Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change

Southeast Asia is seen shrouded by smoke in this NASA satellite photo.

Clearing the air over Southeast Asia

Study finds reducing biomass burning is not enough to significantly improve air quality in Southeast Asia.

May 7, 2018

Signifying the forest, the Climate Changed Symposium dinner appetizer was a trio of dried, preserved and foraged mushrooms — fungi known to help the soil store carbon dioxide and thus slow the pace of climate change.

What will we eat in the year 2050?

Climate Changed Symposium combines art and science to envision the global food system under climate change.

April 30, 2018

“In China, as you go to tighter and tighter climate policies, you continue to reduce pollutant emissions from coal, whereas the U.S. has already reduced a lot of its air pollution from coal through end-of-pipe technologies,” Karplus says.

Study: Health benefits will offset cost of China’s climate policy

A 4 percent reduction per year in carbon dioxide emissions should net $339 billion in health savings in 2030, researchers estimate.

April 23, 2018

At Michigan State University’s W. K. Kellogg Biological Station, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center researchers are evaluating the performance of a variety of novel bioenergy crop production systems for crop yield and quality, impacts on microbial-plant interactions, biogeochemical and biodiversity responses and water use.

Gauging the effects of water scarcity on an irrigated planet

Study projects likely impacts on food prices, bioenergy production, and deforestation.

April 19, 2018

Putting a price on carbon, in the form of a fee or tax on the producers of fossil fuels, can be an effective way to curb emissions of greenhouse gases.

Carbon taxes could make significant dent in climate change, study finds

Several different carbon-pricing approaches would help reduce emissions, and some would be fair as well, researchers report.

April 6, 2018

Air pollution in Bangladesh and Northern India

Projecting the impacts of climate change

Joint Program researchers advocate for improved modeling approach.

February 13, 2018

On Jan. 25, the MIT Climate Action Team organized a carbon-pricing panel that included (from left to right) Massachusetts State Sen. Michael Barrett, State Rep. Jennifer Benson, Climate XChange Research and Policy Director Marc Breslow, Associate Professor Janelle Knox-Hayes, Joint Program Co-director and Sloan School of Management Senior Lecturer John Reilly, and Center for Energy and Environment...

Is Massachusetts ready for carbon pricing?

Panel at MIT explores benefits, costs, and political challenges.

January 30, 2018

$Hydraulic fracturing is an industrial process in which a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is injected into a well at rates of up to 4,000 gallons per minute, at pressures up to 10,000 pounds per square inch.$

Charting gas and oil's future in a decarbonizing world

New analytical method addressing the dynamic nature of the petroleum industry could enable more accurate energy scenarios.

January 12, 2018

Members of the MIT delegation to the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference gather outside the venue in Bonn, Germany (l-r): Jonas Knapp, Laur Hesse Fisher, Michael Casey, Kathleen Kennedy, Thomas Malone, Jessika Trancik, Stephen Lee, Morgan Edwards, Tom Kiley, and Erick Pinos.

Exploring ethical dimensions of climate negotiation

MIT researchers focus on empathy, transparency, and empowerment at this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference.

December 18, 2017

Large power transformers are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather conditions exacerbated by climate change.

Preventing the next blackout

An MIT study projects the potential impact of climate change on large power transformers in U.S. Northeast.

December 5, 2017

“I remain optimistic about the ability of international agreements to address environmental problems, primarily because that’s the only solution we have at this point,” associate professor Noelle Selin says.

Noelle Selin: Tracing toxins around the world

Atmospheric chemist takes on pollutants and the global treaties written to control them.

October 22, 2017

Researchers have found there is often a strong case for building relatively modest, incremental additions to water infrastructure in advanced countries, rather than expensive larger-scale projects that may be needed only rarely.

Case study suggests new approach to urban water supply

One drought remedy: Keep infrastructure fast, cheap, and under control.

August 14, 2017

“The Indian monsoon is considered a textbook, clearly defined phenomenon, and we think we know a lot about it, but we don’t,” says Senior Research Scientist Chien Wang. An image from Varanasi, India, shows flooding in 2011.

Study: Indian monsoons have strengthened over past 15 years

A 50-year dry spell has reversed, with more rain to come.

July 24, 2017

“In the Southwest, water availability for irrigation is already a concern,” says Elodie Blanc, a research scientist at MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. “If we mitigate, this could prevent added stress associated with climate change and a severe decrease in runoff in the western United States. But it will be even worse in the future if we don’t do anything a...

Climate change to deplete some US water basins, reduce irrigated crop yields

By 2050, the Southwest will produce significantly less cotton and forage, researchers report.

July 11, 2017

Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change Research Scientist Kenneth Strzepek meets with Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture Tefera Deribew.

Charting a better future for Africa

Kenneth Strzepek applies models to help decision makers advance food security and sustainable development in a climate-compromised continent.

June 22, 2017

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