Joe Árvai

I was recently asked if we should replace the IPCC with something less flawed. My answer is that nothing else could inspire top scholars worldwide to volunteer years of their lives to produce a definitive source on the state of our climate, impacts, and solutions. We have to fund the IPCC.

@joearvai.org is the Director of the @uscwrigley.usc.edu. His research focuses on decision-making under risk and uncertainty. He develops tools to help leaders, policy makers, and the public navigate complex tradeoffs in environmental sustainability, climate risk management, and consumer choices.

@tykukla.bsky.social is a geochemist who’s a Research Scientist at @carbonplan.org. His work focuses on Earth system dynamics, geologic carbon cycling, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

@joshwest.bsky.social is a professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies at @usc.edu. His research investigates how climate, tectonics, and geochemical weathering interact to shape landscapes, drive environmental change, and influence global biogeochemical cycles. He’s very tall.

@katemc.bsky.social is a Professor of Earth System Science at @stanforddoerr.bsky.social and a Senior Fellow at @woods.stanford.edu. Her research focuses on soil carbon cycling, hydrology, water quality, reactive transport modeling, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

@sfeakins.bsky.social is a Professor of Earth Sciences at @usc.edu. Her research uses organic geochemistry and isotope biogeochemistry to examine past climate and ecological change, focusing on plant leaf wax biomarkers to understand ancient vegetation, water cycles, and earth system dynamics.

@tedparson.bsky.social is a Professor of Environmental Law and Faculty Director of @uclalawemmett.bsky.social. His research focuses on international environmental law, climate change policy, solar geoengineering governance, and science and technology in policy-making.

@amandalmolder.bsky.social is a social scientist at @uscwrigley.usc.edu. Her research focuses on environmental, science, and visual communication, examining how media narratives impact public attitudes, risk perceptions, and climate policy preferences.

The White House built a "super-intelligent" computer that will make whatever scientific discoveries we want. Even better: the computer will do it for free and on demand. So the government doesn't have to fund research anymore, you see? Thank you, Mr. President. You sure do think of everything. 👍

Knowing that most people care about the climate is important. We call it one of the “six key truths” about climate change: It’s real It’s us Experts agree It’s bad There’s hope OTHERS CARE In fact, it’s the strongest predictor of many important measures of issue engagement.

What if meaningful climate action requires not just changing individual behavior, but improving people’s choices? #USCWrigley Director @joearvai.org explains how policymakers and business leaders can take greater responsibility for climate decision-making. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/resi...

I spoke with @psychologytoday.com about how we might better support decision-making to make progress on #climatechange. What I talked about might surprise you. (Though probably not you, @katharinehayhoe.com, since we've exchanged ideas about this before.)

New research by @aitormarcos.bsky.social and I suggests that moral hazard may remain a stubborn obstacle to the development and implementation of carbon dioxide removal technologies at scale. IOW, if you believe you can simply remove #CO2, why decarbonize? Link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1ntP%7E3Q8...

“Planting trees, cooling schools, redesigning streets, improving buildings, & expanding early warning systems are often described as climate policies. They are also public health measures, investments in local economies, & practical improvements that make cities more liveable throughout the year.”

There is a stranger outside your house.

It can be done. We can clean up our world.

Sadly seeing more and more of this across the academy. Drexel’s Academy of Natural Sciences is closing its museum after nearly two centuries. Jobs lost. Momentum stopped. Leadership foregone. And it’s not just labs and museums; entire academic programs are increasingly on the chopping block.

Won’t you be my neighbor? How a lot of Americans are feeling today about how Canada is being treated by a President with a 26% approval rating.

The name Ontario was derived from the lake and it was used to refer neighbouring land over a century before both the confederation of Canada and the independence of the United States.

Won’t you be my neighbor? How a lot of Americans are feeling today about how Canada is being treated by a President with a 26% approval rating.

There are cities named #Ontario in California, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Ohio. There is also the town of Ontario in Ontario County, NY. And then there’s Ontario Township in Illinois. And let’s not forget the unincorporated communities of Ontario in Indiana and Iowa. Just sayin’.

🌎 The USC Trojan Sustainability Network, in partnership with the USC Career Center, is proud to announce TSN Office Hours - a new event series designed to connect the Trojan community with sustainability professionals! The first event is scheduled on Wed, 9/2. Register today: lnkd.in/ePCD9iMW

The academy is a pressure packed, dog-eat-dog environment. I've seen many of cases of embellishment (and more than a few cases of fabrication) as colleagues struggle to stay relevant and, importantly, employed. Arday didn't deserve to be vilified. He needed our help, not our scorn.

The academy is a pressure packed, dog-eat-dog environment. I've seen many of cases of embellishment (and more than a few cases of fabrication) as colleagues struggle to stay relevant and, importantly, employed. Arday didn't deserve to be vilified. He needed our help, not our scorn.

And strawman arguments

Consumers’ options to choose are restricted to what manufacturers offer. There’s almost zero need for new gas guzzling and emissions barfing V8s on the road. An opportunity for climate leadership lost by auto manufacturers. Shame on them for being complicit in a global crisis.

So, in other words, everyone gets a pass. FWIW, if you put the effort in, you can supports students’ mental health and maintain high academic standards at the same time. Indeed, the best and leading universities **must** do this. For some reason, the U of M just can’t seem to read the room.

Donald Trump doesn’t understand that environmental risks can’t be stopped by ICE or a border wall. Biggest irony is the US is a leading exporter of pollution that leads to the risks he complains about.

Excellence in academia is like a river. Great people often flow from place to place. But the environments they flow through are constants. Proud that former @dornsife.usc.edu Prof. Yu Deng was recognized with a Fields Medal today for the work he did here @usc.edu www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/s...

No, I don’t *think* the national Climate Assessment is working as intended, but I do *believe* it can be fixed. And I am *certain* Matthew Wielicki is the wrong person for the job. That is unless you’re a #climatechange denier like Donald Trump. Then he’s the perfect choice.

#meritocracy

The @wsj.com is mad because scientists like me can now tally current — and accurately predict future — costs to people and the economy from #climatechange. . .and because plaintiffs can use these values to sue the most negligent emitters for damages. When did capitalists become such cry babies? 🍼

We've learned since Trump took office in 2025 that tariffs are simply passed on to consumers. This is great news for me. I'm an export from Canada to the United States, so could someone please let my employer know that my salary should immediately increase by 50%? Thank you for your cooperation. 🇨🇦

Remember: Democracy isn’t just about creating rules and institutions. It also relies on the unwritten traditions and norms that people choose to follow: rejecting false populism; a media free from intimidation; sharp self awareness; humility and compassion; valuing betterment over power. #America250

Fighting back against misinformation about climate change is possible, though not always easy. #USCWrigley Director and psychologist @joearvai.org shares some ways we can counter it. Read more: theconversation.com/longtime-exx...

Self-proclaimed "scientist" and longtime ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond died on June 9 at the age of 87. His legacy of #climatechange denial and #misinformation lives on.

Yes I know that the world still needs #fossilfuels and, yes, I also rely on them even though I work on and care about #climatechange. But, want to know what the world, and especially #business leaders, need even more? Honesty and guts. I wrote about this in my new article for @theconversation.com.

"Two solar facilities built on rehabilitated agricultural land were restored with native plants. Argonne researchers observed pollinators thrive." Solar power, when smartly built, can improve agriculture *and* provide clean, pollution-free, low-cost energy. www.anl.gov/article/inse...