Global handshakes won’t sol ve America’s climate crisis

December 12, 2023

U.S. public awareness of climate change is rising as more Americans are exposed to climate-related impacts each year. Policymakers are measuring risks more accurately and charting more actionable strategies to address them. Internationally, multilateral dialogues and global climate agreements are prompting some American leaders to make new commitments and hit bolder emissions reduction targets than ever before. However, there’s also growing recognition that we are setting potentially unachievable targets—and that broad declarations such as those agreed upon at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) will not force enough climate action in the U.S. on their own.

Only financial markets—institutional structures that facilitate private-led investment—can move money at the scale America needs in order to adequately address this crisis. The country needs to increasingly look toward these institutions to help facilitate a cleaner, more resilient economy, argue Joseph W. Kane and Adie Tomer.

Research on US higher education

The working adults in school. In 2021, an estimated 4.3 million prime-age adults (individuals aged 25 to 54) in the United States were enrolled in postsecondary education. Lauren Bauer, Eloise Burtis, Olivia Howard, and Sarah Yu Wang shed light on this group of students.

Helping students transfer to highly selective colleges. 80% of community college students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, but only 14% do so. The primary reason is that most of these students never transfer. Lena Shi outlines how more transparent admissions standards can increase transfers and subsequent degree completion.

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