Author: Michael Shank

Planetary Benefits of Smaller Families

VTDIGGER 12/20/19 By Michael Shank Editor’s note: This commentary is by Dr. Michael Shank, a resident of Brandon who teaches sustainable development at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs. Given the climate inaction among national governments — from America and Australia to Brazil and Britain — there’s been a big focus […]

Six More Behavioural Science Tips for Green Policymaking

APOLITICAL 12/18/19 By Michael Shank This article was written by Dr Michael Shank, communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and adjunct faculty at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. In my latest article for Apolitical, I covered six behavioural science-based principles that will help you roll out […]

6 Ways of Using Behavioural Science in Green Policymaking

APOLITICAL 11/26/19 By Michael Shank This article is written by Dr. Michael Shank, communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and adjunct faculty at New York University’s Centre for Global Affairs. We need to quickly move our cities and towns towards more sustainable development. To do that, we need […]

The Business Case for Climate-Friendly Tech

REUTERS 11/21/19 By Michael Shank The global environmental sensor market, as just one example, is already proliferating and expecting to be a $3 billion annual market in under ten years The Economist Intelligence Unit’s report this week warns that climate change will shave 3% off the world economy, costing almost […]

The End of Infinite Growth

GREENPEACE 11/15/19 By Rex Weyler I’m in Vancouver, riding the skytrain, the metro-region’s elevated and underground public transport system. In a crowded cabin, I gaze above the seats and see this advertisement: There is no option C: “Change our system to prevent it.” This little ad is a pitch by […]

We Need to Make it Cool to Consume Sustainably

REUTERS 11/12/19 By Michael Shank and Joachim von Braun This week in Vatican City, at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, we discussed one of the world’s most critical economic, environmental, and social issues: food loss and waste. When one-third of all food is lost or wasted, this is a crisis […]

Opinion Piece Says Smaller Family Size Would Help Combat Climate Change

KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION 10/30/19 Newsweek: This Controversial Way To Combat Climate Change Might Be The Most Effective | Opinion Michael Shank, sustainable development instructor at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance “Given the climate inaction among national governments — from America and […]