Environment

It’s the most expensive race in Washington’s 2020 election. In Washington’s 3rd Congressional District in Southwest Washington, Republican incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler is fighting for a sixth term against second-time Democrat challenger Carolyn Long. Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, are interviewed.

“A recent study has determined that watching nature programming on TV or via a virtual-reality headset reduces feelings of sadness and boredom. According to researchers from the University of Exeter, scenes of nature soothe us – whether they are real video footage of a coral reef, to use the study’s example, or even just computer-generated graphics of the same,” writes Adrienne Matei. Peter Kahn, professor of psychology and of environmental and forest sciences, is quoted.

Leela Fernandes, director of the UW Jackson School of International Studies, joins former Attorney General Rob McKenna and KUOW's Ross Reynolds for a preview of the final presidential debate.

“Democrats project the image of one big happy pro-climate family, united against a common foe. This has fed the expectation that the Biden administration will transform U.S. climate policy. Trump turned the climate action switch off, but Biden will turn it back on,” write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

A dog named Eba almost died as an abandoned puppy. Now she helps conservation biologists study Southern Resident killer whales. Deborah Giles, research scientist at the UW Center for Conservation Biology, is quoted, and Sam Wasser, research professor of biology at the UW and director of the center, is mentioned.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains Amazon's "Climate Pledge Friendhly" label and whether it'll impact online shopping.

How climate change and U.S.-China relations could affect the 2020 elections were top of mind last week at a University of Washington presentation. The presentation was given by Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, and Susan Whiting, an associate professor of political science at the UW.

From studios in the University and Fremont bridge towers, two local illustrators — E.T. Russian, a physical therapist at the UW Medical Center, and Roger Fernandes, a lecturer of American Indian studies at the UW — draw attention to the region’s history.

Aseem Prakash, professor of political science, explains the role of environmental issues in elections.

Amazon is launching a new tool to help shoppers select items that are deemed more environmentally friendly. Products will earn the “Climate Pledge Friendly” label if they have been approved by one of 19 certification programs, including Amazon’s own Compact by Design designation. Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

"As I write, my city has been invaded. It is the month when Seattle weather normally gleams with clarity, yet my throat burns and the trees at the end of the block are being dissolved by a Martian haze. Across the street, my neighbor’s house appears as if in a grainy sepia photograph. I can only think that the atmosphere has materialized for us what an excess of carbon really feels like," writes Scott Montgomery, lecturer of international studies at the UW.

"How a society handles disasters says a lot about its resilience, character and governance capacities. Disasters can foster paranoia or encourage solidarity. They can bring the country together or tear it apart," write Nives Dolšak, professor of marine and environmental affairs at the UW, and Aseem Prakash, professor of political science at the UW.

The Department of English has introduced its new “Literature, Language, Culture” Dialogue Series, a series of podcasts and YouTube videos in which UW humanities faculty discuss their research and teaching — “including the ways our work contributes to how we experience and seek to understand this time of global crisis.”

With two months before the general election – and amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – mail-in voting has taken on a greater importance, and drawn more political attention, than in elections past.

Emeritus research psychologist Michael D. Beecher discusses the complex calls of song sparrows.