A study by MIT researchers finds that, compared to India’s current policy of inducing states to buy electricity from renewable sources, increasing the price of coal is a cheaper way to reduce carbon emissions in India, reports Kuwar Singh for Quartz. The researchers found that implementing “a tax on carbon consumption or a carbon market for selling and buying permits will be more than 10 times cheaper in lowering CO2 emissions of the Indian economy.”
A study by Prof. John Sterman finds that “burning wood for power releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per unit of electricity than coal,” reports Charlie McGee for The Wall Street Journal.
A new MIT study shows that “China’s move away from fossil fuels would mean 2,000 fewer premature deaths in the U.S. by 2030,” reports John Fialka for E&E News. "It reminds us that air pollution doesn't stop at national boundaries," said Prof. Valerie Karplus, a co-leader of the paper.
Profs. Daniel Rothman and Daniela Rus contributed to a Boston Globe piece exploring what the next big moonshot challenge should be. Rothman noted that, “We need to understand how the Earth system responds to environmental change,” while Rus expressed a desire to explore interspecies communication and the development of intelligent clothing.
A study by Prof. Dan Rothman finds that increasing greenhouse gas emission rates could trigger a mass extinction in the ocean, reports Priya Shukla for Forbes. Shukla writes that Rothman found if a certain carbon threshold “is breached, it would take tens of thousands of years for the oceans to return to their original unperturbable state.”
MIT researchers have developed a new method for potentially increasing solar cell efficiency beyond the theoretical limit, reports Daniel Oberhaus for Wired. “What’s cool here is that this is a fundamentally different approach from traditional photovoltaics,” says Joseph Berry of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
A study by Prof. Daniel Rothman finds that if carbon emissions exceed a critical threshold, it could lead to a mass extinction, reports Martin Finucane for The Boston Globe. "We should limit carbon dioxide emissions,” says Rothman. “The carbon cycle is a non-linear system, and if you perturb it, surprising things may happen.”
Graduate student Shekhar Chandra cites the work of Prof. Elfatih Eltahir in an article for CNN about the rising temperatures in India. “Experts at MIT say that even if the world succeeds in cutting carbon emissions, limiting the predicted rise in average global temperatures, parts of India will become so hot they will test the limits of human survivability,” writes Chandra.
In an article for Wired, Andrew McAfee, cofounder of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy, argues that the increased energy use and pollution associated with new technology is actually offset by the physical concept of dematerialization. “[W]e don’t need to worry that the iPhone and its digital kin are going to gobble up the planet, or even put a big dent in it,” writes McAfee. “In fact, they’re doing the opposite.”
In an article for the Financial Times, DUSP research affiliate Ashley Nunes argues that without some kind of carbon tax, advances in technology will not be enough to fight climate change. Carbon pricing, writes Nunes, “prompts greater awareness of our energy choices and their impact on the environment, and helps us to learn about our consumption habits before it’s too late.”
A study by researchers from MIT and the Technical University of Munich finds that Bitcoin’s annual carbon emissions are equivalent to those of a city or small nation, reports the Xinhua news agency. “The cryptocurrency is imposing [an] increasing burden on global climate since the computing capacity required to solve a Bitcoin puzzle increased more than fourfold in 2018.”
Boston Globe reporter Alison Kuznitz writes that during MIT’s Commencement, former mayor Michael Bloomberg detailed plans for a new initiative aimed at tackling climate change. “This has gone from a scientific challenge to a political problem,” said Bloomberg, “and it’s time for everyone to recognize that climate change is the challenge of our time.”
Researchers from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab have developed a system of underwater structures to help sand accumulate naturally and elevate islands and coastlines above rising sea levels, reports Jesus Diaz for Fast Company. “Strategically positioned according to currents, these structures will use the energy of waves to accumulate sand in different locations,” Diaz explains.
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes Prof. Emeritus David Gordon Wilson, known for his work in the field of mechanical engineering and for spurring interest in recumbent bicycles. Marquard notes that in addition to designing a recumbent bicycle that set a world speed record, Wilson was “decades ahead of some modern-day political proposals that aim to address climate change.”
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Wired reporter Matt Simon about the potential impact of technology and automation on everything from jobs and the labor market to climate change. “Technology is an incredibly powerful tool,” says Brynjolfsson, “and if we make the effort, we can use this tool to live lighter on the planet.”