In an article for the Financial Times, DUSP research affiliate Ashley Nunes argues that without some kind of carbon tax, advances in technology will not be enough to fight climate change. Carbon pricing, writes Nunes, “prompts greater awareness of our energy choices and their impact on the environment, and helps us to learn about our consumption habits before it’s too late.”
A study by researchers from MIT and the Technical University of Munich finds that Bitcoin’s annual carbon emissions are equivalent to those of a city or small nation, reports the Xinhua news agency. “The cryptocurrency is imposing [an] increasing burden on global climate since the computing capacity required to solve a Bitcoin puzzle increased more than fourfold in 2018.”
Boston Globe reporter Alison Kuznitz writes that during MIT’s Commencement, former mayor Michael Bloomberg detailed plans for a new initiative aimed at tackling climate change. “This has gone from a scientific challenge to a political problem,” said Bloomberg, “and it’s time for everyone to recognize that climate change is the challenge of our time.”
Researchers from MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab have developed a system of underwater structures to help sand accumulate naturally and elevate islands and coastlines above rising sea levels, reports Jesus Diaz for Fast Company. “Strategically positioned according to currents, these structures will use the energy of waves to accumulate sand in different locations,” Diaz explains.
Boston Globe reporter Bryan Marquard memorializes Prof. Emeritus David Gordon Wilson, known for his work in the field of mechanical engineering and for spurring interest in recumbent bicycles. Marquard notes that in addition to designing a recumbent bicycle that set a world speed record, Wilson was “decades ahead of some modern-day political proposals that aim to address climate change.”
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Wired reporter Matt Simon about the potential impact of technology and automation on everything from jobs and the labor market to climate change. “Technology is an incredibly powerful tool,” says Brynjolfsson, “and if we make the effort, we can use this tool to live lighter on the planet.”
In an article for the BBC, Melissa Hogenboom highlights a study by MIT researchers that finds the U.S. cities with the highest amounts of air pollution had the highest crime rates. Hogenboom writes that while the study was correlational, “it accounted for factors like population, employment levels, age and gender – and pollution was still the main predictor of increased crime levels.”
MITEI senior research engineer Howard Herzog speaks with CNBC about his work with carbon capture, storage and utilization. “Climate change is a very difficult problem to solve and we’re going to need as many technologies as possible to help us solve it at an affordable price,” says Herzog.
In an article for Bloomberg News, Noah Smith highlights a study by MIT researchers that examines the factors influencing the decline in solar prices. The researchers found that, “from 1980 to 2001, government-funded research and development was the main factor in bringing down costs, but from 2001 to 2012, the biggest factor was economies of scale,” Smith explains.
U.S. News & World Report contributor Linda Childers spotlights how the Sloan School of Management is integrating virtual reality tools into its curriculum. Prof. John Sterman explains that a climate simulation game “teaches our business students skills such as improvising, negotiating and public speaking,” adding that, “it reinforces how their decisions can have consequences that last for decades.”
Fast Company reporter Adele Peters highlights a new study co-authored by MIT researchers that examines the impacts of using solar geoengineering to cut global temperature increases caused by climate change in half. The researchers found that “reducing warming would also offset the increasing intensity of hurricanes and would help moderate extreme rain and a lack of water for farming,” Peters explains.
LiveScience reporter Stephanie Pappas writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds that massive tectonic collisions in the tropics may have led to the last three ice ages on Earth. “This could provide a simple tectonic process that explains how Earth goes in and out of glacial periods,” explains Prof. Oliver Jagoutz.
Axios reporter Andrew Freedman writes about a study by MIT researchers examining solar geoengineering. “Contrary to earlier studies that focused on solar geoengineering schemes that would aim to cancel out all human-caused global warming,” Freedman writes, “the new study found that halving the amount of warming would not have widespread, significant negative impacts on temperature, water availability, the intensity of hurricanes or extreme precipitation."
Prof. Kerry Emanuel speaks with Radio Boston about a new study that finds solar geoengineering could mitigate some of the adverse effects of climate change. Emanuel notes that solar geoengineering “is sort of like an emergency alarm that you would sound or something you would keep in your back pocket to play if things get desperate.”
WBUR’s Mali Sastri highlights Olafur Eliasson’s art installation, “Northwest Passage,” on display in the MIT.nano building thanks to MIT’s Percent for Art program, which provides funds for art at new buildings or renovation projects on campus. Sastri explains that the piece aims to engage “viewers in the embodied experience of climate change.”