A librarian told Possibly that she has to bring a hat and gloves to work in the summer because it's so cold inside. Those frigid temperatures seemed inefficient, so she turned to us for answers. But this week we explain the surprising, and energy efficient, reason for frigid summer libraries.

Why is it so cold in libraries?

One librarian told us she has to bring a hat and gloves to work in the summer. The Possibly team breaks down the science behind freezing cold libraries

oceanstatemedia.org

Meet Laura Tanguay, IBES' new visiting assistant professor! Studying the intersection of extractivism, consent, and Indigenous governance in Canadian resource decision-making, Tanguay brings an engaged, collaborative approach to both her research and her teaching. Learn more:

Introducing Visiting Assistant Professor Laura Tanguay: Examining power, place, and politics in environmental decision-making

Tanguay begins her new role as Visiting Assistant Professor of Environment and Society on August 1.

ibes.brown.edu

Members of the IBES-based Breathe Providence project, including Prof Meredith Hastings, contributed to a new paper in the Journal of Participatory Research Methods 💡 Learn how art can support community-engaged action research & challenge environmental racism: jprm.scholasticahq.com/article/1623...

New research in @nature.com Scientific Data, with contributions from IBES & DEEPS Prof Laurence C. Smith 💡 Explore data from NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), which sought to understand environmental changes in arctic & boreal regions using a Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor:

The NASA ABoVE Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor full waveform LiDAR airborne surveys - Scientific Data

Scientific Data - The NASA ABoVE Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor full waveform LiDAR airborne surveys

nature.com

The Rhode Island General Assembly considered a law this year to charge fossil fuel emitters for the costs of climate change. The bill did not become law this year, but the Possibly team spoke with a co-sponsor of the bill, @jenniferboylanri.bsky.social about the legislation, and what comes next.

What if polluters had to pay for the effects of climate change?

The Rhode Island General Assembly considered a law this year to charge fossil fuel emitters for the costs of climate change. Possibly spoke with a co-sponsor of the bill about what comes next

oceanstatemedia.org

Joseph Braun — an IBES affiliate, @brown-epi.bsky.social prof, and director of @brownpublichealth.bsky.social's Center for Climate, Environment, & Health — offered advice in @nytimes.com on how to limit exposure to forever chemicals. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...

NYT Wirecutter@nytwirecutter.bsky.social · last wk.

PFAS are everywhere. But there is some good news: In many new products, these chemicals have been phased out or replaced. That said, you still can take specific actions to reduce your exposure and risk to your long-term health. Learn more: nyti.ms/4fYvlAc

Join us on 7/31 at 12PM ET as we dive into how #ElNiño weather shifts drive environments where infectious diseases flourish. Moderated by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social with panelists Lauren Charles & Natasha Bagdasarian. Register Now ⤵️ brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

IBES affiliate Jon Witman, prof emeritus of ecology, spoke to @pgreenfielduk.bsky.social @theguardian.com about how El Niño affects the Galápagos Islands' ecosystems. Witman will journey to the Galápagos later this summer to monitor El Niño's impact on corals and other marine life.

What can the Galápagos Islands’ animals teach us about the threats of El Niño?

In this week’s newsletter: the archipelago at the centre of the extreme weather phenomenon could help scientists predict how other marine ecosystems will adapt to our warming climate

theguardian.com

As we head into spotted lanternfly season here in R.I. Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology Tyler Kartzinel explains why the invasive species is a threat to crops and trees, how they spread, and what we can do to locally mitigate their spread. #BrownCurious

Chandler Morris, a Ph.D. candidate in Brown’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, is researching the El Niño-Southern Oscillation global climate phenomenon, using coral archives to better understand its evolution through time.

Postdoc Olivia Pomerenk from the Breuer Lab has published new insights on the aerodynamic advantages of the flying "V" formation - researchers say this understanding could help optimize engineered systems like swarms of drones in agriculture or firefighting. www.brown.edu/news/2026-07...

