Inês Azevedo has been named the next director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, succeeding Chris Field on Sept. 1. A Woods senior fellow since 2019, her research spans climate change, air pollution and energy. Full announcement: stanford.io/4hGJ67W

The US has ~500,000 dams, many of which are obsolete & pose safety risks as they age. But removal is expensive, so how do we decide whether to remove, rebuild, or leave them alone? 🔗 stanford.io/4pO8afw @feliciamarcus.bsky.social

Rethinking dams: Why removing aging infrastructure can be the smart choice

Stanford water experts discuss America's hundreds of thousands of dams, controversy over the planned removal of two in Northern California, and the future of water infrastructure.

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Ken Bagstad spent decades pushing the world to value nature economically. As a USGS economist, he led a 27-agency effort to track America's natural assets. He came to Stanford as a Woods Policy Fellow to explore similar opportunities in California. 🔗 stanford.io/44NH1zF @natcapalliance.bsky.social

Tropical forests can recover quickly in some ways, like canopy size. But regaining their original mix of species composition is trickier, according to a new Stanford study. "Restoring full biodiversity may require actively replanting them." – Rodolfo Dirzo, study co-author. 🔗 bit.ly/4yEQFlG

Climate change could nearly double water bills in some U.S. cities by mid-century, according to a new modeling framework from Stanford researchers. The model could be adapted to assess water affordability risks in cities like L.A., San Diego, S.F., Cape Town, and Melbourne. 🔗 bit.ly/4wgewGV

Rice farmers in Senegal's River Valley face high risk of schistosomiasis, spread by freshwater snails. NPR reports on a fix researchers are testing: adding fish to paddies to fertilize crops & prey on snails, part of Stanford's DECO project. 🐟 🔗 bit.ly/4w5oIlr

A promising tale from Senegal of fish, rice .... and dangerous worms

Farmers in Senegal are welcoming fish into their rice paddies. The hope is they'll fertilize the crop, be a source of food ... and eat the snails that carry parasitic worms.

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We're excited to share the launch of ⚡️Electrification for Health (E4H)⚡️, a new program based at the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health with a vision of clean air and power for all. 🔋 Read and watch more about the program: woods.stanford.edu/news/clean-a...

#Wildfires are making CA home ownership even harder to afford. New research shows premiums are up 84% since 2020. "More than one in 17 new home loans is now being written with the most limited, most expensive coverage as the only available choice." - @michaelwara.bsky.social 🔗 bit.ly/4pevRgR

"Spillover is really a systems problem, not just a medical problem." Stanford and CSU researchers recently gathered to discuss the environmental forces driving zoonotic disease outbreaks. Read the recap and watch the full webinar discussion: stanford.io/44uvJQx @stanfordcigh.bsky.social

Climate change and habitat loss are setting the stage for disease outbreaks

From Ebola to hantavirus, ecological disruptions are creating the conditions for more frequent and dangerous spillover events. Researchers say interdisciplinary collaboration and investment in early s...

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Pregnant women are exposed to an average of 45 widely used chemicals — some of which are linked to adverse birth outcomes, like preterm births — but a combination of individual action and systemic change can help reduce chemical exposure. Learn more: stanford.io/44f6pOf

Stanford human and planetary health experts are heading across the pond for London Climate Action Week! 🔥 🔌 From Fire to Wire: Electrifying Homes for Health & Climate 📅 Wednesday, June 24 | 4–6 p.m. 📍 Shoreditch, London Register here: bit.ly/4ejtILD

California homeowners’ insurance premiums have gone up 84% since 2020 and FAIR enrollment has tripled, new Stanford research finds. The state’s insurance crisis is spreading beyond wildfire country and into the broader housing market. Learn more: stanford.io/44h044W

Rice fields harbor the snails that spread schistosomiasis, putting farmers at constant risk. But new research shows that introducing native fish — which suppress snail populations — could reduce disease risk and increase farmer income. Learn more: stanford.io/3S5lT4K

California's home insurance market is in crisis. As wildfire risk grows, premiums are surging and coverage is shrinking. Join a panel of experts as they discuss recent trends and policy responses. 🗓️Thursday, June 18 at 1:00pm - 2:00pm PST. Register: bit.ly/49SF3AX

This #WorldOceansDay, we're reflecting on our work with partners to advance sustainable blue foods, strengthen marine conservation, and create greater equity in ocean benefits. 🌊 See some of the milestones we're celebrating: stanford.io/3RX8mMz 📸 Damocean / iStock

Impact

The Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions works locally, regionally, and globally to support evidence-based action and drive impact for the oceans.

oceansolutions.stanford.edu

From hantavirus to Ebola, climate change is reshaping infectious disease risk. In this webinar, Stanford experts examine what that means for global health. 📅 June 5 | 11am PST | Virtual 🔗 shorturl.at/DwVVY

Can electricity reverse aging? Scientists used brief electrical pulses to dramatically extend the lifespans of sea squirts, whose rapid stem cell regeneration makes them useful for understanding human aging. 📹 Watch the video: bit.ly/4u4w1b3 📖 Read the article: bit.ly/4eatzdx

Electric pulses reversed aging in tiny sea creatures - could it work on humans?

