In the News

The Coming GOP Civil War Over Climate Change

Professor Kerry Emanuel talks about the need for GOP action on climate change.

Science, storms, and demographics are starting to change minds among the rank and file. More...

News Release

Cleaner energy, warmer climate?

Researchers explore possible consequences of greater biofuel use

The growing global demand for energy, combined with a need to reduce emissions and lessen the effects of climate change, has increased focus on cleaner energy sources. But what unintended consequences could these cleaner sources have on the changing climate? More...

 

Recent Event

The case for optimism about a renewable energy future

Researcher Eric Martinot presents findings of two-year project at campus event

Professor Eric Martinot, the senior research director with the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo, told students and faculty at a seminar on April 18 that renewables have become “mainstream” and are “a major part of our energy system.” More..

In the News

What If We Never Run Out of Oil?

New technology and a little-known energy source suggest that fossil fuels may not be finite. This would be a miracle—and a nightmare.

Chris Knittel discusses the impact of shale gas on the economy and the environment. More...

Commentary

Climate Change Series: The Future Of Food

Just as agriculture is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions, it could also play a major role in mitigating climate change.

Joint Program Co-Director John Reilly examines the complex challenges and trade-offs humanity faces in a world where climate change is upending traditional assumptions about where and how we can produce enough food for the world’s rapidly growing population. More...

Confronting the Climate Challenge

Science and Policy Working Together

Understanding the complex, long-term changes in our land, air and water requires breakthroughs in measurement, modeling and prediction.

Responding to these changes requires innovative policies that comprehend agriculture, energy needs, trade and finance — along with the political and communications savvy to organize a genuinely global approach.

The Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change is MIT's response to these research, analysis, and public education challenges.

At the heart of much of the Program’s work lies MIT’s Integrated Global System Model (IGSM), a linked set of computer models designed to simulate the global environmental changes that arise as a result of human causes. In this way, it explores the interplay between the Earth systems and the human systems. More...

This comprehensive tool analyzes interactions amoung humans and the climate system

A collaborative research project with China

Communicating risk, uncertainty and the value of climate policy.