The Conversation

How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue

Written by Joe Árvai, Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability | Professor of Psychology, Biological Sciences, and Environmental Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Donald Trump's pro-fossil fuel positions stand in sharp contrast with efforts to protect the climate.Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

After four years of U.S. progress on efforts to deal with climate change under Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s return to the White House is swiftly swinging the pendulum in the opposite direction.

On his first...

‘The geezer game’ – a nearly 50-year-old pickup basketball game – reveals its secrets to longevity

Written by Richie Zweigenhaft, Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Guilford College

Several geezers appear on the court before a 5-on-5 pickup game.Andy Casper, CC BY-SA

Donald Trump’s polarizing political rise in the past decade has driven many groups – and some families – apart.

But a long-running pickup basketball game that I play in, made up of people with various political leanings, including Trump...

Attitudes toward Christian nationalism don’t just boil down to views on race, religion and history − research suggests ‘moral foundations’ play a critical role

Written by Kerby Goff, Associate Director of Research at the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, Rice University

Christian nationalism is the belief that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation.Douglas Sacha/moment via Getty Images

The concept of Christian nationalism has taken center stage in many Americans’ minds as either the greatest threat to democracy or its only savior.

Political scientist Eric McDaniel defines Christian...

Extreme heat, flooding, wildfires – Colorado’s formerly incarcerated people on the hazards they faced behind bars

Written by Shawhin Roudbari, Associate Professor of Environmental Design, University of Colorado Boulder

Inmates sometimes experience heatstroke on especially hot days.powerofforever/Getty Images

Incarcerated people in Colorado are exposed to climate-related extreme heat and cold, plus flooding and wildfires. Because they’re unable to escape these hazards, their health suffers and some die.

“I remember it being summer, and there’s no...

What is a migrant? What is ICE? 10 terms to help you understand the debate over immigration

Written by Ernesto Castañeda, Professor of Latin American and Latino studies, American University

Migrants are apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after crossing into Ruby, Ariz., in June 2024.Brandon Bell/Getty Images

President Donald Trump aims to upend the immigration system in the United States in his first few days in office. On Jan. 20, 2025, Trump signed various executive orders that temporarily prevent refugees...

Feeling political distress? Here are coping strategies a psychologist shares with his clients

Written by Jeremy P. Shapiro, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University

The polarized political climate is reflected in what drives some people to therapy.Microgen Images/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

I began practicing psychotherapy during the Reagan administration. Thirty years went by before distress about politics became a clinical issue for any of my clients.

I remember the moment it first happened: There...

Philanthropy provides $30B annually for science and health research − funding that tends to stay local

Written by Louis Shekhtman, Senior Lecturer of Information Science, Bar-Ilan University

Private support for science tends to stay in the donor's own state.ADragan Creative/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The foundations making charitable donations to support scientific and health research mostly give to institutions in their home states.

That’s what I found in a study I conducted with two fellow data scientists, Albert Laszlo...

Human use of fire has produced an era of uncontrolled burning: Welcome to the Pyrocene

Written by Stephen Pyne, Emeritus Professor of Life Sciences, Arizona State University

Firefighters work near the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 11, 2025.Peyman Fakhraei/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Los Angeles is burning, but it isn’t alone. In recent years, fires have blasted through cities in Colorado, the southern Appalachians and the island of Maui, along with Canada, Australia, Portugal and Greece. What...

I’m an economist. Here’s why I’m worried the California insurance crisis could trigger broader financial instability

Written by Gary W. Yohe, Huffington Foundation Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University

The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles have made one threat very clear: Climate change is undermining the insurance systems American homeowners rely on to protect themselves from catastrophes. This breakdown is starting to become painfully clear as families and communities struggle to rebuild.

But another threat remains less recognized: This...

How nonprofits pitch in before, during and after disasters strike

Written by Vanessa Crossgrove Fry, Associate Research Faculty/Interim Director, Boise State University

Social Border Grill delivers food as part of World Central Kitchen relief efforts at an Eaton Fire temporary shelter in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2025.Kirby Lee/Getty Images

Los Angeles is reeling after fires of historic proportions raced through many communities in January 2025, destroying thousands of homes. The Conversation U.S. asked Vanessa...