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Wind farm
In The News
Associated Press | Aug 08, 2024

MIT Joint Program Co-Director Emeritus John Reilly highlights key challenges (Associated Press)

By  ED DAVEY

Updated 7:04 PM EDT, August 7, 2024

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The world is falling well short of a promise made at global climate talks last year to triple the amount of wind power, according to a report by an energy think tank released Thursday.

Nationally Determined Contributions
In The News
MIT Climate Portal | Aug 08, 2024

Emissions are attributed to the country where they happen geographically—even if the energy produced, or the products manufactured, are destined for somewhere else (MIT Climate Portal)

August 5, 2024

Since the 1990s, countries have joined together in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a global agreement to address humanity’s planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. As part of this agreement, member countries—which now include every...

MIT School of Science launches Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy
News Release
Aug 05, 2024
New center taps Institute-wide expertise to improve understanding of and responses to sustainability challenges

The MIT School of Science is launching a center to advance knowledge and computational capabilities in the field of sustainability science, and support decision-makers in government, industry and civil society to achieve sustainable development goals.

Scientists detect clear signal of human influence on upper tropospheric ozone
News Release
MIT News | Aug 02, 2024

Knowing where to look for this signal will help researchers identify specific sources of the potent greenhouse gas (MIT News)

Ozone can be an agent of good or harm, depending on where you find it in the atmosphere. Way up in the stratosphere, the colorless gas shields the Earth from the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays. But closer to the ground, ozone is a harmful air pollutant that can trigger chronic health problems...

MIT Climate Project mission leads announced
News Release
MIT News | Jul 24, 2024

The effort to accelerate climate work at the Institute adds to its leadership team (MIT News)

The Climate Project at MIT has appointed leaders for each of its six focal areas, or Climate Missions, President Sally Kornbluth announced in a letter to the MIT community today.

PNAS Special Feature
News Release
Jul 16, 2024
PNAS special feature shows potential of recent modeling advances to improve sustainability decision-making

Zero hunger. Affordable and clean energy. Reduced inequalities. These are among the  sustainable development goals that the United Nations has established in pursuit of the long-term well-being of the Earth and its inhabitants. But achieving goals like these—whether by the UN’s 2030 deadline or...

Industrial pollution in China
In The News
The Guardian | Jul 16, 2024

Figure represents 64-66% of global output of tetrafluoromethane and hexafluoroethane, MIT study finds (The Guardian)

Emissions of two of the most potent greenhouse gases have substantially increased in China over the last decade, a study has found.

Aluminum production in western China is a major source of PFC-14 and PFC-116 emissions, which contribute to global warming
News Release
MIT News | Jul 15, 2024
Two studies pinpoint their likely industrial sources and mitigation opportunities

When it comes to heating up the planet, not all greenhouse gases are created equal. They vary widely in their global warming potential (GWP), a measure of how much infrared thermal radiation a greenhouse gas would absorb over a given time frame once it enters the atmosphere.

In a new book, Professor Susan Solomon uses previous environmental successes as a source of hope and guidance for mitigating climate change
Around Campus

In a new book, Professor Susan Solomon uses previous environmental successes as a source of hope and guidance for mitigating climate change (MIT EAPS)

Susan Solomon, MIT professor of Earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences (EAPS) and of chemistry, played a critical role in understanding how a class of chemicals known as chlorofluorocarbons were creating a hole in the ozone layer. Her research was foundational to the creation of the Montreal...

New MIT study shows adverse impacts of burning ammonia in ship engines
News Release
MIT News | Jul 11, 2024

Ammonia could be a nearly carbon-free maritime fuel, but without new emissions regulations, its impact on air quality could significantly impact human health (MIT News) (Coverage: TradeWinds, Freight News)

As container ships the size of city blocks cross the oceans to deliver cargo, their huge diesel engines emit large quantities of air pollutants that drive climate change and have human health impacts. It has been estimated that maritime shipping accounts for almost 3 percent of global carbon...

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