MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy

S2 E2 - Climate Modeling | Climate Reveal | Episode 2 We've touched on the use for and impact of climate models in past episodes, but today we take a deep dive into the world of climate modeling - how it works, what the challenges are, what climate model...

New Climate Reveal podcast explores #climate modeling - how it works, its challenges, what it tells us about our future, and how best to communicate that info. Featuring Yi Ming, Prof. of Earth & Environmental Sciences @ Boston College, and Jennifer Morris, Principal Research Scientist @ MIT CS3.

Post-COP 30 Modeling Shows World Is Far Off Track for Climate Goals - Inside Climate News After yet another international climate summit ended last fall without binding commitments to phase out fossil fuels, a leading global climate model is offering a stark forecast for the decades ahead....

Our latest MIT Global Change Outlook finds that while current climate policies and economic indicators put the world on track for dangerous warming, accelerated #climate action could provide a major course correction. 🧪

MIT CS3 students and postdocs present IAP 2026 lecture series on climate science and policy

MIT CS3 students and postdocs presented an MIT Independent Activities Period 2026 lecture series on the fundamentals of #climate #science and #policy in January. Click the link to access videos of the entire series. 🧪

Guest post: 10 key climate science ‘insights’ from 2025 - Carbon Brief Annual “10 new insights in climate science” report offers a snapshot of key advances in the scientific understanding of the climate system

The 7th key #climate science 'insight' from 2025, 'Impacts on #labor #productivity,' shows how increasing heat stress is projected to reduce working hours and economic output. This insight is co-authored by MIT CS3 Principal Research Scientist Jennifer Morris. 🧪

5 Big Reasons Why Electricity Prices Are So High Right Now The average U.S. household is projected to spend nearly $1,000 this winter to heat its home.

One reason why #electricity #Prices are so high right now is #datacenter expansion, notes MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Christopher Knittel. Electricity costs have increased by as much as 267% compared to five years ago in areas near new data centers, finds a recent Bloomberg News analysis.

Climate Reveal

Climate Reveal, a new podcast that pairs world-class researchers with industry leaders and educators, transforms complex #climate science into accessible, conversational and hopeful insights. Multiple MIT CS3 researchers have shared their expertise on the podcast.🧪 tinyurl.com/4snrf5r4

Meet a U.S. Start-Up Trying to Break China’s Rare-Earth Monopoly

Aiming to compete with Chinese suppliers of rare earths, a New Hampshire startup recently began producing metal using new processing methods. MIT CS3 faculty affiliate Elsa Olivetti highlights some challenges.

Powering up (and saving) the planet As the Institute’s first VP for energy and climate, Evelyn Wang ’00 is marshaling MIT’s expertise to meet the greatest challenge of our age.

As MIT's first VP for #energy and #climate, Evelyn Wang ’00 is marshaling MIT’s expertise to meet the greatest challenge of our age. MIT CS3-affiliated faculty members concur with her assessment of the mission ahead.

Post-COP30, more aggressive policies needed to cap global warming at 1.5 C The 2025 Global Change Outlook from the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy presents the latest projections for earth’s energy and climate systems under two policy scenarios - one based...

Projections in our 2025 Global Change Outlook show that aggressive cuts in greenhouse gas #emissions can lead to significant reductions in global #warming and #precipitation, and thereby lower the risks of damaging #climate impacts. 🧪

Introducing the Minerals Stewardship Consortium at MIT The new Minerals Stewardship Consortium at MIT convenes industry, academia, and policy leaders to navigate competing demands and reimagine materials supply.

Mining 2.0: New MIT Minerals Stewardship Consortium is studying ways to "strategically elevate the environmental, social and economic impacts of #mining while also building resilient and ethical mineral supply chains,” says MIT Professor/CS3 affiliate Elsa Olivetti, the MSC faculty co-director.

2025 Global Change Outlook. Photo credit: iStock

The Dec. 2025/Jan. 2026 edition of the MIT CS3 e-newsletter features the release of our 2025 Global Change Outlook, which uses modeled projections to show how accelerated #climate action can reduce risks to natural and societal systems and advance #sustainability goals. 🧪
tinyurl.com/hc5rjtj8

Making clean energy investments more successful New research emphasizes the importance of well-validated models and forecasting tools in evaluating choices for investments in clean energy technologies and policies by governments and companies.

New study co-authored by MIT Professor/CS3 affiliate Jessika Trancik explores the role of data-driven, predictive tools in optimizing clean #energy investment decision-making by governments and businesses. 🧪

Post-COP30, more aggressive policies needed to cap global warming at 1.5°C

#COP30 underscored that more aggressive policies will be needed to cap global warming at #1.5°C. Our just-released 2025 Global Change Outlook shows how accelerated action can reduce #climate risks and improve #sustainability outcomes, while highlighting potential geopolitical hurdles. 🧪

When companies “go green,” air quality impacts can vary dramatically Many organizations are taking actions to shrink their carbon footprint, such as purchasing electricity from renewable sources or reducing air travel. MIT researchers found that even if each activity a...

MIT CS3 researchers and collaborators found that industry’s actions to shrink their carbon footprint—like buying renewable electricity or reducing air travel—can both cut CO₂ emissions but have very different impacts on overall air quality. #climate #airquality #sustainability 🧪

New international coalition aims to strengthen carbon markets "Carbon pricing is not dead," expert says of group led by Brazil with 18 members including China and the EU that have carbon markets.

Inspired and informed by a Global Climate Policy Project report spearheaded by MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Catherine Wolfram, leaders from 20 countries and the European Union eventually signed on to a new Open Coalition for Compliance Carbon Markets. E&E News: tinyurl.com/2wbukuh4

Episode 5 - Health and Climate | Climate Reveal | Episode 5 In our 5th episode, we look at the health impacts of the climate crisis, both direct and indirect. Noelle Eckley Selin, Director of MIT’s Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy, and Professor ...

