A New Extreme Event Analysis Tool in Support of the UN Paris Agreement

Using Large Marine Protected Areas to Recover Highly Productive Marine Ecosystems and the Services They Provide: the Case of the Adriatic Sea

Fishing practices that use gear that is dragged on the seafloor, such as bottom trawling, destroy and degrade marine habitats on continental shelves, the most productive areas of the global ocean. However, there has been little assessment of the outcomes of trawling restrictions, impeding progress towards solutions. This project will use ecological and economic models to examine the potential outcomes of a large-scale trawling ban in the Mediterranean Sea and will assess any implications for marine ecosystem function and services. This project provides a unique opportunity to contribute new knowledge and guidance in addressing issues related to bottom trawling, and holds promise to inform solutions in regions around the globe.

Consequences of increased global meat consumption on the global environment -- trade in virtual water, energy & nutrients

Meat production is projected to double by 2020 due to increased per capita global consumption of meat and population growth. Most of this increase in production will come through industrialized animal production systems. These trends will have major consequences on the global environment. Vast transfers of "virtual" energy, water and nutrients will occur among nations that will have large impacts on local and distant environments. A full accounting of these trends and projections will give us the capacity to propose policies to ameliorate the negative aspects of these developments and position us to address the multiple consequences of industrialized animal production systems.