Kimberly Nicholas
Senior Lecturer, Docent
Research Areas
Climate change, sustainable land use, farming systems, Sustainable Development Goal tradeoffs, sustainable consumption, ecosystem services, food security, viticulture (wine growing), climate adaptation, large scale land acquisitions, education, science communication
Research
How can humanity steward natural resources to both support a good life for everyone on Earth today, and leave a living planet for future generations?
My research program aims to understand the connections between people, climate, and land. This includes analyzing the impact of climate on crop suitability, yields, and quality, examining the opportunities for nature-based solutions to help stabilize climate change using wise land management and farming practices, and scaling the global questions of climate change and sustainable food systems to the individual, local, and national level to inform decisions. In my lab, we aim to find sustainable land and climate solutions and quantify their tradeoffs to inform better management and policy, using primarily quantitative methods including numerical and statistical modeling and data synthesis at regional to global scales, as well as field observations and involving stakeholders in research co-design and as subjects of study. We also work closely with a range of stakeholders in place-based case studies, using interview and survey-based methods to understand the benefits that they value from nature, to make potentially competing management agendas explicit and facilitate problem-solving in ecosystem management.
Teaching
Since 2013, each fall I teach the foundational natural science course in the LUMES program, Earth Systems Science. We focus on developing skills in scientific research and experimental design, quantitative data analysis, and scientific writing, through learning about the biophysical basis and functioning of the nine Planetary Boundaries (Rockström et al., 2009) and how they connect to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
As part of my commitment to innovative and excellent teaching, I have developed teaching and learning activities including the Climate Change “We Can Fix It World Cafe” and the LUMES peer writing tutor program, in collaboration with Ladaea Rylander from the Lund University Academic Support Centre.
I’ve also developed and taught a PhD course on academic and popular science writing, Writing for Change, in collaboration with Mark Fischetti from Scientific American.
Under the previous LUMES curriculum, I taught the courses Environmental Problem Awareness (2011, 2012), Rural Systems and Sustainability (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), and the module Quantiative Methods in Sustainability (2011, 2012, 2013). With Stefan Anderberg, I co-taught a course in Global Climate and Environmental Change through the summer Global Collaborative Program at Kyung Hee University in South Korea in 2012.
Outreach
Given the urgent need for social change to avoid dangerous climate change and meet the Sustainable Development Goals, I am passionate about public communication of research, and appreciate the chance to learn from diverse audiences through frequent public lectures My latest project is a radio show on Sveriges Radio Ekot called “Kims Klimatval” (Kim’s climate vote), where I interview political leaders from 8 political parties about their climate policies ahead of the 2018 Swedish election. I also write popular science magazine articles and blog posts, and am working on a forthcoming book on climate change in daily life. I maintain a YouTube channel with videos of lectures and research summaries, and am a frequent contributor to news media, both Swedish such as Sveriges Radio P1 and P4, SVT, and Sydsvenskan; and international media, including BBC television, radio, and print; The Guardian print and podcast; National Public Radio (US); Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio; vox.com; and The Washington Post.
Links:
Kim Nicholas webpage: We Can Fix It World Cafe
Kim Nicholas webpage: peer writing tutor program
Kim Nicholas webpage: writings for change
Kim Nicholes webpage: upcoming talks
Kim Nicholas Youtube channel and videos
Sveriges radio, Kims klimatval, 2018 , part 1 (in Swedish)
Sveriges radio, Kims klimatval, 2018 , part 2 (in Swedish)
Publications
Displaying of publications. Sorted by year, then title.
Examining senior citizens’ in public transport : The role of digitalization, environmental concern, and traveler satisfaction
Jonas Nilsson, Johan Jansson, Kimberly Nicholas, Chunli Zhao
(2025) Travel Behaviour and Society, 38
Journal articleFlight-intensive practices and wellbeing: current evidence and future research
Monica Guillen-Royo, Kimberly Nicholas, Tanja Ellingsen, Max Koch, Tom Erik Julsrud
(2024) Consumption and Society, 3 p.374-394
Journal articleEnvironmental assessment of diets : overview and guidance on indicator choice
Ylva Ran, Christel Cederberg, Malin Jonell, Kristina Bergman, Imke J.M. De Boer, et al.
