Maxwell School News and Commentary

"Climate change makes everything worse," says Jacob Bendix, professor of geography and the environment. "Efforts to manage fire risks "will be of limited use as long as the climate is getting warmer and in many cases getting drier."

"What’s really important right now is getting money out quickly, and Congress can’t even do that," says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs. "I worry about tacking on green stimulus, or anything else that slows down the process. We can worry about financing the green transition six months from now."

"We need to stop burning fossil fuels and we know when we need to do it," says Sarah Pralle, associate professor of political science.

"Our research shows that green investments can help smooth the transition to a green economy, but must be used carefully," says David Popp, professor of public administration and international affairs.

David Popp was interviewed for the S&P Global story, "Biden, Sanders eye broader EV adoption on road to 2020 election," stating that he is "highly skeptical" of reaching 100% EV sales by 2030.

"We need to democratize how water is managed and governed," says Farhana Sultana, associate professor of geography. "So that all voices are heard and much more ethical practices around water are pursued." Sultana was recently a guest on Princeton Environmental Institute's All for Earth podcast. Fundamentally, we need to "ensure that principles of equity collaboration and inclusivity are central to all of this," she adds. "Because we need to really have a better understanding of how water is very much a moral issue. And as a result that will help us think about much better transformations that are equitable and inclusive. In order to fight for water justice for all." 

Maria Zhu, assistant professor of economics, says that the University of California’s decision could be "a sign that the tides are shifting" on universities’ economic views of investing in fossil fuels. “If it has a positive impact, I do believe more schools will eventually divest for financial reasons, given that most of them tend to think social implications of divesting are positive or neutral at worst."

Saba Siddiki, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, has been awarded two grants for projects beginning this fall. One will support the work of the Institutional Grammar Research Initiative and the other is for project work on urban food action plans to advance human well-being and health, environment, and equity goals.