Listen to a conversation about the impact of #climate change on human #health with MIT CS3 Director Noelle Selin & Boston College (BC) Director of the Global Observatory on Planetary Health Philip Landrigan in Climate Reveal, a BC podcast that explores climate challenges & potential solutions. 🧪

How might national vulnerabilities to disruptions in global #food trade impact countries' food security by 2050? MIT CS3 Research Scientist Kenneth Strzepek & colleagues from the International Food Policy Research Institute present latest findings @ an IFPRI policy seminar in Washington D.C.

New En-ROADS Map: Take a closer look at local temperature change The latest addition to the En-ROADS Simulator lets you visualize local temperature change under different climate scenarios.

A new, interactive map co-developed by Climate Interactive and MIT's Bringing Computation to the Climate Challenge (BC3) displays projected temperature changes in local areas across the century under different scenarios. The BC3 team includes many CS3-affiliated researchers. (Climate Interactive) 🧪

Episode 4 - Farm to Table | Climate Reveal | Episode 4 In this episode, we talk with Frances Moore Lappé, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute, researcher, and author or co-author of 21 books, including Diet for a Small Planet, and Angelo Gurgel, a pr...

MIT CS3 Principal Research Scientist Angelo Gurgel and Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet, discuss the impact of #food and #agriculture on the #climate in Climate Reveal, a Boston College podcast that explores specific climate challenges and potential solutions.🧪

Episode 3 - Energy Essentials (plus a bonus asteroid conversation!) | Climate Reveal | Episode 3 In this episode, we break down the energy needs of the world and discuss the best big picture approach to meet those needs moving forward. We talk with Sergey Paltsev, Deputy Director of the MIT Cente...

MIT CS3 Deputy Director Sergey Paltsev shares his expertise on the world's #energy needs and how best to meet them in Climate Reveal, a Boston College Creative Communication Lab podcast that explores specific aspects of the #climate crisis and ongoing work toward solutions. 🧪

Episode 1 - Weather vs Climate | Climate Reveal | Episode 1 In our first episode, we dig into the basics. Joined in studio by WBZ Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher and Adam Schlosser, Senior Research Scientist and Deputy Director at the MIT Center for Sustainabi...

‪WBZ Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher and MIT CS3 Deputy Director C. Adam Schlosser explore #climate challenges and solutions in Climate Reveal, a new podcast produced by the Boston College Creative Communication Lab that explores specific aspects of the crisis and ongoing work toward solutions. 🧪

With the UN #climate change conference (#cop30) soon to begin in Brazil, the focus of our November e-newsletter is on CS3's recently published work that informs efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 🧪 tinyurl.com/48wfe4yd

Increasing heat stress is projected to reduce working hours and economic output. (Source: Future Earth)

Increasing heat stress is projected to reduce working hours & economic output, according to the 7th Insight in the new report '10 New Insights in Climate Science.' Insight 7, 'Impacts on labor productivity,' is co-authored by MIT CS3 Principal Research Scientist Jennifer Morris. tinyurl.com/r2nxndzn

AGU Fall Meeting to focus on the connections that underpin the Earth and space science community

Over 20 MIT CS3-affiliated researchers who are first authors of oral and poster presentations, or primary conveners of conference sessions, will explore #sustainability challenges and solutions in 30 presentations/sessions at the 2025 AGU Fall Meeting on Dec. 15-19 in New Orleans/online. #AGU25 🧪

When scientists reconstruct ancient climates from ice cores, how do they create an accurate timeline? Researchers use chemical analyses, computer models, and other tools to date these valuable climate archives.

Q: When scientists reconstruct ancient climates from ice cores, how do they create an accurate timeline? A: Researchers like MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate David McGee use chemical analyses, computer models, and other tools to date these valuable #climate archives. (MIT Climate Portal) 🧪

Combining agriculture with forestry could accelerate climate progress

A new CS3-led study projects that in Northern #Italy, #agroforestry could significantly enhance the region’s #carbon sequestration capability. The study's findings suggest that this #climate-smart practice may ultimately help reduce #agriculture’s carbon footprint across the globe. 🧪

Presenting the October edition of MIT CS3's e-newsletter. Learn about our latest research on risks to the marine #food web and #carbon cycle, declining costs for renewable #energy systems, #climate models that can sometimes outperform #AI, and more. tinyurl.com/4xn2k7at #sustainability 🧪

How South Asia Can Adapt to Extreme Heat Extreme heat waves could soon make conditions in large parts of our planet extremely dangerous.

MIT Prof./CS3 faculty affiliate Elfatih Eltahir highlights how projections from a #climate #resilience early warning system (JO-CREWSnet) involving several CS3 researchers could be used to analyze human systems, ID high-risk hotspots & develop/test effective solutions in frontline communities. 🧪

Report: Big businesses are doing carbon dioxide removal all wrong The technology is needed to limit global warming. But corporations are supporting it in lieu of emissions reductions.

"[MIT CS3's] John Reilly, a senior lecturer emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management, said that ultimately, proper regulation of corporate #climate commitments — including of durable [carbon dioxide removal] CDR—will fall on governments." - Grist

MITEI’s Future Energy Systems Center funds ten new research projects to advance the energy transition The MIT Energy Initiative’s (MITEI) Future Energy Systems Center will fund ten new projects, with topics ranging from distributed energy resources to electrolyzer design. Several projects relate to th...

The MIT Energy Initiative Future Energy Systems Center is funding ten new research projects to advance the #energy transition. Two of those projects - led by MIT CS3 researchers - will explore viable pathways for expanding clean #electricity and deploying #ammonia as a low-carbon alternative fuel. 🧪