Mercury News reporter Lisa Krieger writes that a letter co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel warns U.S. politicians about the dangers of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. “We all reacted with some shock to statements from the Republican platform that would have reversed decades of progress,” said Emanuel. “We felt we had to say something.”
MITEI’s Francis O’Sullivan discusses the role of offshore wind energy in New England with WGBH’s Stephanie Leydon. "Potentially, energy costs will actually fall with offshore wind," said O'Sullivan. He adds that with renewable technologies "you have to spend a lot of money up front to pay for their construction, but you spend nothing on fuel.”
A study by Prof. David Autor finds a shift in voting patterns in areas of the country impacted by trade with China, report Binyamin Appelbaum, Patricia Cohen and Jack Healy for The New York Times. “This undercurrent of economically driven dissatisfaction,” Autor explains, “works to the benefit of candidates who are noncentrist, and particularly right-wing candidates.”
Writing on carbon pricing for The Wall Street Journal, Mark Muro cites MIT research by Professor Valerie Karplus and graduate student Jesse Jenkins. Their research finds that the “‘binding constraints’ of politics keep jurisdictions’ legislated carbon prices low.”
Lisa Grossman writes for New Scientist that a new report from the National Academies urges the U.S. to “get back on the gravitational-wave hunting horse” in support of a space-based detector. MIT Prof. Jacqueline Hewitt, who chaired the report panel, also touted exoplanets research. “The government is getting its money’s worth in terms of the resources it’s been investing in support for scientists,” says Hewitt.
Boston Globe reporter Hiawatha Bray writes that Media Lab research affiliate Andrew “bunnie” Huang and NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden are developing a device to protect journalists’ smartphones from government surveillance. Bray explains that the device will “detect whether a phone is sending or receiving unauthorized radio signals.”
New York Times reporter John Markoff writes that during a Media Lab symposium, whistleblower Edward Snowden announced that he is working with research affiliate Andrew Huang to develop a smartphone to protect journalists concerned about government surveillance. Markoff notes that in addition to computer hacking, the conference focused on “controversial scientific research in areas such as genetic engineering and geoengineering.”
In an article for Bloomberg View, Noah Smith highlights a paper by Prof. Daron Acemoglu, in which he argues that government is essential to economic development. Smith writes that Acemoglu’s new theory, makes the case that “a strong and effective state…isn’t the bane of innovation -- it’s a necessary and crucial input.”
Senior Lecturer Robert Pozen writes in The Boston Globe about how to fix the nation’s system for taxing foreign profits of U.S. corporations. Pozen writes that politicians should “find a way to reduce the US corporate tax rate and bring back foreign profits to the United States, while helping rebuild our infrastructure and create jobs.”
Prof. Daniel Hastings, director of SMART, writes for Today that in order to tackle complex social issues, policymakers must have an understanding of science. “Many of the issues faced by Singapore and other societies today are social-technical in nature. Having policymakers equipped with a knowledge in science and technology will be essential to meeting Singapore’s ambitions.”
Maria Zuber, MIT’s vice president for research, speaks with Science’s Jeffrey Mervis about her new role as chair of the National Science Board. “U.S. research and education are really what has kept this country at the forefront,” says Zuber. “I think that even in this environment… research spending ought to still be up.”
A new paper co-authored by Economics Prof. David Autor looks at the impact of China on the polarization of US politics. “Voters in places that were more exposed to competition from Chinese imports became more likely to elect lawmakers with more extreme views between 2002 and 2010,” notes The Washington Post’s Max Ehrenfreund.
A new study co-authored by Prof. David Autor examines how manufacturing job losses caused by trade have contributed to the current political discord, reports Nelson Schwartz and Quoctrung Bui for The New York Times. “There are these concentrated pockets of hurt,” explains Autor, “and we’re seeing the political consequences of that.”
In an article for The Huffington Post, Prof. Nicholas Ashford writes about the importance of considering alternatives to toxic chemicals early in the regulatory process. “An early and serious examination of alternatives to suspect chemicals would not only accelerate the regulation of potentially harmful chemicals, it would also stimulate innovation in products and processes,” Ashford notes.
Grad student Michael Stepner speaks with Peter O’Dowd of Here & Now about his research examining how the life expectancy gap between the rich and poor has grown. Stepner explains the research suggests an opportunity for local “policies to address these gaps and improve life expectancies for low-income Americans.”