The Conversation

Many Midwesterners will likely never believe in climate change. Here’s how to encourage them to act anyway

Written by Matthew Houser, Assistant Research Scientist, Indiana University

A farm in LaSalle County, Illinois.Eddie J. Rodriquez/shutterstock.com

The number of politically conservative Americans who are climate skeptics is growing, and the evidence suggests that they’re unlikely to change their opinions.

This is particularly evident in the Midwest. Although 61 percent of U.S. adults are concerned about global...

Is climate change causing a rise in the number of mosquito and tick-borne diseases?

Written by Oghenekaro Omodior, Assistant Professor of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, Indiana University

Warmer temperatures could lead to more zones of the country that make good breeding sites for mosquitoes.Apichart Meesri / Shutterstock.com

Life in a single-family home in suburban America, one with a quiet and spacious backyard, surrounded by natural habitats, lush green vegetation, where beautiful birds, squirrels and other small mammals come and...

How have textbooks portrayed climate change?

Written by Brett Levy, Assistant professor of educational theory and practice, University at Albany, State University of New York

Some science textbooks give a skewed view of the causes of climate change, new research finds.pong-photo9/www.shutterstock.com

Back in 2007, the world’s foremost body charged with assessing climate change stated with “very high confidence” that humans were a primary driver of climate change.

But you may not get the message that...

What is climate-ready infrastructure? Some cities are starting to adapt

Written by Mikhail Chester, Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering, Arizona State University

Miami is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to raise roads in response to rising sea levels.AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

The most recent international report on climate change paints a picture of disruption to society unless there are drastic and rapid cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Although it’s early days, some cities and municipalities...

The risk of 'cascading' natural disasters is on the rise

Written by Farshid Vahedifard, CEE Advisory Board Endowed Professor and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mississippi State University

Deadly debris flows came to Los Angeles after heavy rain pounded wildfire-scarred land.AP Photo/Reed Saxon

In a warming world, the dangers from natural disasters are changing. In a recent commentary, we identified a number of costly and deadly catastrophes that point to an increase in the risk of “cascading” events – ones that...

World hunger has risen for three straight years, and climate change is a cause

Written by Jessica Eise, Ross Fellow in the Brian Lamb School of Communication Doctoral Program, Purdue University

A man walks through a greenhouse in northeastern Uganda where sustainable agriculture techniques such as drought-resistant crops and tree planting are taught, Oct. 19, 2017. AP Photo/Adelle Kalakouti

World hunger has risen for a third consecutive year, according to the United Nations’ annual food security report. The total number of people...

How a game can move people from climate apathy to action

Written by Juliette N. Rooney-Varga, Associate Professor of Environmental Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell

High school students at the University of Maine Farmington’s Upward Bound program playing the World Climate simulation. Mary Sinclair, CC BY-ND

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been called a “deafening” alarm and an “ear-splitting wake-up call” about the need for sweeping...

Rising insurance costs may convince Americans that climate change risks are real

Written by Andrew J. Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor at the Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

Damage from Hurricane Michael and other storms may lead to higher insurance premiums. Reuters/Terray Sylvester

One of the great challenges of tackling climate change is making it real for people without a scientific background. That’s because the threat it poses can be so hard to see or feel.

In the wake of Hurricanes Florence and Michael,...

3 dangers of rising temperatures that could affect your health now

Written by Elena N. Naumova, Professor, Tufts University

Members of a ground crew In Phoenix wrapped wet towels around their necks to cool off when the temperature reached a record of 116°F.Matt York/AP Photo

I read the news about the urgency of addressing climate change, and as a mathematician who studies climate change, I was not surprised. Very worried, but not surprised.

A few days before...

In Alaska, everyone's grappling with climate change

Written by Nancy Fresco, SNAP Coordinator, Research Faculty, University of Alaska Fairbanks

2016's warm winter meant not enough snow for the start of the Iditarod sled dog race in Anchorage, so it was brought by train from 360 miles north.AP/Rachel D'Oro

Coastal villages are washing into the Bering Sea, trees are sprouting in the tundra and shipping lanes are opening in an ocean that was once locked in ice. In Alaska, climate change...