MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy

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MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy

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We conduct actionable, evidence-based research to improve understanding of sustainability challenges.

Our research enables decision-makers to devise effective strategies to address global change and enhance well-being for current and future generations. Confronting Global Environmental Change: Science and Policy Working Together

The Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change is MIT's response to the research, analysis and communication challenges of global environmental change. We combine scientific research with policy analysis to provide an independent, integrative assessment of the impacts of global change and how best to respond. Our team is composed of specialists working together from a wide range of disciplines, and our work combines the efforts and expertise of two complementary MIT research centers--the Center for Global Change Science (CGCS) and the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR). We also collaborate with other MIT departments, research institutions and nonprofit organizations worldwide.

10/23/2026

By coupling the expansion of sea ice and circulation under glacial conditions, rather than looking at them individually, co-authors of a new study (including MIT Prof. Raffaele Ferrari and Research Scientist Jonathan Lauderdale, both CS3 affiliates) are painting a larger picture of where dioxide was stored in the ocean during global ice ages and how that may influence larger patterns.
https://eaps.mit.edu/news-impact/qa-jonathan-lauderdale-explains-how-ocean-carbon-sequestration-changes-under-different-glacial-conditions/
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

The interactions between Antarctic sea ice, changing ocean circulation, and colder sea water change where carbon is thought to be stored in the ocean during periods of glaciation.

10/19/2026

The size of the hole in the stratosphere’s layer fluctuates every year, but last month’s, measuring 10.6 million square miles, was especially large. However, longer term trends indicate that the ozone hole is slowly recovering as expected, says MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Susan Solomon.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/septembers-ozone-hole-was-the-biggest-it-has-been-in-25-years-180989657/
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

The size of the hole in the stratosphere's ozone layer fluctuates every year, but last month's, measuring 10.6 million square miles, was especially large

10/14/2026

A new MIT CS3 study pinpoints U.S. states with the steepest warming trends, indicating where measures are needed most.
https://cs3.mit.edu/news-media/news-outreach/mit-cs3-study-pinpoints-states-steepest-warming-trends
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT Energy Initiative

10/13/2026

Scientists reaffirm ‘incontrovertible’ evidence of human influence on climate: a new review co-authored by MIT Prof./CS3 faculty affiliate Susan Solomon shows that more than 3 decades of climate “fingerprint” research has provided overwhelming evidence that gas are driving changes throughout Earth’s system. https://news.agu.org/press-release/scientists-reaffirm-incontrovertible-evidence-of-human-influence-on-climate/
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

The scientific evidence for human-caused global warming is stronger than ever, according to a major new review in Earth’s Future, AGU’s journal for research on the state of the planet and its inhabitants, sustainable and resilient societies, the science of the Anthropocene and predictions of our...

10/08/2026

From Earth system modeling to , MIT CS3 presentations and sessions at the 2026 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting will explore multiple challenges and solutions.
https://cs3.mit.edu/news-media/news-outreach/agu-2026-fall-meeting-focus-research-discovery-action-and-solutions-0
MIT Climate MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT Energy Initiative

Source: AGU Oct 08, 2026 AGU 2026 Fall Meeting to focus on research, discovery, action and solutions emerging from the Earth and space science community MIT CS3 presentations and sessions explore multiple sustainability challenges and solutions By Mark Dwortzan | MIT Center for Sustainability Scie...

10/02/2026

A paper co-authored by MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Christopher Knittel argued that the administration's calculations contained major inconsistencies, such as in its assumptions about how consumers value the benefits of saving fuel. "If you do the analysis right, we found that revoking these standards does not save consumers money," said Knittel.
MIT Climate MIT Sloan School of Management MIT Energy Initiative

The move marked the final step in the administration’s efforts to dismantle policies aimed at speeding the shift to electric vehicles.

09/28/2026

A new way of simulating turbines in the field shows how tweaking turbine operation could unlock tens of thousands of dollars per turbine everyyear, finds study co-authored by MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Michael Howland
https://news.mit.edu/2026/pressurized-experiments-could-help-wind-farms-generate-more-power-0928
MIT Climate MIT Energy Initiative

By pressurizing wind tunnels, researchers were able to simulate field conditions at wind farms, helping to validate predictive models and identify ways to get more power from existing wind farms.

09/28/2026

Presenting the October 2026 e-newsletter of the MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy. In this issue: Predicting large disparities in access to , water, and in 2050; putting waste into perspective; mapping extreme weather risks; pricing; depletion.
https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?e=__test_email__&u=3fa6d9dc734d557f6a8dee722&id=1c18e3d679
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT Energy Initiative MIT Sloan School of Management

09/24/2026

Brazil will chair a new body in an ambitious effort to align the world’s fragmented markets – a development that MIT Prof./CS3 faculty affiliate Catherine Wolfram calls a 'huge step.'
MIT Climate MIT Energy Initiative MIT Sloan School of Management

Brazil will chair a new body in an ambitious effort to align the world’s fragmented carbon markets – despite its own not launching until 2030.

09/18/2026

MIT researchers, including several affiliated with CS3, are advancing tools to help evaluate a location’s vulnerabilities to flooding, cyclones, humid heat waves, or other -related events.

MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT Energy Initiative

MIT researchers are translating climate science into actionable tools for extreme weather preparedness. The Climate Grand Challenges project has produced papers, digital tools, and datasets to help planners and utilities assess flood, hurricane, wildfire, and heat risks.

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