global warming

Jennifer Sklarew

Lynn Tierney — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 17:12:24 +0000

Jennifer Sklarew Lynn Tierney Fri, 08/04/2023 - 13:12

Assistant Professor, Environmental Science & Policy Department, College of Science

Contact Information

Phone Number: 703-993-6177

Email: jsklarew@gmu.edu

Headlines

Engineering with nature: Exploring Mason's contribution to water conservation
August 1, 2023

Biography

Dr. Jennifer Sklarew brings 30 years of energy and environmental policymaking and analysis to her research and teaching. Dr. Sklarew coordinates the department's MS Concentration in Energy and Sustainability Policy and Science, which she developed. She also teaches graduate and undergraduate energy policy and food-energy-water nexus courses she developed for ESP. Her published and funded work examines how institutional relationships and catastrophic events drive energy and environmental policymaking and change. Specific focal areas for her qualitative research include sustainability and resilience challenges in the energy-water nexus, solutions that leverage food-energy-water-climate interdependencies, and energy system transitions in Japan, India, and China. NPR has quoted Dr. Sklarew as an expert on Japanese energy policymaking change.

Dr. Sklarew currently leads two research projects. The first is to design, build and deploy hydropower micro-turbines on Mason’s Fairfax campus and analyze technological, ecological, geographical, socio-economic and institutional challenges. Her faculty-student team will use this data to develop potential solutions and lessons learned, to which they will add as they conduct additional pilots in overseas communities facing severe energy and water insecurity. The second project, a collaboration with faculty and students in food/nutrition and engineering, involves research on food, energy, water and climate challenges facing low income, rural communities. Through needs assessments, the project enables collaboration with communities to determine their food, energy and water needs and develop potential solutions.

Read full profile on the College of Science website

Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds

Tama Moni — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:13:49 +0000

Mason hosts workshop for researchers addressing global warming from aircraft clouds Tama Moni Fri, 09/23/2022 - 16:13

In This Story

Lance Sherry

John Shortle

More than 220 researchers from three continents participated in a virtual workshop hosted by ��AV and NASA Langley Research Center on Wednesday September 7, 2022.

The workshop was the first time that airlines, air traffic controllers, climate scientists, aircraft and jet engine engineers, and policymakers gathered to share the science and understand the practical operational constraints for contrail mitigation. ��AV was the natural host of the meeting given its previous work and its reputation in the field.

The workshop aimed to foster information exchange and discuss opportunities to address the global warming from clouds generated by aircraft. Lance Sherry, associate professor of system engineering, leads an inter-disciplinary team of researchers and students at George Mason who conduct pioneering research in this area.

“Contrails are the thin white clouds you see trailing behind aircraft,” explains Mason PhD student Amy Tal Rose. “Water and soot emitted from jet engines form ice crystals at high altitudes that lead to the formation of high clouds. These ice-clouds are like a blanket that traps ‘thermal radiation’ emitted by the Earth and leads to global heating.”

“The thing that surprised me most about the global heating effect of contrails,” says Brian Romero Lopez a system engineering student working on the research team, “is that contrails account for two percent of the total human made global heating. Green-house gases account for 98 percent of global warming, and contrails make up the remaining two percent. No one talks about this.”

“Mitigating the effects of contrails is considered a Wicked Problem,” explained co-host of the workshop, Chief Technologist for Future Airspace Operations at NASA Andy Lacher. “There are multiple stakeholders with complex interactions that require delicate tradeoffs. The science and practical operational constraints must be fully understood before any mitigation steps can be taken.”

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by other participants in attendance.

“Wicked Problems are the bailiwick of System Engineering,” adds System Engineering Department Chair John Shortle. “The complex climate related opportunities cannot be solved by politicians or economists alone. It requires system engineers to fully understand the science and the needs of all the stakeholders involved. Sherry and the team have been applying the latest sophisticated System Engineering methods and techniques to these climate opportunities.”

Sherry and Lacher are optimistic that the workshop will be the first of a series of workshops that will lead to a roadmap of evidence-based activities to take this opportunity to contribute to reduce global warming.

“The time to act is now!” said Ulrich Schumann, from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the German Aerospace Center at the workshop. A sentiment echoed by others who attended the conference.

For more information on System Engineering and climate adaptation research contact John Shortle, chair of the Systems Engineering & Operations Research Department.

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Mason team tackles climate change in Virginia counties through new three-step initiative

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 17:54:54 +0000

Mason team tackles climate change in Virginia counties through new three-step initiative Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 12/09/2021 - 12:54

In This Story

Joel Hicks

Solving climate change is a grand challenge facing the planet. As more individuals and leaders are recognizing the need to switch to environmentally friendly practices, ��AV’s Local Climate Change Planning Initiative (LCCPI) is helping make that a reality for counties across Virginia.

“Our vision is to have Mason be the lead university in helping counties that lack the resources and expertise in [addressing climate change] get this done,” said Paul Bubbosh, a 1988 Mason alumnus and adjunct professor at the Schar School and College of Science.