Stanford scientists discovered that brief electrical pulses can dra...

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Allison Burwell spent her 2025 MUIR fellowship in California's Eastern Sierra, interviewing members of the Bishop Paiute and Washoe Tribes about cultural values and the impacts of climate change on pinyon-juniper woodlands. Learn more Allison's work and Woods student programs: bit.ly/3R9EbBr

"We've got to get this right." @robbwiller.bsky.social and co-author @nmalhotra.bsky.social discuss their ~13,500-person megastudy in this episode of #UncommonCollaborators 🎥: bit.ly/4oxIe62 Read more in 🧵 below

Political economist + sociologist's tourney tests climate change messages | Uncommon Collaborators

Meet Robb Willer, a sociologist at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, and Neil Malhotra, a political economist at Stanford Graduate School of Business, who teamed up to design a tournament that evaluates the most popular approaches to climate change messaging strategies, according to published research from the last two decades. Environmental problems are too complex for any one discipline to take on alone. Interdisciplinary collaboration brings together researchers from different academic backgrounds—and by extension, different ways of thinking, doing, and approaching problems—to generate creative solutions. This series places Stanford "uncommon collaborators" in conversation to explore the origins, challenges, and rewards of interdisciplinary environmental research. Learn more about the tournament and its unique design: Key Moments: 0:00 "We gotta get this right" 0:42 Designing a tournament 1:31 Finding the "best" vs. auditing the literature 2:42 Openness to finding strategies are not helpful 3:14 Importance of generating ideas Visit our website: https://woods.stanford.edu/ Subscribe to our newsletter, People&Planet: https://bit.ly/3AeyDbB Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/woods.stanford.edu LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanford-woods-institute-for-the-environment/ Music: Give In To Me (Gloria Tells), Afternoon (Liquify)

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Robb Willer@robbwiller.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Climate change impacts are here, but public support for action remains polarized. Which climate messages move people? In a ~13,500-person megastudy, we tested 10 of the most-cited messages. Six increased pro-environmental attitudes in the U.S.—but only by 1–4 percentage points. 🧵

In the American West, managing water supply is increasingly challenging. Last month, water experts gathered at Stanford to take stock of a precious — and precarious — resource. Read the full recap: lnkd.in/gbV3ZQKy

Last week, energy expert Michael Jordan wrapped up his time as one of the inaugural Woods Visiting Policy Fellows. "This fellowship came at a very interesting inflection point — in terms of policy, in terms of changing government structures." Read about his time at Stanford: stanford.io/4t1xsHV

We are thrilled to introduce the 2026 Rising Environmental Leaders Program (RELP) cohort. Through policy “boot camps” in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, RELP fellows engage directly with policymakers on pressing environmental issues. Meet the fellows: stanford.io/4sJlXnI

Former White House resilience director @alice-c-hill.bsky.social, now one of the inaugural Woods Visiting Policy Fellows, on the collision of AI data centers, aging infrastructure, and climate extremes straining America's power grid. Read more: stanford.io/4b1YOHe

How do these images make you feel – hopeful? Sad? Ready to reach for your wallet? New Stanford-led research suggests that brain activity can help forecast which wildlife images will inspire people to engage online and donate to conservation causes. 🦜 Learn more: stanford.io/3P1zkRG

Reforestation is a powerful carbon removal strategy, but investment remains limited. In an upcoming webinar, researchers share new findings on what’s holding deals back and what could help unlock the next wave of reforestation investment. 🔗 stanford.io/4b31z9W

Does aquaculture advance global nutrition — or undermine it? While aquaculture can meet major nutrient needs, seafood trade shifts nutrients from vulnerable countries to those with lower deficiency rates. Explore the research: bit.ly/3OYqbcr Image: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Calling all Stanford researchers! Applications for the 2026 Rosenkranz Prize are now open. The prize awards $100,000 over two years to support research improving health in low- or middle-income countries. Open to research associates, postdocs, and faculty across disciplines. 🔗 bit.ly/40gVwtk

The Trump administration has officially repealed the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding — the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. Stanford research shows evidence of climate-related health, economic & security risks has only strengthened since. 🔗 bit.ly/3ZBS3Ft

EPA ‘endangerment finding’ explained: 5 facts about the science and health risks

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded in 2009 that carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, underpinning rules for cars, power plants,...

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New Stanford research reveals millions of Californians behind non-accredited levees paid ~2x more for flood insurance than those behind accredited ones — not due to actual risk, but legacy FEMA mapping that treats non-accredited levees as nonexistent. 🔗 woods.stanford.edu/research/pub...

Heat from deep underground could help power the clean energy transition. A new Stanford study finds that enhanced geothermal systems can provide constant, low-cost clean electricity while reducing land use and the need for wind, solar, and battery infrastructure. 🔗 stanford.io/45CjgeC