(2024) The Lancet Planetary Health, 8 p.172-187
Journal article reviewSveriges utsläpp måste minska nu, regeringen : 531 forskare: Annars är sveket monumentalt – ni kan inte säga att ni inte visste
Alasdair Skelton, Kimberly Nicholas, Lennart Olsson, David Alcer, Tomas Persson, et al.
(2023) Aftonbladet
Newspaper articleFrom aspirational luxury to hypermobility to staying on the ground: changing discourses of holiday air travel in Sweden
Sara Ullström, Johannes Stripple, Kimberly Nicholas
(2023) Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 31 p.688-705
Journal articleA 4-week advance in the growing season in Napa Valley, California, USA
Daniel R. Cayan, Laurel DeHaan, Mary Tyree, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2023) International Journal of Climatology, 43 p.5586-5603
Journal articleQuantifying soil carbon sequestration from regenerative agricultural practices in crops and vineyards
Jessica Villat, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2023) Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7
Journal articleDe unga gör helt rätt när de stämmer staten
Christina Moberg, Hervé Corvellec, Anders Lindroth, Manuela Isacson, Linn Nilsson, et al.
(2022) Aftonbladet
Newspaper articleIncreasing satisfaction with public transport in the digital age : Perspectives from public transport providers and travelers in Sweden
Kimberly Nicholas, Chunli Zhao, Jonas Nilsson, Johan Jansson
(2022) K2 Outreach
ReportLyft klimatet - starta ett medborgarråd
Julia Nordblad, Stephan Barthel, Kristina Boréus, Tim Daw, Daniel Lindvall, et al.
(2022) Aftonbladet: Debatt
Newspaper articleNog nu, politiker – ta klimatkrisen på allvar
Karin Gerhardt, Kimberly Nicholas, Wim Carton, Anika Binte Habib, Diego Galafassi, et al.
(2022) Aftonbladet Debatt, -
Newspaper article12 best ways to get cars out of cities – ranked by new research
Kimberly Nicholas
(2022) The Conversation
Journal articleA dozen effective interventions to reduce car use in European cities : Lessons learned from a meta-analysis and transition management
Paula Kuss, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2022) Case Studies on Transport Policy, 10 p.1494-1513
Journal articleAnalys av sju riksdagspartiers klimatpolitik utförd av klimat- och omställningsforskare : Sveriges klimatpolitik inför riksdagsvalet 2022 enligt Researchers’ Desk
Kimberly Nicholas, Maria Wolrath Söderberg, Jessika Luth Richter, Svetlana Gross, Erik Pihl, et al.
(2022)
ReportTransformation archetypes in global food systems
André Zuanazzi Dornelles, Wiebren J. Boonstra, Izabela Delabre, J. Michael Denney, Richard J. Nunes, et al.
(2022) Sustainability Science, 17 p.1827-1840
Journal articleSweden’s flight-free movement: how views about holiday air travel are changing
Sara Ullström, Kimberly Nicholas
(2021) The Conversation
Journal articleThe role of high-socioeconomic-status people in locking in or rapidly reducing energy-driven greenhouse gas emissions
Kristian S. Nielsen, Kimberly A. Nicholas, Felix Creutzig, Thomas Dietz, Paul C. Stern
(2021) Nature Energy, 6 p.1011-1016
Journal articleStäng Bromma flygplats och ersätt flygen med hållbara alternativ
Sara Ullström, Kimberly Nicholas, Maria Wolrath Söderberg, Nina Wormbs, Elina Eriksson, et al.
(2021) Aktuell Hållbarhet
Newspaper articleAgricultural land acquisitions unlikely to address the food security needs of African countries
Altaaf Mechiche-alami, Jihad Yagoubi, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2021) World Development, 141
Journal articleJordbrukspolitik för att nå FN:s globala mål?
Mark Brady, Nils Malmström, Kimberly Nicholas
(2021) AgriFood Policy Brief
Report37 forskare och debattörer: AP-fonderna måste divestera
Johanna Norrbo, Anna Bokström, Alexander Franzén, Maria Hammer, Yrsa Dahlman, et al.
