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 […]
Author: Michael Shank
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 […]
Businesses Know They’re Under Threat from Climate Change, so Why Won’t They Invest in Solutions?
FAST COMPANY 11/27/19 By Michael Shank The latest financial assessment of climate change’s costly impacts, this time by the Economist Intelligence Unit, shows a nearly $8 trillion hit to the global economy in the next 30 years. The EIU’s Climate Change Resilience Index examined 82 of the world’s largest economies […]
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 […]
We Are Wasting a Massive Amount of Food. Here Are 4 Concrete Ways to Change That
TIME 11/09/19 By Michael Shank and Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo Michael Shank, PhD, teaches sustainable development at NYU’s Center for Global Affairs and is the communications director at the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo is the Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Food waste might be […]
California Fires, Rising Seas: Millions of Climate Refugees Will Dwarf Dust Bowl by 2100
USA TODAY 11/04/19 By Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke An environmental crisis in the early 1900s created ‘Dust Bowl refugees.’ Today’s climate crisis is much bigger and will last for decades, not years. “Climate refugee” is likely a new term for most Americans. Also referred to as environmental […]
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 […]