Birds’ flying ‘V’ formation saves energy with flatter flaps, new research shows

A study by Brown University researchers provides new insights, which could have implications for engineered systems, into the aerodynamic advantage birds experience when flying in a “V” formation.

brown.edu

Congrats to our Professor Robert Hurt, who was elected into the newest class of Fellows of the American Carbon Society. engineering.brown.edu/news/2026-07...

Hurt elected Fellow of American Carbon Society

The Brown Engineering professor was elected for his sustained contribution in the field of science or technology of carbon materials.

engineering.brown.edu

IBES recently welcomed its first group of students into a new program that expands access to faculty-mentored environmental research opportunities. Learn about the current projects, with topics from Providence industrial pollution to Arctic maritime risks: Brown History Department SustainableED

IBES expands undergraduate research opportunities with new assistantship program

This summer, the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) welcomed its first group of students into a new program designed to expand access to faculty-mentored research opportunities in climate and the environment.

ibes.brown.edu

Regenerative cattle grazing gained momentum as a way to make beef production more climate-friendly. But this week on Possibly we explain that when you look at the actual results on the ground, things are a little more complicated than they seem. www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...

Can regenerative grazing make meat more sustainable?

Regenerative cattle grazing gained momentum as a way to make beef production more climate-friendly. But on the ground, the actual results get complicated

oceanstatemedia.org

As President Trump casts blame on Canada for recent wildfire smoke, IBES and Biology Professor Stephen Porder noted the key role of global fossil fuel emissions in exacerbating wildfires' effects. View the full segment on CTV News:

CTV National News: Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke

Canadian wildfire smoke has blanketed parts of the U.S., prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten new tariffs. Joy Malbon has the latest.

ctvnews.ca

New paper! "Paleohydrologic conditions in the Mojave Desert during the last deglaciation recorded by core-to-shore lacustrine records," led by postdoc Gavin Piccione, with contributions from prof @danibarra.bsky.social, grad affiliate Justin Custado & more. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Allan Just, an IBES & @brown-epi.bsky.social @brownpublichealth.bsky.social assoc prof, spoke to @time.com about how extreme heat & poor air quality work synergistically to affect human health. “Climate change is making this more severe, and this is going to be, unfortunately, a regular problem.”

What Are The Risks of Extreme Heat Combined With Bad Air Quality?

Climate change means bad air pollution, wildfires, and extreme heat are all happening at once. Here's what to know and how to stay safe.

time.com

“Projections have [El Niño] topping the all-time record strength for this kind of event,” IBES Director @kimcobb.bsky.social said on @nbcconnecticut.com. And this intensity—and its impact on global weather, economies, and health—may even be exacerbated by fossil fuel warming. Watch the interview ⤵️

El Niño is strengthening. What it means for winter in Connecticut

The warmer-than-average ocean temperatures across the Pacific (near the equator) are coming true, after months of predictions. Climate scientists have been monitoring this area of the globe, because i...

nbcconnecticut.com

LISTEN 🎧 It’s time to take off the carbon goggles and look at the health potential of sustainable farming Professor Meredith Niles says on the latest episode of Humans in Public Health. "Only focusing on climate, and carbon, has sometimes been detrimental," she says. https://bit.ly/4fa9fct

This week on Possibly we weigh the different methods of recycling glass: single-stream, multi-stream and bottle bills. Could switching to a different recycling system make more sense for your community? Listen to part 2 of our series on glass recycling to find out:

What’s Holding Back Glass Recycling in the US?

This week on Possibly we weigh the different methods of recycling glass: single-stream, multi-stream and bottle bills. Could switching to a different recycling system make more sense for your communit...

oceanstatemedia.org

Hear from IBES Advisory Council member Emily McAteer, co-founder and CEO of Odyssey, as she discusses distributed solar power with @energyempire.bsky.social's @jigarshahdc.bsky.social!

