EarthLab News

Media Coverage

Environmental Innovation Challenge 2021 Awards

Judges awarded the $5,000 EarthLab Community Impact Prize to Washington State University team CP Systems. The team of chemical engineering, mechanical and materials engineering, and electrical engineering and computer science students is developing a portable, scalable technology that can be used in emerging nations to transform waste into electrical energy.

Announcements

Burning Embers: Synthesis of the Health Risks of Climate Change

There is growing evidence that climate change is already causing illnesses and deaths from high ambient temperature, exposure to high levels of ozone, dengue fever, and Lyme disease. Additional climate change is projected to increase for heat-related morbidity and mortality, ozone-related mortality, dengue and Lyme disease from undetectable to severe risks as the planet continues to warm, according to new research published by the Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE) at the University of Washington.

Media Coverage

UW’s Joshua Lawler named fellow of Ecological Society of America

Joshua Lawler, director of Nature and Health, has been named a 2021 fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Fellows are elected for life, and the honor recognizes scientists who advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, nonprofits and the broader society.

Nature

Nature App Sees Results in the Wild

Researchers from the iSchool and Nature and Health collaborated with children to codesign an app, NatureCollections, that encourages tweens to explore their natural surroundings, take photos of nature and curate them into themed collections. Project link: https://naturecollectionsapp.ischool.uw.edu/

Media Coverage

Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves (Book)

Human health depends on the health of the planet. Earth’s natural systems—the air, the water, the biodiversity, the climate—are our life support systems. Edited by Samuel Myers and Howard Frumkin, 2020

Events

Future Rivers Spring Speaker Series

Save the dates for our upcoming lunchtime film and speaker series! Each session will start with a one-hour screening of an episode of the PBS docuseries H2O The Molecule That Made Us, followed by a facilitated conversation and open Q&A with an expert panel focused on main themes of that episode (e.g., big data, history and civilization, and the intersection of health and global water politics).

Equity and Justice

EarthLab statement condemning violence towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community

EarthLab staff stands with the University of Washington and Nature and Health against the racially-motivated violence and hate crimes towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Media Coverage, Nature

‘Forgetting Nature’: Peter Kahn offers warning in short documentary film

UW News shares a new short film, Forgetting Nature, starring Peter Kahn at Nature and Health. What do we lose when we lose our connection to nature?

New Resource for Water and Drought Management: 2020 PNW Water Year Assessment

The 2020 Pacific Northwest Water Year Assessment summarizes the water year conditions and connects these conditions with impacts experienced by farmers, water managers, fisheries managers, and more. Two of the lead authors on the report – Crystal Raymond and Karin Bumbaco – are from the UW Climate Impacts Group and the Office of the Washington State Climatologist, respectively.

Oceans

Ocean Nexus Center: To achieve equitable and sustainable oceans, policymakers must focus on social equity and governance before resources

A new paper from Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center identifies areas of investments and research for five global regions to achieve a ‘Blue Economy'