(2021)
Web publicationA harmonized and spatially explicit dataset from 16 million payments from the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy for 2015
Kimberly A. Nicholas, Frida Villemoes, Edmund Aristid Lehsten, Mark V. Brady, Murray W. Scown
(2021) Patterns, 2
Journal articleEU subsidies benefit big farms while underfunding greener and poorer plots – new research
Murray Scown, Kimberly Nicholas, Mark V. Brady
(2020) The Conversation
Journal article"Räddningspaket till den krisande flygbranschen bör innehålla motkrav på utsläppsminskningar."
Sara Ullström, Kimberly Nicholas
(2020) Sydsvenska Dagbladet, Debatt
Newspaper articleDiversity buffers winegrowing regions from climate change losses
Ignacio Morales-Castilla, Iñaki García de Cortázar-Atauri, Benjamin I. Cook, Thierry Lacombe, Amber Parker, et al.
(2020) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117 p.2864-2869
Journal articleFrom population to production : 50 years of scientific literature on how to feed the world
Lucia Tamburino, Giangiacomo Bravo, Yann Clough, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2020) Global Food Security, 24
Journal article reviewBillions in Misspent EU Agricultural Subsidies Could Support the Sustainable Development Goals
Murray W. Scown, Mark V. Brady, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2020) One Earth, 3 p.237-250
Journal articleEuropean agricultural policy requires a stronger performance framework to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
Murray W. Scown, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2020) Global Sustainability, 3
Journal articleTowards a bridging concept for undesirable resilience in social-ecological systems
André Z. Dornelles, Emily Boyd, Richard J. Nunes, Mike Asquith, Wiebren J. Boonstra, et al.
(2020) Global Sustainability
Journal articleKey knowledge gaps to achieve global sustainability goals
Matías E. Mastrángelo, Natalia Pérez-Harguindeguy, Lucas Enrico, Elena Bennett, Sandra Lavorel, et al.
(2019) Nature Sustainability, 2 p.1115-1121
Journal articleTransnational land acquisitions beyond the food and financial crises
Altaaf Mechiche-alami, Carlo Piccardi, Kimberly A Nicholas, Jonathan W Seaquist
(2019) Environmental Research Letters, 14
Journal articleClimate science curricula in Canadian secondary schools focus on human warming, not scientific consensus, impacts or solutions
Seth Wynes, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2019) PLoS ONE, 14
Journal articleSociocultural valuation of ecosystem services for operational ecosystem management : mapping applications by decision contexts in Europe
Ariane Walz, Katja Schmidt, Ana Ruiz-Frau, Kimberly A. Nicholas, Adéline Bierry, et al.
(2019) Regional Environmental Change, 19 p.2245-2259
Journal articleGovernance and stakeholder perspectives of managed re-alignment: adapting to sea level rise in the Inner Forth estuary, Scotland
Anja Helena Liski, Pontus Ambros, Marc j. Metzger, Kimberly Nicholas, A. Meriwether W. Wilson, et al.
(2019) Regional Environmental Change, 19 p.2231-2243
Journal article"Vi klimatforskare stödjer Greta och skolungdomarna"
Erik Ahlberg, Roland Akselsson, Cecilia Akselsson, Louise C. Andresen, Jonas Ardö, et al.
(2019) Dagens nyheter (DN debatt)
Newspaper articleLUCSUS supports ongoing climate strikes
Emily Boyd, Wim Carton, Kimberly Nicholas
(2019)
Web publicationValuing and mapping cork and carbon across land use scenarios in a Portuguese montado landscape
Marius von Essen, Inês T. do Rosário, Margarida Santos-Reis, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2019) PLoS ONE, 14
Journal article"Changing Behavior to Help Meet Long-Term Climate Targets" : Invited contribution to World Resources Institute Expert Perspective series. Policy briefs for decision-makers writing long-term national climate strategies.
Kimberly Nicholas
(2019) World Resources Institute Expert Perspectives
Web publicationCreating space, aligning motivations, and building trust: a practical framework for stakeholder engagement based on experience in 12 ecosystem services case studies
Heather A. Schoonover, Adrienne Grêt-regamey, Marc J. Metzger, Ana Ruiz-frau, Margarida Santos-reis, et al.
