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A new measure of rising temperatures, called “outdoor days,” describes the number of days per year that outdoor temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for people to go about normal outdoor activities, whether work o...
A new way to quantify climate change impacts: “Outdoor days”

This measure, developed by MIT researchers, reflects direct effects on people’s quality of life — and reveals significant global disparities.

Studying Amsterdam, MIT researchers found the optimal system for reusing construction materials has many local storage “hubs” that keep materials within a few miles of where they will be needed. The findings could hel...
Think globally, rebuild locally

In order to recycle construction materials, keep them close to home, a new study of Amsterdam suggests.

A new study maps how the Fukushima Dai’ichi nuclear accident unfolded, and points to the importance of mitigation measures and last lines of defense. Here, International Atomic Energy Agency experts visit Fukushima Dai’ich...
Lessons from Fukushima: Prepare for the unlikely

An analysis of the 2011 nuclear accident reveals a need for more preparation, training, and protocols for responding to low-probability accidents.

The Chuquicamata copper mine in the north of Chile Photo: Scott Odell
Understanding the impacts of mining on local environments and communities

Extractive industries threaten water, glaciers, and livelihoods, but new research offers hope.

“I told myself I was going to find myself in a career that allows me to develop energy technologies that can easily be scaled to meet the energy needs of the world, including my own country,” says Assistant Professor Ericmoor...
Optimizing nuclear fuels for next-generation reactors

While working to nurture scientific talent in his native Nigeria, Assistant Professor Ericmoore Jossou is setting his sights on using materials science and computation to design robust nuclear…

The Energy Conference featured a keynote discussion between MIT President Sally Kornbluth and MIT’s Kyocera Professor of Ceramics Yet-Ming Chiang, in which Kornbluth discussed her first year at MIT as well as a recently announced...
Making the clean energy transition work for everyone

At the 2024 MIT Energy Conference, participants grappled with the key challenges and trends shaping our fight to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Cattle grazing can either be a source of greenhouse gas emissions or a sink for these emissions, depending on the intensity of grazing, according to a new study by scientists at MIT and in China. Image: iStock
Study finds lands used for grazing can worsen or help climate change

Too much livestock on a given amount of land can lead to carbon losses, but appropriate numbers can actually help sequester the carbon.

2023 Design Fellow Chen Chu MArch '21, explores the global relevance of local floodplain resilience strategies. Photo: Adelaide Zollinger
Letting the Earth answer back: Designing better planetary conversations

Chen Chu explores the global relevance of local floodplain resilience strategies, and brings to the Morningside Academy his unique perspective in political ecology and urban design.

AgZen has developed a system for farming that can monitor exactly how much of the sprayed chemicals adheres to plants, in real time, as the sprayer drives through a field. Image: Courtesy of the researchers. Edited b...
Reducing pesticide use while increasing effectiveness

In field tests, MIT spinoff AgZen demonstrated that its feedback-optimized spraying system could halve the pesticide needs of farms and improve crop yields.