Josh Archote

Climate change is widely taught in American public schools—but students are receiving mixed messages

9Jul

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University, Science

Climate change is widely taught in American public schools—but students are receiving mixed messages

Only 27 U.S. states received a B+ or better on how they teach climate change, according to a report from the National Center for Science Education and the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund. Photo by Katerina Holmes on Pexels.com By Josh Archote Roughly 75% of public school science teachers in the U.S. teach climate change and almost all public school students likely receive at least some education about recent global warming, according to a 2016 paper from the National Center for Science Education. But students are receiving mixed messages from teachers about the causes of global warming, the report found. Among its findings: More than a quarter of teachers give equal time to perspectives that raise doubt about the scientific consensus.Few teachers doubt that average global ...

Experts say education and retraining key to successful transition to low-carbon economy

23Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Economy, Energy, Louisiana State University, Policy

Experts say education and retraining key to successful transition to low-carbon economy

ULL's Mechanical Engineering Virtual Reality Lab uses a photovoltaic power plant model to facilitate virtual hands-on learning. The application teaches users how solar power is produced, converted and transmitted. Courtesy of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Center. By Sydney McGovern, Samantha Beekman, Josh Archote Traditional energy generation is declining, and renewable energy is on the rise. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that wind turbine service technicians and solar panel installers will be two of the fastest growing jobs in the United States through 2029. The switch to a low-carbon economy is necessary to minimize the impacts of climate change. But with these changes comes a complex set o...

22Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

AUTHOR

Executive Producer, LSU My name is Josh and I’m a journalism junior at Louisiana State University. I'm an editor for the news section of LSU's student-run newspaper, the Reveille. I'm also a part of LSU's BridgeUSA chapter, an organization committed to fostering civil political discourse and debate between students from across the ideological spectrum on college campuses. I've been reporting on environmental issues since my freshman year of college as a student journalist. Climate change, and humanity's race to avoid its worst impacts, will be a defining story of the 21st century. I want to help people understand how a warmer world will affect them and their children over the next century, as well as how people are trying to solve the crisis.

Southern Louisiana at risk of more severe hurricanes, heavier rainfall as planet warms

16Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University, Science

Southern Louisiana at risk of more severe hurricanes, heavier rainfall as planet warms

Broken tree limbs and debris sit aside a road in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura brought up to 137 mph winds to the City. Photo by Rob Perillo. By Josh Archote, Domenic Purdy LAKE CHARLES, LA – The last year of extreme weather in Louisiana has been devastating. Two back-to-back major hurricanes, an ice storm and a spring flood have left the region, especially Southwestern Louisiana, in a perpetual state of recovery.  The state’s fifth largest city, Lake Charles, has suffered greatly from each catastrophe, leading the Weather Channel to call it the “most weather-battered city” in America.  Today, as the state enters what’s projected to be another active hurricane season, residents are still battling with insurance compani...

Nine LSU professors aid governor in reducing Louisiana’s greenhouse emissions

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Energy, Louisiana State University, Policy

Nine LSU professors aid governor in reducing Louisiana’s greenhouse emissions

By Josh Archote Louisiana is fifth among states in total carbon emissions and emissions per-capita, according to 2015-16 U.S. Department of Energy statistics. Courtesy of Joshua Archote. This piece was originally published on April 6, 2021, by The Reveille. Nine LSU researchers joined committees and advisory groups for Gov. John Bel Edwards’s Climate Initiatives Task Force, an executive order signed in August of last year to reduce Louisiana’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. By February 2022, the Task Force will submit a detailed plan to reduce Louisiana greenhouse gas emissions 26-28% by 2025, 40-50% by 2030 and net zero emissions by mid-century. “Just as we have done with coastal protection and restoration, we are building an inclusive, science...

Sinking Louisiana: Is it too late to save Louisiana’s coast? LSU professors, researchers weigh in

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Louisiana State University, Science

Sinking Louisiana: Is it too late to save Louisiana’s coast? LSU professors, researchers weigh in

By Josh Archote This piece was originally published on November 18, 2020, by The Reveille. Coastal sciences associate professor Giulio Mariotti's research focuses on observing sediment transport and coastal landscape change in wetlands. Courtesy of Giulio Mariotti. In January 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced grants to help communities around the U.S. adapt to sea-level rise by building levees, dams and stronger drainage systems, according to the New York Times. One of the communities targeted by the grants was Isle de Jean Charles, a narrow strip of land in Terrebonne Parish. Officials decided that there was no realistic path for the community to protect what little land was left from coastal erosion, which has been caused by reduced sediment flo...

LSU researchers are building a one-of-a-kind quantum device to increase solar cell efficiency

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Energy, Louisiana State University, Technology

LSU researchers are building a one-of-a-kind quantum device to increase solar cell efficiency

By Josh Archote This piece was originally published on March 15, 2021, by The Reveille. Dr. Chenglong You works with a quantum simulator on Mar. 11, 2021 in a Nicholson Hall basement lab. Courtesy of Matthew Perschall. LSU researchers are building a quantum simulator to study how light interacts with different materials in solar cells to increase their efficiency. LSU Physics professor Omar Magana-Loaiza and postdoctoral researcher Chenglong You received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a one-of-a-kind quantum device. Their research could help scientists find better materials to build solar cells and make them more efficient. The sun emits light made up of speeding photons that travel to the Earth, and solar cells convert the energy of those ph...

Re-engineering photosynthesis: How two LSU biology professors hope to feed the world’s growing population

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Louisiana State University, Technology

Re-engineering photosynthesis: How two LSU biology professors hope to feed the world’s growing population

By Josh Archote This piece was originally published on November 27, 2020, by The Reveille. In 2016, biology professor Paul South tested his shortcut on plants that allows them to use their energy when they're taking in carbon dioxide. Courtesy of Paul South. By 2050, the world population is expected to increase to nearly 10 billion people. Consequently, overall food demand is projected to increase over 50%, according to the World Resources Institute. Meanwhile, climate change will result in an increasingly inhospitable climate for agriculture by reducing the amount of arable land and water availability, as well as the increased prevalence of extreme weather such as droughts, heatwaves and flooding. As more people populate the earth, significant amounts of ar...

United Nations panel deems new industrial development in ‘Cancer Alley’ form of environmental racism

14Jun

By Climate 360 NewsNo Comments

Community, Louisiana State University

United Nations panel deems new industrial development in ‘Cancer Alley’ form of environmental racism

By Josh Archote This piece was originally published on March 21, 2021, by The Reveille. The Mississippi River bridge sits on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 on the Mississippi River. Courtesy of Elizabeth Sullivan. In St. James Parish, a welcome sign sitting beside a gravel road is covered in reddish-brown dust called bauxite, a potentially harmfulbyproduct of an alumina manufacturing plant nearby. Below the sign in white letters barely visible through the dust reads “Don’t Litter” and the phone number to report litterers. But littering is the least of concerns for residents in St. James and surrounding parishes, who are exposed to some of the highest concentrations of cancer-causing chemicals and toxic air in the country. [1, 2]. “You can see that the air is n...