Symposium and the Tulane Engineering Forum

Kraan presented ongoing research into post-buyout relocations at the UCLA Climate Adaptation Symposium. The Climate Adaptation Research Symposium’s goal was to highlight recent social science research measuring the impacts of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations and communities. Recordings of the symposium presentations can be found on the event’s webpage.

Kraan was also invited to speak at the opening plenary of the 20th Annual Tulane Engineering Forum. The plenary was titled "Climate Risks and Adaptation: Engineering Design with the Uncertainties of Climate Change”. Kraan’s presentation covered voluntary property buyouts as a form of managed retreat, as well as insights into sea level rise issues and solutions in South Florida. 

climate cafe posterRosenstiel School hosts climate café series

Mach, Seeteram, and Kraan were featured speakers at the third Climate Café Zoominar, "Economic and Societal Impacts of a Changing Climate." Mach shared research linking climate, security, and conflict; Seeteram discussed her framework for assessing equity outcomes in sea level rise adaptation; and Kraan presented her work on voluntary property buyouts.

The event was covered by the University of Miami's News@TheU, and a recording is available to view on YouTube

Miami king tide 2019Corps should include nature-based and equitable solutions to flooding in Miami

Koller and Seeteram provide reflections on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Back Bay Study in an op-ed published in the Miami Herald. The piece calls on the Corps to consider solutions that will promote socially and economically just outcomes. To encourage improvements, three observations are made relating to time constraints, choice of infrastructure type, and consideration of inequalities that could be reinforced by the project.

USACE Miami plan

S.O.S. for aids to navigation

Comments from Kraan were included in the Going Green column in the Biscayne Times this July. The column considers the implications of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Miami-Dade Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study, that recommends various resiliency infrastructure along Biscayne Bay. Kraan suggests that different solutions should be considered, as well as the impacts the infrastructure could have on increasing inequity.

African drought

Scientists offer roadmap for studying link between climate and armed conflict

Mach and Kraan are coauthors of a recent publication, "Directions for Research on Climate and Conflict." The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science featured the paper on their news site, here. The paper follows a 2019 analysis of the relationship between climate and organized armed conflict, and provides four main guidelines for continuing the exploration of this link.

Find the paper here, in Earth's Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.  

Katharine MachRecipient of the 2020 Piers Sellers Prize: recognizing exceptional climate change research

Mach was selected as the winner of the 2020 Piers Sellers Prize for her world-leading contribution to solution-foucsed, interdisciplinary climate research. The Piers Sellers Prize, granted by the Priestley International Centre for Climate, recognizes exceptional, up-and-coming research that furthers our understanding of climate change and how to address it. 

The prizegiving event featured a keynote lecture from Mach, where she discussed recent work on climate and security and managed retreat. A recording of the event can be viewed here

Lynee's presentation

Sharing fundamentals of equitable adaptation to heat in a changing climate

Turek-Hankins had the opportunity to participate in a day of learning about climate resilience with government workers and stakeholders from the City of Hallandale Beach. Experts from across South Florida shared actionable knowledge and explored with the group how the city can start to incorporate climate forward thinking into their work. Turek-Hankins led an introductory teach-in about the science of extreme heat in a changing climate, urban heat islands in South Florida, and its intersections with environmental justice. Together, they discussed the state of the knowledge of equitable adaptation to extreme heat and its implications for the City of Hallandale Beach.

symposium logoUM graduate & postdoctoral research syposium

The University of Miami Graduate School organized the second annual Graduate & Postdoctoral Research Symposium in March 2020. The symposium included posters, oral presentations, and TED-like talks featuring graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from all schools and departments of the university. More information about the event can be found at The Graduate School

Two members of the climate prep research team also presented their work. Turek-Hankins shared her work on equity-oriented adaptation to extreme heat in California through a poster. Kraan gave an oral presentation on the landscape of FEMA voluntary property buyouts and ongoing research that focusses on tracking post-buyout relocations. 

Lynee stands by her posterCarolien presents her researchCarolien sits for the panel discussion

AJ faces landscape in Puerto RicoConferences aim to find equitable responses to climate change for island communities

Working with the non-profit organizations, UPROSE and the Climate Justice Alliance, Hudson recently participated in the Environmental Grantmakers Association’s 2020 Winter Briefing in Puerto Rico, presenting on a panel. Information on the EGA Briefing can be found here. A report calling for just transformation and recovery that was released during the Briefing is discussed here.

Hudson also attended the Climate Strong Islands Dialog in Puerto Rico, a conference that explores how islands are responding to climate change. The Climate Strong Islands Declaration, which calls for widespread support of island communities as they respond to the climate crisis, was signed by more than 60 U.S. island communities, foundations, environmental organizations, companies, and academic institutions. Hudson was one of the signatories for the declaration. Coverage of the conference and declaration can be found here and here, and the Climate Strong Islands Declaration can be read here.

Puerto Rico landscapePuerto Rico meetingPuerto Rico waterfallPuerto RicoPuerto Rico landscape

Knowledge meetingActionable knowledge, education, and climate decision making

Several new studies produced by Mach and colleagues discuss how education and co-production are two important tools for implementing knowledgeable, sustainable environmental decision-making.

Read the article, Three roles for education in climate change adaptation, published in the journal, Climate Policy, here.

Find the article, Actionable knowledge and the art of engagement, published in the journal, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, here.

The research was featured on the Rosenstiel School News & Events page.

Twitter graph

Flood of tweets

A recently published paper in Nature Communications investigates the use of social media to monitor flooding and its related consequences more efficiently. In Quartz, Mach comments on the challenges associated with determining how communities are affected by nuisance floods, such as how tide gauges don’t provide complete information on the impacts of flooding on residents and businesses.