(2019) Ecology and Society, 24
Journal articleAligning research with policy and practice for sustainable agricultural land systems in Europe
Murray W. Scown, Klara J. Winkler, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2019) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116 p.4911-4916
Journal articleA classification to align social-ecological land systems research with policy in Europe
Klara J. Winkler, Murray W. Scown, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Land Use Policy, 79 p.137-145
Journal articleGerman winegrowers' motives and barriers to convert to organic farming
Laura Siepmann, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Sustainability (Switzerland), 10
Journal articleNet Effects of Birds in Agroecosystems
Liba Pejchar, Yann Clough, Johan Ekroos, Kimberly Nicholas, Dafne Ram, et al.
(2018) BioScience, 68 p.896-904
Journal articleReply to Second comment on 'The climate mitigation gap : Education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions'
Seth Wynes, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Environmental Research Letters, 13
Journal article (letter)Reply to Comment on 'The climate mitigation gap : Education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions'
Seth Wynes, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Environmental Research Letters, 13
Journal article (letter)From Pinot to Xinomavro in the world's future wine-growing regions
E. M. Wolkovich, I. García de Cortázar-Atauri, I. Morales-Castilla, K. A. Nicholas, T. Lacombe
(2018) Nature Climate Change, 8 p.29-37
Journal articleTowards meaningful youth participation in science-policy processes : A case study of the Youth in Landscapes Initiative
Sarah Dickson-Hoyle, Michelle Kovacevic, Marina Cherbonnier, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Elementa, 6
Journal articleMeasuring what works : Quantifying greenhouse gas emission reductions of behavioural interventions to reduce driving, meat consumption, and household energy use
Seth Wynes, Kimberly A. Nicholas, Jiaying Zhao, Simon D. Donner
(2018) Environmental Research Letters, 13
Journal article reviewCo-producing climate policy and negative emissions: trade-offs for sustainable land-use
Kate Dooley, Peter Christoff, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2018) Global Sustainability, 1
Journal article“Aligning our plates and research: Celebrating a vegetarian conference.” Earth System Governance blog.
Kimberly Nicholas
(2017)
Web publication“Calling individual climate leaders.”
Kimberly Nicholas
(2017) Association for Women in Science Magazine, 49 p.8-47
Journal articleStorytelling for Science
Kimberly Nicholas
(2017) COMPASS science communication blog
Journal articleThe climate mitigation gap : Education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions
Seth Wynes, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2017) Environmental Research Letters, 12
Journal article“A hard look in the climate mirror.” : One scientist looks at her own carbon emissions—and makes some major lifestyle changes
Kimberly Nicholas
(2017) Scientific American
Journal articlePhenological diversity provides opportunities for climate change adaptation in winegrapes
E. M. Wolkovich, D. O. Burge, Marilyn A. Walker, K. A. Nicholas
(2017) Journal of Ecology, 105 p.905-912
Journal article reviewTop 40 questions in coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) research
Daniel Boyd Kramer, Joel Hartter, Angela E. Boag, Meha Jain, Kara Stevens, et al.
(2017) Ecology and Society, 22
Journal articleIdentifying Five Different Perspectives on the Ecosystem Services Concept Using Q Methodology
Verena Hermelingmeier, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2017) Ecological Economics, 136 p.255-265
Journal articleAssessing ecosystem services and multifunctionality for vineyard systems
Klara J. Winkler, Joshua H. Viers, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2017) Frontiers in Environmental Science, 5
Journal articleProblems with Firm-Led Voluntary Sustainability Schemes: The Case of Direct Trade Coffee
Finlay Macgregor, Vasna Ramasar, Kimberly Nicholas
(2017) Sustainability, 9
Journal articlePEER WRITING TUTORS HELP INTERNATIONAL, INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDENTS TO STAKE THEIR CLAIM
Kimberly Nicholas, Abigail Brady, Ladaea Rylander
(2017) Diversity in Education: Crossing cultural, disciplinary and professional divides , p.33-60
Book chapterLocal food in Iceland : Identifying behavioral barriers to increased production and consumption
Thorhildur Ósk Halldórsdóttir, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2016) Environmental Research Letters, 11
Journal articleGreen and blue water demand from large-scale land acquisitions in Africa
Emma Li Johansson, Marianela Fader, Jonathan W. Seaquist, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2016) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113 p.11471-11476
Journal articleBright spots : seeds of a good Anthropocene
Elena M. Bennett, Martin Solan, Reinette Biggs, Timon McPhearson, Albert V. Norström, et al.