Wealthier counties have funding to mitigate environmental issues, said Bubbosh, who started LCCPI with Schar School adjunct professor Joel Hicks in Fall 2021. Many smaller jurisdictions do not, he said, and they may not have staff for these initiatives.

LCCPI, housed within the Center for Energy Science and Policy, allows Mason to bring in its resources and expertise in modeling, engineering, environmental science, policy law, and more, to provide pro bono services to these counties, Bubbosh said.

Students will play an active role in the initiative’s three-stage process, which the Mason team is piloting in Manassas City.

The first stage, which Bubbosh said takes four to six months, is about gathering data on the county’s emissions footprint and having students conduct inventory modeling.

The next stage involves working with community leaders for a year to develop goals, such as changing streetlights to LEDs or reducing emissions, he said.

“In that process, which involves students leading community meetings with faculty, we begin to educate members of the public about the things they desire,” Bubbosh said. “It’s moving them toward understanding what makes the best, most economical, most practical sense for the community.”

Working at the local level is where critical change can happen, said Bubbosh, who said LCCPI was inspired by his time as a Peace Corps volunteer, when he saw how local communities are impacted by climate change.

That’s why stage three provides heightened value.

Hanna Metuda is one of two undergraduates volunteering with LCCPI. Photo provided.

“Any contractor you hire to do this leaves at stage two,” Bubbosh said. “We want to embed students in internships with the local county to help them implement what they found in stage two.”

“Being in the forefront and crafting creative solutions that could ripple through other communities is really inspiring,” said Hanna Metuda, a senior studying government and international politics. “That Mason is allowing students to be a part of that is exciting…and it gives me hope for our environment.”

Metuda is one of two undergraduates volunteering with LCCPI. She said growing up in the Philippines with the effects of pollution and climate change inspired her environmental drive. While she said she’s excited to apply what she’s learned in the classroom, she understands challenges could arise.

“Students will discover hurdles along the way that no classroom will ever be able to prepare a student for,” Bubbosh said, suggesting some challenges may be insurmountable. “However, that learning experience, even at a loss, is a win for students in terms of practical work experience.”

“It’s about seeing results—not academic exercises—and actually making a difference in someone’s life,” he said.

From left to right: Delegate Rip Sullivan (D-48th) from Manassas, Paul Bubbosh and Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich, Director of Mason's Center for Energy Science and Policy. Photo provided.

Topics

Sustainability

Sustainability Research

Schar School

Schar School Faculty

College of Science

Center for Energy Science and Policy

Manassas

Campus News

Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

Government and International Politics

internships

Climate Change

climate change education

environmental science

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

Mason community welcome to aid in development of new Climate Action Plan

John Hollis — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 19:21:06 +0000

Mason community welcome to aid in development of new Climate Action Plan John Hollis Mon, 11/22/2021 - 14:21

Photo by Getty Images

More than 100 members of the ��AV community tuned in for last week’s initial Climate Action Plan Town Hall, and every incoming suggestion is on the table as the university considers how to best move forward in the fight against global warming.

The virtual panel discussion, which featured Mason’s Greg Farley, Leah Nichols and Dann Sklarew, was the first of five opportunities in which Mason students, faculty, staff and community members could make their voices heard in the formation of a new Climate Action Plan. The next town hall will be held Dec. 15, and three more will be held in early 2022 on Jan. 27, Feb. 18 and March 9. Learn more and register here.

Greg Janks of consulting firm Dumont Janks, which helped develop Mason’s new master plan, served as the event’s host.

“As we sail around the sun on Spaceship Earth, we need to be conscious of the many ways that our activity impacts the spaceship that we’re flying on,” said Farley, the director of Mason’s University Sustainability. “We can make a difference.”

Mason hopes to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas impact and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, but there’s still much work to be done. The university’s overall carbon footprint has remained steady in recent years at roughly 104,000 metric tons, Farley said.

The panel noted that nearby American University achieved a net zero carbon footprint status in 2018 in part by building a solar farm in North Carolina to help provide the university with clean energy.

“All options are on the table,” Farley said.

Nichols, who is the executive director of Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth, called on all Mason faculty, students, staff and the entire community to participate in the process so as to bring the community’s collective research and programming together in hopes of creating “a more just, prosperous and sustainable world.”

“Tackling climate change takes a village, it takes everyone,” Nichols said.

The town hall was Mason’s first step in the development of a new Climate Action Plan. The first was developed in 2010, but needs revision and updating in the wake of more scientific advances in the past decade.

Farley opened the conversation by noting a recent study that concluded sub-national level climate planning—mostly city climate planning—helped account for a 6% decrease in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. The Mason community, he said, could potentially have a similar impact with its more than 50,000 members.

“If we constrain our carbon emissions and our contributions to global warming, we can help be a part of that 6% and drag that upwards,” Farley said. “That is the level in which action really needs to take place.”

The new Climate Action Plan will be developed in two phases. Phase 1 will develop the university’s broad strategy for seeking carbon neutrality. The plan will probably not affect leased spaces, such as Mason Korea and the Loudoun County facility, Farley said. 

