Author: Michael Shank

‘Sanctuary Cities’ Bill on Senate Floor Unsafe and Unwise

HUFFINGTON POST 10/20/15 By Michael Shank and Lindsay Schubiner This month, North Carolina state lawmakers voted to prohibit so-called sanctuary ordinances in cities and counties throughout the state. While a sanctuary ordinance may sound esoteric enough, the reality is much more harsh. Among the myriad consequences, under the new law […]

Climate Action Is Solution to Slowing Superstorms

ROLL CALL 10/16/15 By Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke New Yorkers will need to get used to storms like Superstorm Sandy, according to a study published recently by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Instead of every 500 years, scientists from the PNAS anticipate these storms […]

Anti-Immigration Legislation Makes Cities and Citizens Less Safe

THE HILL 10/16/15 By Michael Shank and Lindsay Schubiner This month, North Carolina state lawmakers voted to prohibit so-called sanctuary ordinances in cities and counties throughout the state. While a sanctuary ordinance may sound esoteric enough, the reality is much more harsh. Among the myriad consequences, under the new law […]

Cities Will Make or Break Any Deal on Carbon Emissions. Here’s Why

CITY METRIC 10/09/15 By Michael Shank Cities are acting ambitiously on climate change – and that has big implications for the rest of the planet. Last month, urban officials attended the US-China Climate Leaders summit and announced a raft of carbon emissions targets, clean energy partnerships, and initiatives around transpacific […]

Let’s Slow Down the Next Superstorm

USA TODAY 10/05/15 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Charles Rangel New research on the frequency of Sandy-type storms makes acting on climate change more urgent The news last week that New York City faces Superstorm Sandy-level flooding every 25 years, instead of every 500 years, is a wet blanket […]

Hurricane Joaquin: Another Word for Climate Change

DAILY BEAST 10/03/15 By Michael Shank In case you hadn’t guessed, a new study shows “superstorms” will be much more frequent in the years ahead. As Hurricane Joaquin devastates the Bahamas and feints toward the east coast of the United States, and as American communities hunker down for superstorm potential, […]

Why World Leaders Are Starting to Eat Garbage

TIME 10/02/15 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva The world wastes more than 1.3 billion metric tons of edible food each year When it comes to tackling climate change, one of the greatest challenges we face is understanding the myriad factors that influence our warming planet. Addressing some […]

Final Frontier on Carbon Emissions: Food

MEDIUM 10/02/15 By Michael Shank With the United Nations serving up a vegetarian luncheon for world leaders this past week, made entirely from food waste, and with Hollywood filmmakers talking about how diets can save the planet, we’re starting to witness a sea change in how we think and talk […]

Mason Professors to be Delegates at Paris Climate Conference

Fourth Estate 09/24/15 By Melissa Moore An official delegation consisting of several Mason representatives is headed to Paris at the end of November to attend the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COPs) at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). The delegation traveling to the […]

Why US and Chinese Cities Will Make or Break Any Global Climate Deal

THE CONVERSATION 09/23/15 By Michael Shank Cities are acting ambitiously on climate change and that has big implications for the rest of the planet. Urban officials last week attended the US-China Climate Leaders summit and announced a raft of carbon emissions targets, clean energy partnerships, and initiatives around transpacific climate […]