Anshveer Bedi, James Burrell, and Alexander Flores, University of San Francisco -- Punjab is facing a pressing yield problem. Despite being a vital agricultural hub in India, making up 11% of the country’s agricultural output, Punjab has witnessed severe yield fluctuations for key staples like rice, maize, and wheat over the past three decades. These fluctuations are caused by Punjab's shifting climate, particularly the increase of hot weather days, rainy spells, and other climatic anomalies.
Jenna Teterin, Stanford University -- Earlier this year, tractors formed barricades in highways and streets across Belgium, France, and other European Union countries. Blocking traffic with their personal machinery, European farmers protested against policies and decisions made by the EU to promote sustainable practices across industries, agriculture included. Underneath the surface, however, their protests were also shaped by the most basic rule of economics: supply and demand.
Sriman Thangaraj, American University -- The world sits at a critical juncture, facing unprecedented environmental challenges such as climate change and resource depletion. Amidst these pressing concerns, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful ally. This transformative technology holds immense potential to drive sustainability across various sectors, paving the way for a greener future.
Lilly Salus, Stanford University -- The European Union’s new supply chain directive is the first global law of its kind that aims to increase corporate accountability. Officially known as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the law targets companies that operate in the EU regardless of their nationality or subsidiaries. Companies that have more than 1,000 employees and a net turnover of at least €450m are required to take full responsibility for the preservation of human rights and the prevention of environmental abuse in their global supply chains. Concretely, this means that EU-based companies or non-EU-based companies that conduct a minimum level of business in the EU will become liable for the actions of their suppliers, including matters involving child labor and environmental issues (such as pollution and the loss of biodiversity).
Yi Zhi (Harry) Zhang, Boston College -- Over the last few months, Canada’s historic wildfire season has captured the world’s attention. Hundreds of fires are burning throughout the country, reaching every province except for Prince Edward Island and Nunavut. As of early June, the fires had consumed over 4.4 million hectares of land. The Canadian government has called this wildfire season the country’s “most severe on record” and has warned that higher-than-normal fire activity could persist for the remainder of 2023. What has caused these fires? What industries do they affect? And what do they tell us about our planet’s future?
Celestine Lindarto, University of Western Australia -- From around the mid-1990s to 2007, oceans across the globe took in over 30 billion metric tons of carbon from fossil fuel combustion, with the world’s highest sea level being recorded in 2022. Climate change has also resulted in increased ocean surface temperatures as well as heightened severity of weather events such as tropical storms. Due to these climatic events, the fishing industry is seeing changes in both the distribution and abundance of fish as they move away from equatorial territories and swim poleward to find cooler regions.