(2016) Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 14 p.441-448
Journal article"Why do farmers behave the way they do and make the decisions they make?”
Amy M. Lerner, Kimberly Nicholas
(2016)
Web publicationMore than wine : Cultural ecosystem services in vineyard landscapes in England and California
Klara J. Winkler, Kimberly A. Nicholas
(2016) Ecological Economics, 124 p.86-98
Journal articleBuilding local institutions for national conservation programs: lessons for developing Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) programs
Wain Anthony Collen, Torsten Krause, Luis Mundaca, Kimberly Nicholas
(2016) Ecology and Society, 21
Journal article“Limiting global warming will be hard, but hardly impossible.”
Kimberly Nicholas
(2015) Scientific American
Journal article"Top scientists weigh in on current [penultimate] draft of the Paris Agreement.”
Kimberly Nicholas
(2015) Road to Paris
Web publicationTeaching and learning sustainability: An assessment of the curriculum content and structure of sustainability degree programs in higher education
David O Byrne, Weston Dripps, Kimberly Nicholas
(2015) Sustainability Science, 10 p.43-59
Journal articleResearching farmer behaviour in climate change adaptation and sustainable agriculture: Lessons learned from five case studies
Giuseppe Feola, Amy M. Lerner, Meha Jain, Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio, Kimberly Nicholas
(2015) Journal of Rural Studies, 39 p.74-84
Journal articleFrom meta-studies to modeling: Using synthesis knowledge to build broadly applicable process-based land change models
Nicholas R. Magliocca, Jasper van Vliet, Calum Brown, Tom P. Evans, Thomas Houet, et al.
(2015) Environmental Modelling & Software, 72 p.10-20
Journal articleHow Climate Change Affects Extremes in Maize and Wheat Yield in Two Cropping Regions
Caroline C. Ummenhofer, Hong Xu, Tracy E. Twine, Evan H. Girvetz, Heather R. McCarthy, et al.
(2015) Journal of Climate, 28 p.4653-4687
Journal articleWill We Still Enjoy Pinot Noir?
Kimberly Nicholas
(2015) Scientific American, 312 p.60-67
Journal articleQ&A with Bill McKibben: Our job is to make sure politicians aren’t left to their own devices
Kimberly Nicholas
(2014) Road to Paris
Web publicationCreating space for the voices of early-career scientists in policy
Kimberly Nicholas
(2014)
Web publicationArchitecture of the global land acquisition system: applying the tools of network science to identify key vulnerabilities
Jonathan Seaquist, Emma Johansson, Kimberly Nicholas
(2014) Environmental Research Letters, 9
Journal articleEvaluating safeguards in a conservation incentive program : participation, consent, and benefit sharing in indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon
Torsten Krause, Wain Collen, Kimberly Nicholas
(2013) Ecology & Society, 18 p.1-16
Journal articleVinecology: pairing wine with nature
Joshua H. Viers, John N. Williams, Kimberly Nicholas, Olga Barbosa, Inge Kotze, et al.
(2013) Conservation Letters, 6 p.287-299
Journal article reviewIntroducing urban food forestry: a multifunctional approach to increase food security and provide ecosystem services
Kyle H. Clark, Kimberly Nicholas
(2013) Landscape Ecology, 28 p.1649-1669
Journal articleEffect of vineyard-scale climate variability on Pinot noir phenolic composition
Kimberly Nicholas, Mark A. Matthews, David B. Lobell, Neil H. Willits, Christopher B. Field
(2011) Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151 p.1556-1567
Journal articleThinking about knowing: conceptual foundations for interdisciplinary environmental research
Sanjeev Khagram, Kimberly Nicholas, Dena Macmynowski Bever, Justin Warren, Elizabeth H. Richards, et al.
(2010) Environmental Conservation, 37 p.388-397
Journal article
Introduction
Kimberly Nicholas is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainability Science at Lund University in Sweden. She studies how to manage natural resources to both support a good life today, and leave a living planet for future generations. In particular, her research focuses on sustainable farming systems, using nature-based solutions to benefit both people and ecosystems, and linking research with policy and practice to support a zero-emissions society that she hopes to live to see. She nearly became a consultant to the California wine industry instead. She holds a BSc and PhD from Stanford University and MSc degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-Davis.