New MIT-LUMA Lab created to address climate challenges in the Mediterranean region

Collaborative scholarship and research will draw on conservation, design, and technology.

School of Architecture and Planning • mit
May 29, 2024 ~7 min

Wildfire smoke is back – fires burning across Canada are already triggering US air quality alerts in the Midwest and Plains

States could be in for another summer of unhealthy wildfire smoke as ‘zombie fires’ resurface in western Canada and more blazes break out in the dry conditions.

Peter S. Thorne, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, Professor of Environmental Health, University of Iowa • conversation
May 14, 2024 ~8 min


A global plastic treaty will only work if it caps production, modelling shows

But how the world will get to zero pollution is still uncertain – and production caps are untested.

Costas Velis, Lecturer in Resource Efficiency Systems, University of Leeds • conversation
May 3, 2024 ~9 min

‘Everywhere we looked we found evidence’: the godfather of microplastics on 20 years of pollution research and the fight for global action

Since coining the term microplastics 20 years ago on May 7 2004, Richard Thompson reflects on the progress being made to halt plastic pollution.

Richard Thompson, Professor of Marine Biology, University of Plymouth • conversation
May 3, 2024 ~10 min

Ice shelves fracture under weight of meltwater lakes

Heavy pooling meltwater can fracture ice, potentially leading to ice shelf collapse

Cambridge University News • cambridge
May 3, 2024 ~6 min

A global plastics treaty is being negotiated in Ottawa this week – here’s the latest

The treaty focuses on ending plastic pollution, not eliminating the use of plastics. But some countries are more ambitious than others.

Steve Fletcher, Professor of Ocean Policy and Economy, University of Portsmouth • conversation
April 22, 2024 ~8 min

The South’s aging water infrastructure is getting pounded by climate change – fixing it is also a struggle

Extreme downpours and droughts, both fueled by rising global temperatures, are taking a toll on water infrastructure. Communities trying to manage the threats face three big challenges.

Megan E. Heim LaFrombois, Associate Professor of Political Science; Director of Master of Community Planning Program, Auburn University • conversation
April 12, 2024 ~9 min

Pork labelling schemes ‘not helpful’ in making informed buying choices, say researchers

Farmers don’t have to choose between lowering environmental impact and improving welfare for their pigs, a new study has found: it is possible to do both. But

Cambridge University News • cambridge
April 11, 2024 ~5 min


Who are today’s climate activists? Dispelling 3 big myths for Earth Month

Not all activists are in the media spotlight, but they’re crucial to promoting action to slow climate change.

Dana R. Fisher, Director of the Center for Environment, Community & Equity and Professor in the School of International Service, American University • conversation
April 2, 2024 ~8 min

Atmospheric observations in China show rise in emissions of a potent greenhouse gas

Global warming potential of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is more than 24,000 times that of carbon dioxide.

Mark Dwortzan | MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change • mit
March 28, 2024 ~5 min

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