Local Science Spotlight: Dr. Kevin Gurney

The global climate crisis is a complex topic, especially given how intricate our greenhouse gas emissions are, plus there is a general lack of understanding of what actions would be most effective in mitigating the harmful effects of climate change. Dr. Kevin Gurney is trying to change that through his work constructing information systems to map U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in very fine detail. 

He begins by collecting thousands of federal data sets of information about roadways, cities, and more. He and his research team then process this data to generate the greenhouse gas emissions from the emitters. His work gives scientists a better understanding of exactly how specific greenhouse gas emissions impact the global carbon cycle and the climate crisis. Gurney also uses his research to help inform policymakers of how their cities and regions are producing greenhouse gasses in an effort to generate policies that are more environmentally conscious. 

Dr. Kevin Gurney received his Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Physics from the University of California, Berkeley. He also has a Master of Science, a Master of Public Policy, and a PhD in Ecology. Currently, Kevin Gurney is a faculty member at Northern Arizona University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, where he continues to work on his research with graduate and postdoctoral students.

What inspired you to pursue this field of research?

Originally, scientists like Gurney were drawn to understanding greenhouse gas emissions from humans for scientific reasons, which were to better understand the movement of carbon around the planet. Over time, it became clear that policymakers could also use this information to better inform legislation.

How has your career as an educator impacted your work?

“When you teach, you constantly get a lot of feedback about what the work means to students, and they often have great ideas.” Gurney explains. Especially in his line of work, scientists are looking for input from average consumers, like his students. He has found a lot of value in teaching because you get a lot of feedback which guides how he delivers science to policymakers and the general public. Teaching has encouraged him to focus on how he is communicating and how he can do it better.

What do you hope that this field will look like in 10 years?

Gurney hopes that we will have a national greenhouse gas emission system, so people can see their emissions very clearly in the landscape that they recognize. A system like this will allow people to take action on both the individual and community level. Gurney emphasizes that access to information is incredibly empowering. He says, “it’s crucial that there’s no mystery about what the greenhouse gas emissions are.” 

What have been some of the challenges you have seen communicating your science with the public?

In Gurney’s experience, climate change is still seen as an abstract problem, which reduces how compelling people find the issue and how motivated they are to take action. It is also challenging because it’s not something people perceive in their everyday lives, so they don’t think that it necessarily impacts them. When he communicates this science, he has to frequently try to transcend that abstract and global nature of the problem and translate it to something that will directly impact individual people.