In the Media

A new generation of nuclear reactors could hold the key to a green future

Time    ·    November 16, 2021

MIT spinout Oklo is in the process of developing a next-gen, nuclear “microreactor” designed for remote communities that often need to rely on expensive, imported fuels.

Opinion: Closing California’s last nuclear power plant would be a mistake

The Washington Post    ·    November 16, 2021

The Washington Post Editorial Board argues against the closure of California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, citing a recent study from MIT and Stanford University on the economic and climate benefits of keeping it operational for at least another decade.

Keeping California’s Last Nuclear Plant Can Save Money, Climate: MIT-Stanford Study

Bloomberg Green    ·    November 8, 2021

A study from MIT and Stanford found that keeping California's Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open through at least 2035 would cut the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 10% peach year, reports Bloomberg Green

Will the climate crisis force America to reconsider nuclear power?

The Economist    ·    November 8, 2021

The Economist reports on a recent study from MIT and Stanford that highlights the climate and economic benefits of keeping the California Diablo Canyon Nuclear plant open.

Carbon dioxide removal: Carbon capture and storage

Climate Now    ·    November 8, 2021

Carbon capture and storage technology will need to play a substantial role in net emissions reduction, but to do so it will have to scale up to billions of tons of capture annually. In Part I of Climate Now's two-part Carbon Capture and Storage series, Howard Herzog (MITEI) joins host Ozak Esu and Julio Friedmann to explain the science behind carbon capture, how much it costs, and who is leading the industry.

COP26 is bringing many calls for action. Some are already taking action

The Washington Post    ·    November 6, 2021

Many climate organizations, initiatives, and innovations are already working to make the declarations made at the COP26 conference a reality, including Jessika Trancik (Institute for Data, Systems, and Society), who developed a carbon counter that details the carbon impacts of different cars, and Form Energy, an MIT spinout using the oxidation process for grid-scale energy storage.

Nuclear power is COP26’s quiet controversy

Time    ·    November 5, 2021

Sergey Paltsev (MITEI, MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change) shares his thoughts on the economics and safety of nuclear energy.

A material thinner than human hair could slash carbon emissions

Bloomberg Green    ·    November 4, 2021

Osmoses, an MIT spinout co-founded by 2019-2020 MIT Energy Fellow Francesco Benedetti, aims to reduce industrial carbon emissions and improve carbon capture by using a membrane material that’s thinner than human hair. “We envision applying our technology to increase the sustainability of existing infrastructure,” he says.

Is it green, or forever toxic? Nuclear rift at climate talks

AP    ·    November 4, 2021

Kerry Emanuel (Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences) discusses nuclear power and climate change. With a "growing awareness of the rise of climate risks around the world, people are beginning to say, 'that's a bit more frightening than nuclear power plants,'" Emanuel comments.

MIT spinoff Via Separations scores $38M Series B to decarbonize manufacturing

TechCrunch    ·    October 29, 2021

Via Separations, an MIT spinout focused on decarbonizing the chemical industry, raised $38 million in their most recent round of funding.

Here’s what every degree of heat rise could do to the economy

CBS News    ·    October 28, 2021

Christopher Knittel (MIT Sloan School of Management, MITEI) comments on technology developments that can help in the fight against climate change.

Builders Private Capital launches $300M clean energy investment platform

WTVY News 4    ·    October 27, 2021

Francis O’Sullivan, MITEI’s former director of research and current senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has joined Builders Private Capital—a climate-focused investment firm—as a managing director of the company’s new clean energy investment platform.

Sergey Paltsev from MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change joins Yahoo Finance’s All Markets Summit 2021

Yahoo News    ·    October 25, 2021

Sergey Paltsev (MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, MITEI) discussed the path forward for climate action in the leadup to the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November with Yahoo Finance’s Brian Cheung at the 2021 Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit.

Nearly $7 million awarded in first Earthshot Prizes

The New York Times    ·    October 17, 2021

Former MIT Tata Center Fellow Kevin Kung’s startup Takachar was one of the winners of the new Earthshot Prize, a newly established environmental prize organized by Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge. Takachar’s technology combats pollution from agricultural burning by converting crop residues into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertilizer.

Op-Ed: Helsinki wants to go greener sooner, so the city held a novel competition

The Los Angeles Times    ·    October 16, 2021

Carlo Ratti (Architecture) discusses how the Finnish City of Helsinki hosted an Energy Challenge to solicit ideas and solutions to accelerate the city’s transition to green energy.

The startup growing protein with robots to decarbonize agriculture

AgFunder Network    ·    October 14, 2021

MIT Tata Center spinout FYTO is working to decarbonize agriculture and produces protein-rich aquatic plants that are an environmentally friendly alternative to typical animal feed ingredients.

From soda to blackouts, a global gas crisis is causing havoc

Vice    ·    October 12, 2021

MITEI’s Deputy Director for Policy Chris Knittel comments on the current global gas crisis and its implications for the gas industry moving forward. “If I’m thinking about drilling a well and I see the writing on the wall that these states are moving towards renewables over the next 10 years, I might not want to drill that well.”

In the future, we’ll use growing plants as lamps

Popular Mechanics    ·    October 11, 2021

Michael Strano (Chemical Engineering) and Sheila Kennedy (Architecture) have created light-emitting plants that utilize nanoparticles embedded in leaves.

‘This is a drug for the climate’: A new generation of Boston companies is trying to fight global warming

The Boston Globe    ·    October 6, 2021

“MIT is a global powerhouse for climate change innovation, pumping out world-class talent in disciplines crucial for climate tech companies,” reports Pranshu Verma in the Boston Globe on spinouts like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Form Energy, Via Separations, and more.

Can nuclear fusion put the brakes on climate change?

The New Yorker    ·    October 4, 2021

The New Yorker explores the history, current standing, and potential impacts of nuclear fusion in helping to decarbonize the world’s energy systems. Writer Rivka Galchen came to MIT’s campus and takes us from the early fusion efforts in the 1970s, to the founding of MIT spin-off Commonwealth Fusion Systems, and to last month’s successful test of a high temperature superconducting electromagnet.