Jigar Shah@jigarshahdc.bsky.social · 4w ago

Emily explains how weak, unreliable grids combined with plummeting solar and battery costs make distributed solar the cheapest option in many emerging markets. Nigeria exemplifies this, a part of their grid was down 40% of the hours last year, and diesel generator capacity exceeds the grid capacity

Shant Ispendjian ’28 founded Saving the Sea, a local effort focused on beach cleanups and community engagement, in high school. Today, the ENVS concentrator's idea has evolved into an award-winning nonprofit that helps students translate environmental research into policy and action. Learn more:

ENVS student Shant Ispendjian ’28 builds a national platform for environmental advocacy

After witnessing pollution in Southern California’s coastal waters as a high school student, Ispendjian founded Saving the Sea. Today, the national nonprofit is helping students translate environmenta...

ibes.brown.edu

After a powerful heatwave swept across the northeast last week, Possibly turned to its archive, looking for lessons about how to better prepare for extreme heat. This week we're traveling to Ahmedabad, India in an episode from 2021 to see how health officials rethought extreme heat preparedness.

How can we prepare for heat waves?

After a powerful heatwave swept across the northeast last week, Possibly turned to its archive, looking for lessons about how to better prepare for extreme heat. We travel to Ahmedabad, India to learn...

oceanstatemedia.org

Congratulations to all of the faculty members recognized in this article, including IBES Prof Dov Sax and affiliates @maratimes.bsky.social (DEEPS), Shanti Morell-Hart (@brownanthro.bsky.social), and Jim Head (DEEPS)!

Brown University@brown.edu · 4w ago

From medicine and engineering to the humanities and social sciences, Brown faculty continue to earn national and international recognition for their research, scholarship and leadership.

Widespread use of air conditioners puts a huge strain on the electrical grid during heat waves — and now data centers are posing an additional threat as record-breaking temperatures hit the US, IBES Director @kimcobb.bsky.social told @arielwittenberg.bsky.social @politico.com. Read more:

Climate change could redraw the map of flu seasons across the Americas, a @brown.edu study has found, easing winter outbreaks in colder regions while driving them higher in the tropics. Researchers traced the pattern to a surprising rule—flu spreads most easily in either very dry or very humid air.

Humidity may hold the key to predicting future flu outbreaks

A new climate model shows why flu eases in cold regions but grows worse in the tropics as the planet warms.

earth.com

“Make no mistake,” IBES Director @kimcobb.bsky.social told @afreedma.bsky.social @cnn.com, “the primary driver for the uptick in deadly heat waves across the world is the burning of fossil fuels.” Read the full story: www.cnn.com/2026/07/01/c...

CNN@cnn.com · last mo.

Europe has endured two deadly, record-shattering heat waves in a matter of weeks, with a third on the way next week. Now, the United States is experiencing its own blast of dangerous heat, particularly in the East, which is facing skyrocketing temperatures and high humidity. https://cnn.it/4bedceX

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, fireworks will soon light up American skies. This week on Possibly we're asking if these tiny explosions impact the environment or our health? www.oceanstatemedia.org/news-and-cul...

How do fireworks affect the environment?

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, fireworks will soon light up American skies. Do these tiny explosions have an impact on our environment or our health?

oceanstatemedia.org

New research from Brown University geologists provides the first direct evidence that Alaska’s Aleutian Islands underwent a massive uplift 5 to 7 million years ago, driven by a rotation of the Pacific tectonic plate.

Shifting tectonic plates gave Alaska’s Aleutian Islands a later-life lift

Researchers at Brown have shown the first direct evidence for a massive geologic uplift of the entire Aleutian Island archipelago driven by a rotation of the Pacific tectonic plate.

brown.edu

Read insights from IBES & @brown-epi.bsky.social Asst Prof @rebaker.bsky.social and graduate affiliate Aleksandra Stamper in @brownpublichealth.bsky.social's new article! ⤵️

Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health@pandemiccenter.bsky.social · last mo.

Understanding how climate drives influenza can help us prepare globally for outbreaks. Center Affiliate Rachel Baker notes that while winter cold and low humidity trigger intense seasonal outbreaks, tropical heat and moisture sustain them year-round. sph.brown.edu/news/2026-06...