Welcome

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    Think like an animal: Understanding animal decision making for conservation

    Scientists from the Institute for Conservation Research at the San Diego Zoo and UCLA are researching animal decision making across disciplinary boundaries.  In a recent study, they investigated how animal decision making can be affected by human impacts on the environment. They argue that understanding the ways animals respond to different situations can help scientists conserve species more effectively. 

    Prerna Bhat

    September 28, 2018
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    Global patterns of tropical forest fragmentation

    Forest fragmentation breaks apart ecosystems and accelerates deforestation. The causes of deforestation differ around the globe, but scientists have identified similarities in their patterns. Doing so might mitigate further deforestation.

    Max Potthoff

    September 24, 2018
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    A Local, Sustainable and Democratic Economy: An Alternative to Capitalism

    Imagine a world in which people and the environment are valued before profit.  Researchers theorize an economy that is local and decided by people, respecting their needs and regional environments.

    Anna Maria Cárcamo

    September 17, 2018
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    Reducing the land use impact of solar energy – a triple win for climate, agriculture, and biodiversity

    Solar energy is hailed as the holy grail of climate change mitigation. But is it really? Like any other technological solution, solar has its issues especially regarding its impact on land use change. A recent study highlighted some promising alternatives for siting solar in areas that can spare prime agricultural land, thus reducing solar land footprint.

    Krisztina Pjecka

    September 14, 2018
 
Global patterns of tropical forest fragmentation

Forest fragmentation breaks apart ecosystems and accelerates deforestation. The causes of deforestation differ around the globe, but scientists have identified similarities in their patterns. Doing so might mitigate further deforestation.

Max Potthoff
September 24, 2018
 
A Local, Sustainable and Democratic Economy: An Alternative to Capitalism

Imagine a world in which people and the environment are valued before profit.  Researchers theorize an economy that is local and decided by people, respecting their needs and regional environments.  

Anna Maria Cárcamo
September 17, 2018
 
Reducing the land use impact of solar energy – a triple win for climate, agriculture, and biodiversity

Solar energy is hailed as the holy grail of climate change mitigation. But is it really? Like any other technological solution, solar has its issues especially regarding its impact on land use change. A recent study highlighted some promising alternatives for siting solar in areas that can spare prime agricultural land, thus reducing solar land footprint.

Krisztina Pjecka
September 14, 2018
 
Mass media and the demand for water: a surprising connection

Does news coverage affect the length of people’s showers? A recent scientific study seeks to understand how mass media is related to water use behavior, by examining the influence of abnormally high drought related news coverage in California’s San Francisco bay area. The researchers find a strong link between heightened news coverage and a reduction in urban water use, indicating that mass media has the potential to lead to significant behavioral changes.  

Sofia Caycedo
September 4, 2018

Articles

Expectations for Corporate Sustainability to Save the World Are Overblown

As the current United States Federal government moves to dismantle environmental protections, many have turned to the business community to lead the way on environment. However, a new study has found that most businesses are only working on sustainability to generate profit. The study categorizes profit-minded sustainability work as “weak,” stating that more ambitious sustainability approaches have goals beyond growing a business.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Laura Small

Hurricane Sandy and the Meadowlands: a Case Study of Tide Gates and the Transportation of Polluted Sediment

Climate change is increasing storm severity globally. During storms, polluted sediment can be transported. A study focusing on the Meadowlands demonstrates how tide gates can prevent the transportation of contaminated sediment.

Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Alexandra Savino

Support and opposition to offshore wind power in the US – A clash of perceptions and reality

Towering wind turbines have been overlooking the European seas for almost a decade. Why is the U.S. lagging in offshore wind development? A recent study examined the psychological and social factors that influence public opinion and eventually facilitate or hinder project development.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Krisztina Pjeczka

When the Bed Bugs Bite

You know the skin-crawling, hair-raising feeling right before you drift off to sleep? It might not be “all in your head”. Bed bugs are on the rise, and travelers are unknowingly shuttling them across the oceans. Researchers wanted to know exactly how bed bugs were making long journeys at an unprecedented rate. They found bed bugs are attracted to dirty laundry, not just old mattresses. As international travel increases, bed bugs are jumping into suitcases and spreading across the globe.

Monday, July 23, 2018
Nathalie Sommer

Who should be in charge of greening our cities?

As cities seek to provide residents with places for recreation, cleaner air, and beautiful scenery, it is crucial to know which sector can best increase the amount of green infrastructure. New research examines developers’ decision-making process for property design, and shows that developers may not be the best group to be in charge of providing green space for cities.

Thursday, July 12, 2018
Katie Murray

What motivates farmers to engage in environmental stewardship? Lessons from qualitative research in Britain

Agricultural land is not often thought of as an ecosystem or as habitat. However, farmers as a group collectively manage a large fraction of the land in Britain (as in every country) and their choices have a significant impact on the health of the environment and wildlife. How can farmers be encouraged to become environmental stewards?

Monday, July 2, 2018

California: The drought was worse than we thought.

During the 2012-2014 drought, farmers had difficulty maintaining their crops and their livelihoods. New research found that during this drought, water use and dependency actually increased in the Central Valley. This finding gives us pause and a chance to reevaluate our water management practices. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Rebecca Lehman

A look inside lithium-air batteries, a technology with the power to revolutionize the fight against climate change

Our current energy storage technologies aren’t good enough to deliver practical electric vehicles. Lithium-air batteries may change that, if researchers can solve a few tricky problems.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Eva Alblaghti

Features

YER First Editor's Choice Competition

The staff at Yale Environment Review would like to announce the winner and finalists for the first-ever
Editor’s Choice Competition.

Eleven articles, all written by past or present YER authors who are still at FES, were judged by the YER team of writers. From that eleven, three finalists were selected. The final decision was made by the editorial board at the end of the fall semester.