News + Media
MIT News | Oct 23, 2009
New analysis shows that without proper regulation, biofuels programs aimed at curbing greenhouse gases could do just the opposite
A global push toward production of biofuels, advocated by many as a measure to curb greenhouse gas emissions, could have exactly the opposite effect unless adequate...
MIT News | Oct 02, 2009
Comprehensive analysis of the odds of climate outcomes under different policy scenarios shows significant benefits from early actions.
A new analysis shows that even moderate carbon-reduction policies now can substantially lower the risk of future climate change. But without prompt action, extreme changes could soon become much more difficult, if not impossible, to control.
MIT News | Aug 17, 2009
Analysis shows climate change to yield more extreme rainfall — Heavier rainstorms lie in our future. That's the clear conclusion of a new MIT and Caltech study on the impact that global climate change will have on precipitation patterns. But the increase in extreme downpours is not uniformly spread...
MIT News | Jun 22, 2009
Fed by MIT data, display shows extent of human-caused emissions
The latest ominous number to appear on the side of a New York building is a real-time count of the tons of carbon dioxide (and equivalents of other greenhouse gases) emitted each day, based on MIT calculations. The...
MIT News | May 19, 2009
New analysis shows warming could be double previous estimates.
The most comprehensive modeling yet carried out on the likelihood of how much hotter the Earth's climate will get in this century shows that without rapid and massive action, the problem will be about twice as severe as previously...
MIT News | Mar 11, 2009
Early detection may permit 'nipping it in the bud' — A gas used for fumigation has the potential to contribute significantly to future greenhouse warming, but because its production has not yet reached high levels there is still time to nip this potential contributor in the bud, according to an...
MIT News | Mar 10, 2009
An MIT ocean microbiologist and a Caldecott Award-winning author and illustrator have teamed up to produce a lavishly illustrated children's book that explains how the sun creates life on Earth through photosynthesis. Penny Chisholm, the...
Technology Review | Jan 01, 2009
A leading economist explains why a carbon tax is the best strategy for cutting greenhouse gases and the use of fossil fuels. — Many economists argue that painful though it might be to consumers, the best way to address climate change is to put a "price" on carbon dioxide and other carbon-based...
Technology Review | Jan 01, 2009
Will putting a price on carbon increase the use of renewables? — The cheapest way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is probably to put a price on them. One way to do that is a direct tax. Another is a cap-and-trade system, where the government sets an overall cap on emissions, but individual...
MIT News | Nov 17, 2008
'Partial capture' of emissions could be near-term move — Construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United States is in danger of coming to a standstill, partly due to the high cost of the requirement -- whether existing or anticipated -- to capture all emissions of carbon dioxide, an...