How a humble mushroom could save forests and fight climate change

Inoculating trees with an edible fungi can produce more protein per hectare than pasture-raised beef, while reforesting, storing carbon and restoring biodiversity.

Paul W Thomas, Honorary Professor Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling • conversation
Jan. 31, 2022 • ~7 min

Methane in the atmosphere is at an all-time high – here's what it means for climate change

Recent estimates put atmospheric methane at 1,900 parts per billion – close to triple its pre-industrial average.

Euan Nisbet, Professor of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London • conversation
Jan. 26, 2022 • ~8 min

Pricing carbon, valuing people

New research suggests ways to optimize US climate policy design for a just energy transition.

Mark Dwortzan | Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change • mit
Jan. 12, 2022 • ~6 min

Overcoming a bottleneck in carbon dioxide conversion

Study reveals why some attempts to convert the greenhouse gas into fuel have failed, and offers possible solutions.

David Chandler | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 11, 2022 • ~7 min

A dirt cheap solution? Common clay materials may help curb methane emissions

With special treatment, minerals called zeolites — commonly found in cat litter — can efficiently remove the greenhouse gas from the air, researchers report.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 10, 2022 • ~9 min

Q&A: More-sustainable concrete with machine learning

MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab researchers aim to design concrete mixtures that use AI to shrink environmental footprint and cost, while recycling byproducts and increasing performance.

Lauren Hinkel | MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab • mit
Dec. 7, 2021 • ~14 min

In the fight against climate change, China is doing more than you think – but still not enough

China has a tendency to underpromise so it can overdeliver. The UN climate summit in Glasgow may have been the crossroad where it chose a more sustainable path.

Phillip Stalley, Endowed Professor of Environmental Diplomacy & Associate Professor of Political Science, DePaul University • conversation
Dec. 7, 2021 • ~9 min

Timber or steel? Study helps builders reduce carbon footprint of truss structures

New analysis could help identify optimal materials for the crisscrossing struts that bolster bridges, towers, and buildings.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office • mit
Nov. 29, 2021 • ~5 min

Lorry-driver shortages: how retailers are starting to move more goods by train

Increased use of freight trains can ease the HGV driver crisis and improve the air quality, research shows.

Graeme Heron, Senior University Teacher in Operations Management and Continuous Improvement, University of Sheffield • conversation
Nov. 19, 2021 • ~6 min

Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters

Food waste is putting a strain on the environment, but people can make small changes at home to help, recent research shows.

Siobhan Maderson, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and Associate Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University • conversation
Nov. 17, 2021 • ~6 min

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