News + Media
Nov 30, 2011
Panel discussion on the impact of climate change on agriculture and the food we eat.
Associated Press | Nov 21, 2011
AP, Seth Borenstein
WASHINGTON (AP) — Heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are building up so high, so fast, that some scientists now think the world can no longer limit global warming to the level world leaders have agreed upon as safe.
New figures from the U.N. weather agency Monday...
LA Times | Nov 18, 2011
LA Times, Dean Kuipers
Several readers pointed out an omission in last week's post about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s release of its Annual Greenhouse Gas Index, which...
MIT News | Oct 27, 2011
There are many sources that can make a contribution to our energy supply, but likely not at a major scale in the near future.
Beyond wind and solar power, a variety of carbon-free sources of energy — notably biofuels, geothermal energy and advanced nuclear power — are seen as possible ways of...
MIT News | Oct 25, 2011
How far can wind power go toward reducing global carbon emissions from electricity production?
With the world’s energy needs growing rapidly, can zero-carbon energy options be scaled up enough to make a significant difference? How much of a dent can these alternatives make in the world’s total...
MIT News | Oct 24, 2011
Given the enormous scale of worldwide energy use, there are limited options for achieving significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
At any given moment, the world is consuming about 14 terawatts (trillions of watts) of energy — everything from the fuel for our cars and trucks, to wood...
Oct 10, 2011
With the U.S. backing away from a cap-and-trade system, the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) stands as a solitary, iconic, and often-criticized outpost for market-based approaches for limiting green house gas emissions. A. Denny Ellerman evaluates the performance and prospects of the EU ETS and...
MIT News | Oct 05, 2011
In collaboration with Tsinghua University, MIT launches a new research project to analyze the impact of China’s existing and proposed energy and climate policies.
Multiple forecasts suggest that rapidly developing nations such as China will be responsible for most of the growth in carbon dioxide...
MIT News | Oct 04, 2011
Anaerobic digesters provide a win-win opportunity for agriculture and energy.
When thinking about renewable energy sources, images of windmills and solar panels often come to mind. Now add to that picture livestock manure. Researchers from the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global...
MIT News | Sep 08, 2011
Competing demands for food, fuels, and forests
How do you value an ecosystem? Putting a dollar value on natural systems such as forests has long beset economists.
Forests provide “non-use values,” such as the pleasure of knowing that a natural system exists, and recreational values, such as hunting...