UM climate symposium photosMiami climate symposium

The Miami Climate Symposium 2020 provided scholars and researchers the opportunity to share the impacts of the changing climate, and how we can predict, respond to, and adapt to its risks.

Members of the climate prep research team engagement in the symposium are highlighted on the University of Miami’s News@TheU. Miller shared her research on California wildfires and local policy intervention and adaptation efforts in response to these risks. Mach presented the concept of managed retreat as an adaptive response to climate change. Kraan commented on the fascinating information the symposium’s sessions provided to attendees.

The symposium concluded with an engaging public forum, with Mach as one of the panel experts discussing the local effects of climate change and addressing community members’ comments and questions. Coverage of this event can be found on the University of Miami’s News@TheU.

Line dividerGreenhouse gas emissions

Refining national greenhouse gas inventories

Yona and colleagues highlight a path forward for improving national greenhouse gas inventories, ever critical and challenging in moving towards rigorous climate policy. Find the paper, published in Ambio: a journal of the human environment, here

line dividerControlled burningNature sustainability: Barriers and enablers for prescribed burns for wildfire management in California

Featured on the cover of Nature Sustainability, Miller, Mach, and co-author, Field, present research on sociopolitical barriers and opportunities for use of prescribed burns to reduce wildfire risk in California. The approach utilized in the article was applauded in an editorial in the journal, and the findings have been featured in media coverage such as Stanford News, Science Daily, Interesting Engineering, The Telegraph, Popular Science, and others.

See article in Nature Sustainability here.

line dividerPodcast logoAligning with climate science to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees

Mach joined the podcast, Climate Action Now, in a discussion focusing on the climate goals of reducing carbon emissions worldwide by 50% before 2030 in order to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. The podcast episode investigates how these highly debated, ambitious goals were reached, why it’s so important companies strive to meet them, and what impacts these companies may experience by aligning with the science.

Listen to the podcast below or here.

line dividerclimate summit

Southeast Florida regional climate leadership summit

Mach and Niemann attended the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit, hosted by the Southeast FL Regional Climate Change Compact. The Compact coordinates mitigation and adaptation efforts to advance responses and preparations for the effects of climate change across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties.

See more from the summit here.

line dividerkey west

High cost of Keys road raising makse sea rise retreat likely

Mach discusses buyouts in relation to a program taking place in Monroe county, Florida in the Miami Herald.

line dividerwindmills 

UN climate report paints a bleak picture of a planet in peril

Mach comments on transformations towards zero emissions discussed in the United Nations' 2019 Emissions Gap Report in the University of Miami's News@TheU.

line dividerKatharine Mach

On the front lines of the climate emergency

Mach's path leading to her current career at the forefront of climate change risks and adaptaion research is featured in the University of Miami's News@TheU. This profile discusses her recent publications of research on managed retreat and FEMA buyouts, her time with Stanford University and the IPCC, and her educational background at Harvard and Stanford.

 line dividerKatharine Mach discusses climate change at the Underwater HOA meetingUnderwater HOA meeting

Mach led a conversation with the Underwater Homeowners Association (UHOA), discussing climate change science and policy, including risks and response options. These UHOA community meetings, established by Xavier Cortada, environmental artist and professor at the University of Miami, aim to generate awareness of climate change, and engage homeowners in addressing impacts to Floridians, such as flooding and sea level rise.

See information about the Underwater HOA here

Line dividerClimate conflict droughtNature: Climate change and conflict

Mach and Kraan are authors of a recent article that examinines the role that climate variability and change play in shaping the risk of organized armed conflict. Mach comments on this climate-conflict relationship in Ensia

See original article in Nature

"As risks grow under future climate change, many more potential climate–conflict linkages become relevant and extend beyond historical experiences."

line dividerNeighborhood floodsScience advances: FEMA-funded voluntary property buyouts

Mach and Kraan's study on the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of 43,000 FEMA buyouts, completed with Siders and Hino, is discussed in The New York Times, NPR, FOXBusiness, Gizmodo, Grist, Vice, US News, WLRN, Miami Herald, Wired, EOS, Business Report, BloombergAP, Inverse, Sun Sentinel, Anthropocene, and UM News

See original article in Science Advances.

"For government-funded retreat in the form of buyouts, our results indicate that richer, more densely populated areas have been more likely to implement voluntary buyouts of flood-prone properties to date. [...] Within counties with buyouts, however, the bought-out properties are located in relatively poorer, less densely populated areas, also with relatively lower education levels, lower English language proficiency, and greater racial diversity."

Line Divder Children hold signs at a climate strikeAre we really running out of time to stop climate change? 

Mach comments on climate goals and ambitious limits on warming in Live Science.

"We know that the risks go up [as temperature rises]. We're already experiencing widespread impacts of the changing climate."

 Line dividerKing tides flood Brickell in MiamiDemocratic candidates reveal tough new reality for Florida on climate change

Mach discusses managed retreat in the Tampa Bay Times.

"For some communities in some places, it’s not a question of when or if, but when, how and under what circumstances."   

 

line dividerIowa town floodsScience:  The case for strategic and managed climate retreat

Mach’s Science policy forum on strategic and managed climate retreat, developed with Siders and Hino, has been featured in recent coverage, including: New York Times (here and here)International Business TimesGristABCVision TimesHavard Magazine, and Stanford Woods.

See original article in Science.

"Retreat is an adaptive option at the intersect of changing disaster risk, market forces, societal investments, and community well-being."

 Line divider