When Earth iced over, early life may have sheltered in meltwater ponds
Modern-day analogs in Antarctica reveal ponds teeming with life similar to early multicellular organisms.
Shaping the future through systems thinking
Ananda Santos Figueiredo, a senior in climate system science and engineering, is charting her own course of impact.
How to solve a bottleneck for CO2 capture and conversion
Today’s carbon capture systems suffer a tradeoff between efficient capture and release, but a new approach developed at MIT can boost overall efficiency.
Hundred-year storm tides will occur every few decades in Bangladesh, scientists report
With projected global warming, the frequency of extreme storms will ramp up by the end of the century, according to a new study.
MIT Solve announces 2025 Global Challenges
Leading social impact platform seeks tech innovators tackling global challenges in climate, health, learning, economic prosperity, and more.
Technology developed by MIT engineers makes pesticides stick to plant leaves
With the new system, farmers could significantly cut their use of pesticides and fertilizers, saving money and reducing runoff.
Making solar projects cheaper and faster with portable factories
Charge Robotics, founded by MIT alumni, has created a system that automatically assembles and installs completed sections of large solar farms.
Study: The ozone hole is healing, thanks to global reduction of CFCs
New results show with high statistical confidence that ozone recovery is going strong.
Rooftop panels, EV chargers, and smart thermostats could chip in to boost power grid resilience
MIT engineers propose a new “local electricity market” to tap into the power potential of homeowners’ grid-edge devices.
3 Questions: What the laws of physics tell us about CO2 removal
In a report on the feasibility of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, physicists say these technologies are “not a magic bullet, but also not a no-go.”
Seeking climate connections among the oceans’ smallest organisms
MIT oceanographer and biogeochemist Andrew Babbin has voyaged around the globe to investigate marine microbes and their influence on ocean health.
David McGee named head of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Specialist in paleoclimate and geochronology is known for contributions to education and community.
MIT Climate and Energy Ventures class spins out entrepreneurs — and successful companies
The course challenges students to commercialize technologies and ideas in one whirlwind semester. Alumni of the class have founded more than 150 companies.
Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact
Rapid development and deployment of powerful generative AI models comes with environmental consequences, including increased electricity demand and water consumption.
Minimizing the carbon footprint of bridges and other structures
MAD Design Fellow Zane Schemmer writes algorithms that optimize overall function, minimize carbon footprint, and produce a manufacturable design.