Study measures the psychological toll of wildfires
Research in Southeast Asia quantifies how much wildfire smoke hurts peoples’ moods; finds the effect is greater when fires originate in other countries.
Study: Global deforestation leads to more mercury pollution
Scientists quantify a previously overlooked driver of human-related mercury emissions.
Reflecting on COP28 — and humanity’s progress toward meeting global climate goals
MIT delegates share observations and insights from the largest-ever UN climate conference.
Q&A: A blueprint for sustainable innovation
Atacama Biomaterials, co-founded by Paloma Gonzalez-Rojas SM ’15, PhD ’21, combines architecture, machine learning, and chemical engineering to create eco-friendly materials.
A new way to swiftly eliminate micropollutants from water
MIT chemical engineers create a zwitterionic hydrogel system for single-step water treatment with minimal environmental footprint.
Satellite-based method measures carbon in peat bogs
The technique could enable restoration efforts and doesn’t require labor-intensive onsite sampling.
3 Questions: What should scientists and the public know about nuclear waste?
Professor Haruko Wainwright describes a new effort to communicate information about managing and disposing of spent fuel from nuclear reactors.
Germicidal UV lights could be producing indoor air pollutants, study finds
While useful for killing pathogens including SARS-CoV-2, the lights may cause unwanted chemical reactions and should be used with ventilation, researchers say.
Improving US air quality, equitably
Study finds climate policy alone cannot meaningfully reduce racial/economic disparities in air pollution exposure.
How to tackle the global deforestation crisis
Vital forest is cleared every day, with major climate effects. Satellites have revolutionized measurement of the problem, but what can we do about it?
Jackson Jewett wants to design buildings that use less concrete
The PhD student is honing algorithms for designing large structures with less material — helping to shrink the construction industry’s huge carbon footprint.
Harnessing hydrogen’s potential to address long-haul trucking emissions
MIT researchers work to transform truck powertrain design, with support from the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium.
Technologies for water conservation and treatment move closer to commercialization
J-WAFS awards 2023 Solutions Grants to bring two water-related innovations to the market.
Study suggests energy-efficient route to capturing and converting CO2
The findings, based on a single electrochemical process, could help cut emissions from the hardest-to-decarbonize industries, such as steel and cement.