Laura Kuhl
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and International Affairs
Laura Kuhl’s research examines climate adaptation and sustainable transitions in the United States and internationally. She is particularly interested in questions of power and equity in processes of transformation across multiple scales from individual decision-making to international policymaking. Current work focuses on climate finance, particularly adaptation finance, energy equity after crises, and transformational adaptation.
- Northeastern University Excellence in Teaching Award, 2023
- CSSH Outstanding Teaching Award, 2022
- Peter Ackerman Award, Outstanding doctoral dissertation demonstrating scholarly merit, originality, and contribution to the field and to society, The Fletcher School (2017)
- NSF Interdisciplinary Graduate Education and Research Training Fellowship, Water Diplomacy Program (2011-2013)
- Garcia G, Crone E, Kuhl L, Orians C. 2024. Interactions between intrinsic yield fluctuations and environmental shocks threaten the socio-ecological resilience of perennial crop farmers. OneEarth 7 (8), 1362-137.
- Frapaise L, Furman K, Scyphers SB, Kuhl L. 2024. Mental models for inclusive, socially-just disaster planning: A multi-community study in Saint Martin after Hurricane Irma. Disasters. DOI: 10.1111/disa.12627
- Aleksandrova M, Kuhl L, Malerba D. 2024. Unlocking climate finance for social protection: An analysis of the Green Climate Fund. Climate Policy. DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2024.2338817
- Kuhl L, Stephens JC, Arriaga Serrano C, Perez-Lugo M, Ortiz-Garcia C, Ellis R. 2024. Fossil fuel interests in Puerto Rico: Perceptions of incumbent power and discourses of delay. Energy Research and Social Science 111: 103467. DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103467
- Rahman MF, Lewis D, Kuhl L, Baldwin A, Ruszczyk H, Nadiruzzaman M, Mahid Y. 2024. Managed urban retreat: The trouble with crisis narratives. Urban Geography 45(1): 23-32. DOI: 10.1080/02723638.2023.2228094
- Kuhl L, Ahmed I, Rahman MF, Shinn J, Arango-Quiroga J, Huq S. Climate loss-and-damage funding: how to get money to where it’s needed fast. Nature 623: 693-695. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03605-2
- Arango-Quiroga J, Kinol A, Kuhl L. 2023. Examining knowledge and epistemic justice in the design of nature-based solutions for water management. PLOS Climate 2(9): e0000194. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000194
- Kuhl L, Shinn J, Arango-Quiroga J, Ahmed I, Rahman MF. 2023. The liberal limits to transformational adaptation in the Green Climate Fund. Climate and Development. DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2023.2235318
- Kinol A and Kuhl L. 2023. The role of disasters in shaping narratives of resilience and transformation in Puerto Rico. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 6: 100227. DOI: 10.1016/j.crsust.2023.100227
- Rahman MF, Falzon D, Robinson SA, Kuhl L, Westoby R, Omukuti J, Schipper ELF, McNamara K, Resurreccion BP, Mfitumukiza D and Nadiruzzaman M. 2023. Locally-led adaptation: promise, pitfalls and possibilities. Ambio 52, 1543–1557. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01884-7
- Kinol A, Arango-Quiroga J, Kuhl L. 2023. Opportunities for nature-based solutions to contribute to climate resilient development pathways. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 62:101297. DOI: 10.1016/j.cosust.2023.101297
- Kuhl L and Shinn JE. 2022.Transformational adaptation and country ownership: competing priorities in international adaptation finance. Climate Policy.
- Kuhl L. A call for the sustainable transitions community to engage with adaptation. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 41, 60-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2021.10.024
- Kuhl L, Rahman MF, Mcrain S, Krause D, Hossain MF, Bahadur A, Huq S. 2021. Transformational adaptation in the context of coastal cities. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 46: 449-479. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012420-045211
- Sotolongo M, Kuhl L, Baker S. 2021. Using environmental justice to inform disaster recovery: Vulnerability and electricity restoration in Puerto Rico. Environmental Science and Policy, 122: 59-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.04.004
- Kuhl L. 2021. Policymaking under scarcity: reflections for designing socially-just climate adaptation policy, One Earth 4(2): 202-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.01.008
- Kasdan M, Kuhl L, Kurukulasuriya P. 2021.The evolution of transformational change in multilateral funds dedicated to financing adaptation to climate change. Climate and Development, 13(5): 427-442. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2020.1790333
- Jones L, Kuhl L, Matthews N. 2020. Addressing power and scale in resilience programming: a call to engage across funding, delivery and evaluation. The Geographic Journal, 186 (4), 415-423 https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12362
- Stratton AE, Kuhl L, Blesh J. 2020. Ecological and nutritional functions of agroecosystems as indicators of smallholder resilience. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 4, 173 https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.543914
- Kuhl L, van Maanen K, Scyphers S. 2020. An analysis of UNFCCC-financed coastal adaptation projects: Assessing patterns of project design and contributions to adaptive capacity. World Development 127: 10478. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104748
- Kuhl L. 2020.Technology transfer and adoption for smallholder climate change adaptation: opportunities and challenges. Climate and Development, 12(4) 353-368. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2019.1630349
- Kuhl L. 2018. Potential contributions of market-systems development initiatives for building climate resilience. World Development.108: 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.036
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Education
PhD, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
MALD, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
BA, Environmental Studies and Anthropology, Middlebury College -
Contact
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Address
360V Renaissance Park
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115 -
Office Hours
Fall 2024-Spring 2025: On Sabbatical
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Climate Policy and Justice
PPUA 5267
Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing society and requires policy responses across scales: locally, nationally, and globally. This course discusses key climate policy approaches, including market-based and regulatory approaches, as well as intersectional approaches that address underlying drivers of climate change and inequalities in climate vulnerabilities. The course is anchored in a climate justice policy perspective, and students will become familiar with a range of frameworks and tools for climate policy design, implementation, and evaluation, with an emphasis on considering how policies can promote (or detract from) social justice. Case studies from US and international contexts will be used throughout the semester to explore policy advocacy, policy design and policy implementation in practice. In addition to considering national and sub-national climate policy, the course will cover legal, political, and economic issues in international climate negotiations and explore the history and current tensions in international climate diplomacy.
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Senior Capstone in International Affairs
INTL 4700
Offers a senior research and writing seminar that integrates and assesses the knowledge and skills developed by students participating in the international affairs curriculum, including both experiential (co-op, Dialogue of Civilizations, study abroad, internship, or other approved international experience) and classroom-based components. Requires student self-reflection as well as new research, analysis, and writing, which culminate in a final paper and presentation. Topics include contemporary global issues and draw on relevant literature in the disciplines relating to international affairs.