Mason President Gregory Washington has asked for the initial phase to be completed by April 7, 2022, Mason's 50th anniversary, and focus on electricity use and the fossil fuels used on all Mason campuses. This phase will also help set priorities and identify the most effective steps that the institution can take to reduce its greenhouse gas impact as quickly as feasible.

Phase 2, which will begin in April 2022, will examine emissions from travel and commuting, purchasing, food, and other sources.

Topics

global warming

Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

College of Science

Campus News

Climate Change

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

Mason community invited to join Climate Action Plan Town Hall to be held on Friday

John Hollis — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 19:47:25 +0000

Mason community invited to join Climate Action Plan Town Hall to be held on Friday John Hollis Wed, 11/17/2021 - 14:47

The entire ��AV community is invited to participate in Friday’s Climate Action Plan Town Hall and have a say in how the university moves forward in the fight against global warming.

The panel discussion, which will feature Mason’s Greg Farley, Leah Nichols and Dann Sklarew, will be held virtually on Zoom starting at 1:30 p.m. The hour-long event will mark the first of five opportunities in which Mason students, faculty, staff and community members can make their voices heard.

Greg Janks of consulting firm Dumont Janks, which helped develop Mason’s new master plan, will host the event. Go here to watch and participate online.

“What we want to do is plan for climate neutrality for the university,” said Farley, the director of Mason’s University Sustainability. “So we want to see the widest variety of people and get the widest variety of perspectives.”

The town hall is among the first steps Mason is taking to develop a new Climate Action Plan for the institution. Sklarew, a professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy within the College of Science and Mason alum, helped develop the university’s first Climate Action Plan in 2010, which needs revision and updating. 

The new plan will align with advances in scientific understanding of climate change over the past decade and will affect the entire university, Farley said. “It will set forth a plan for climate neutrality that is both ambitious and achievable.”

The new Climate Action Plan will be developed in two phases. Phase 1 will develop the university’s broad strategy for seeking carbon neutrality. The plan will probably not affect leased spaces, like Mason Korea and the Loudoun County facility, Farley said.

Mason President Gregory Washington has asked for the initial phase to be completed by April 7, 2022, Mason's 50th anniversary, and focus on electricity use and the fossil fuels used on all Mason campuses. This phase will also help set priorities and identify the most effective steps that the institution can take to reduce its greenhouse gas impact as quickly as feasible. 

Phase 2, which will begin in April 2022, will examine emissions from travel and commuting, purchasing, food, and other sources.

Sklarew credited Mason students for being "a driving force in advocating for and drafting student inputs into our university climate action plans."

“We want to bring students and faculty and the entire community into this,” said Nichols, the executive director for Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth, “so that we can find that sweet spot across the board. We’re all working together to make this happen.”  

Climate Action Plan development is a partnership between Mason Facilities and the Mason Sustainability Council’s Carbon Neutrality Task Force. The task force, which includes members from all three of Mason’s principal campuses, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and administrators, meets monthly and acts as a steering committee for the work of Dumont Janks and Arup, a global engineering consultancy helping with planning and detailed analysis. Mason Facilities has provided funding to retain the consultants. 

The Mason Sustainability Council is a group of academic and operational leaders from across the university tasked with developing and directing sustainability strategy, planning, and action, and identifying opportunities that benefit research, curricular, and operational sustainability.

Topics

Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP)

Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

Mason climate scientist: The time to act on global warming is now

John Hollis — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:11:34 +0000

Mason climate scientist: The time to act on global warming is now John Hollis Fri, 09/03/2021 - 11:11

Jim Kinter

��AV’s Jim Kinter says the dire consequences if we fail to act immediately to curb global climate change have never been more clear, based on the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

“It’s definitely not a surprise to anybody who’s been paying attention,” said Kinter, the director of Mason’s Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) within the College of Science.

The report stated in previously unseen high certainty that rising global temperatures, as a result of unchecked human burning of fossil fuels, will lead to more life-threatening weather phenomena, such as the extreme droughts that make conditions ripe for large-scale fires, severe storms, rising sea levels and the eventual extinction of some species.

Earth’s climate is changing faster than at any time over the past two million years. Without changes, the planet will warm by more than 2 degrees Celsius and possibly as much as 3.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the report stated.

Kinter, who spoke about the report at a recent climate seminar, remained hopeful that humankind will act while it can.

“We have to stop emitting carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere,” he said, “and we have to do it within the next 20 years or so. Then we have to find a way to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a big way. These are all things we know how to do—we just need the will to do it.”

Jim Kinter can be reached at ikinter@gmu.edu.

For more information, contact John Hollis at jhollis2@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

��AV is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility.

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Podcast — Ep 23: Climate change and the misinformation war

Damian Cristodero — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 15:59:19 +0000

Podcast — Ep 23: Climate change and the misinformation war Damian Cristodero Wed, 04/21/2021 - 11:59

In This Story

Gregory Washington

There are those who still don’t believe in climate change or that it is manmade. As Earth Day approached, Mason President Gregory Washington spoke with public health scientist Ed Maibach, director of ��AV's Center for Climate Change Communication, about overcoming climate change misinformation, which he calls the world’s most important public health initiative.