News + Media
Previous studies have suggested that when CO2 is stored underground, it may degrade layers of rock above it and leak back into the atmosphere. However, a new study indicates that such concerns may be exaggerated. Joint Program associate and carbon capture expert Howard Herzog comments.
John Fernández ’85, MIT professor and recently-named director of the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI): “I have always been most excited by creating an environment where there are no boundaries between disciplines.
John Fernández ’85 is not interested in overleaping boundaries so much as erasing them. The MIT professor, who was recently named director of the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), started out as a child who loved math and art, and saw no reason to keep them separate.
Linking emissions trading systems in developed and developing countries could yield environmental, economic benefits
Climate change is a global problem — but its solution relies on national, regional, and local policy actions.
Faster electricity market reform is needed to harness more wind and speed up a shift from coal, two experts tell chinadialogue
China has roughly one third of global installed wind energy capacity, while the US has 17%. Yet China uses less wind-powered electricity than the US. What is going wrong?
MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society research from the Technology and Policy Program highlights multidisciplinary approaches to data-driven policies
Major challenges across all of the domains addressed by MIT's Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) incorporate fundamentally intertwined elements of technology and policy. Researchers use available data to create models and inform key decisions, while IDSS brings together engineering, science, and social sciences to develop data-driven strategies and policies.
As Super Typhoon Nepartak hits Taiwan and China, National Geographic asks tropical cyclone expert Kerry Emanuel how these tempests form, and what risk they pose to people.
This spring, a five-day MIT Professional Education course — Agriculture, Innovation and the Environment — showcased innovative technologies and strategies to make the agriculture industry more productive, and attracted a score of professionals from all over the world.
Joint Program Deputy Director Sergey Paltsev presents keynote talk at EcoMod 2016
A new study in Journal of Climate shows that burning coal could result in less rainfall and raise water stress in some countries - especially in developing Asia.
The warming effects of burning coal are well known, and studies have shown that using the dirtiest fossil fuel around can cause cooling, too. This is not good news, though. A new study, by Singapore scientists, shows that the cooling could result in less rainfall and raise water stress in some countries - especially in developing Asia - where the use of coal looks set to rise.
Joint Program Research Associate Howard Herzog makes the case for carbon capture and sequestration
To adequately address climate change concerns, we will need to radically alter our energy systems to eliminate practically all carbon dioxide emissions. In analyzing the different technology options, the important measure of comparison is how much emissions reductions can be achieved and at what price. Unfortunately, the debate usually moves from objective analysis to emotional arguments that can obscure the facts and stall progress toward the ultimate goal of eliminating carbon dioxide emissions. The truth is that all energy technologies have strengths and weaknesses. We need to build on their strengths and to minimize their weaknesses.