TILclimate

When talking about climate change solutions, we often hear about reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts, but a third option is starting to get more attention: altering the atmosphere. In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT alumnus Janos Pasztor joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to explain geoengineering: what it is and the different technologies that are being researched. They also dive into the opportunities and challenges presented by geoengineering, and what difficult decisions we might need to make as a society. Janos Pasztor, an MIT alum, is the Executive Director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative (C2G2), which seeks to create effective governance for geoengineering; it aims to expand the conversation from the scientific and research community to global policy-making, and to encourage a society-wide discussion about the risks, potential benefits, ethical and governance challenges. Before his current position, Mr. Pasztor was the UN Assistant Secretary General for Climate Change and the Policy and Science Director of the WWF (2012-2015). From 1993–2006, he worked at the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more short climate change explainers, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Links To learn more, check out: Mr. Pasztor’s work: Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative Website Video - Global Ethics Forum: The Ethics and Governance of Geoengineering (Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs) For more information on geoengineering: What is geoengineering? (Oxford Geoengineering Programme) Geoengineering overview (Global Challenges) Rules for geoengineering the planet (MIT Technology Review) Excerpt from “Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair, and Restoration (Holly Jean Buck, published in MIT Technology Review) More on absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (carbon dioxide removal): Nature-based solutions (World Resources Institute) Direct air capture (DAC) (Fortune) * Biomass Energy Carbon Capture & Storage (BECCS) (Carbon Brief) More on solar radiation management: Stratospheric aerosol injection (CBS) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Cecelia Bolon, Student Production Assistant Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and MIT Open Learning. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What exactly is a carbon price, and how does it work? What would it look like and how would it change everyday life? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT economics professor Christopher Knittel joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to break down the complexities of carbon pricing. Together, they explain different types of programs, give us a sense of how much it would cost, and explore how countries and U.S. states are experimenting with carbon pricing now. Christopher Knittel is a professor of applied economics at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR), and co-director of the MIT Electric Power Systems Low Carbon Energy Center. Prof. Knittel’s research focuses on energy and environmental economics, and he works to compare the efficiency and costs of different programs and policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For more climate explainers, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Links For more information on carbon pricing, check out: The work of Prof. Knittel: Prof. Knittel’s website Overviews of carbon pricing: About Carbon Pricing (UNFCCC) Map - Carbon pricing programs around the world (World Bank) Map - U.S. state carbon pricing policies (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions) Examples of carbon pricing policies outside of the U.S.: British Columbia’s Carbon Tax (British Columbia) Canada’s Carbon Pricing Plan (Government of Canada) European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU) China will start the world’s largest carbon trading market (Scientific American) Examples of carbon pricing policies in the U.S.: California’s Current Cap and Trade System (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions) The existing Northeast US Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) Federal carbon pricing proposals introduced 2017–2018 (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions) Citizens of Washington state voted against a carbon tax in 2018 (NBC) About the US sulfur dioxide (SO2) cap and trade program Acid Rain Program (EPA) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Cecelia Bolon, Student Production Assistant Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and MIT Open Learning. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

With climate change, some parts of the world will get more water, but others will experience droughts. Some will start seeing more mosquitoes, but some fewer. And some regions might actually benefit economically. What’s the deal? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Elfatih Eltahir joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to talk about how climate impacts will differ across the globe. Together, they do a quick world tour, exploring how climate change will affect malaria in Africa, water availability in the Nile, and heat waves in Southern Asia. Elfatih Eltahir is a professor of Hydrology and Climate in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and he has taught at MIT since 1994. Prof. Eltahir is interested in understanding how regional land use/land cover change, as well as global climate change, may impact society through changes in the patterns of water availability, extreme weather, and spread of vector-borne diseases. Working with his students, he develops numerical models that are used for predicting these impacts at regional scales. For more short climate change explainers, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Links For more information on regional climate impacts, check out: The work of Prof. Eltahir: Prof. Eltahir’s website China could face deadly heat waves due to climate change (MIT News) Parts of Asia might be too hot for people by 2100 (National Geographic) Nile faces greater variability (MIT News) 3Q: Elfatih Eltahir on what Malaria and Dengue can tell us about Zika (MIT News) The New York Times graphic that Prof. Eltahir mentions at 9:10: How Americans Think About Climate Change, in Six Maps (New York Times) Large-scale climate: Climate change and vector-borne diseases (UCAR) Sand from Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet Could Bring in Business (American Geophysical Union) Does global warming mean it’s warming everywhere? (NOAA) More Floods and More Droughts: Climate Change Delivers Both (New York Times) Climate impacts in the US: National Climate Assessment Overview (U.S. Global Change Research Program) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer [David Lishansky]((https://twitter.com/DaveResonates), Editor and Producer Cecelia Bolon, Student Production Assistant Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and MIT Open Learning. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

How do we make choices in the face of uncertainty? In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Kerry Emanuel joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to talk about climate risk. Together, they break down why the climate system is so hard to predict, what exactly scientists mean when they talk about “uncertainty”, and how scientists quantify and assess the risks associated with climate change. Although this uncertainty shrinks every day — as researchers refine their work, computing power grows, and models improve — what we do and how quickly we act will ultimately come down to how much risk we are willing to accept. Kerry Emanuel is an MIT Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and the co-founder and co-director of the MIT Lorenz Center. In 2006, he was included in Time Magazine’s “100 People who Shape Our World”. Through his decades of experience studying the atmosphere and earth’s climate, Prof. Emanuel focuses on trying to quantify the risks of these anthropogenic (human-caused) changes, especially focusing on hurricanes. For more short climate change explainers, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Links For more information on climate risk, check out: The work of Prof. Emanuel: Prof. Emanuel’s website Video lecture on climate risks Information about predicted levels of warming and impacts of that warming: Summary of the impacts of 1.5 degrees of warming (MIT Climate Portal) 2100 warming projections (climateactiontracker.org) Climate action ratings by country (climateactiontracker.org) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Cecelia Bolon, Student Production Assistant Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and Laura Howells. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Scientists predict that hurricanes will hit us harder in the future — but why? And what can we expect to see? In this episode of #TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Kerry Emanuel joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to break down how these “heat engines” work and how a changing climate will increase hurricane intensity, storm surges, and flooding. They also explore how people around the world are adapting to growing hurricane risks. Prof. Emanuel is the Cecil & Ida Green Professor of Atmospheric Science at the MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences and co-director of the MIT Lorenz Center. He is a prominent meteorologist and climate scientist who studies tropical cyclones. In 2006, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the “100 People Who Shape Our World”. An educator guide for this episode can be found here: https://climate.mit.edu/educator-guide-til-about-hurricanes For other climate explanations, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Learn more about: The work of Prof. Emanuel and other hurricane researchers: Prof. Kerry Emanuel’s website Kerry Emanuel: This year’s hurricanes are a taste of the future (MIT News) Does climate change affect hurricanes? What we do — and don’t — know (CBS News) Video footage of storm surges (as mentioned by Prof. Emanuel 5:59) Hurricane storm surge (NOAA Ocean Today) Kerry Emanuel’s explanation for natural sea level rise in New York (As mentioned by Prof. Emanuel 6:30): “During the peak of the glaciation, the weight of the ice deformed the earth's crust much as a rock deforms a pillow it is placed on. The pillow sinks under the weight of the rock but bulges upward just outside the perimeter of the rock. When the rock is lifted, the depression in the pillow rebounds upward while the bulge around it collapses. New York was near the center of the bulge caused by the ice sheet, and when it melted, the bulge relaxed downward...equivalent to a rise in sea level. That is still happening.” Examples of how communities are adapting to hurricanes: Partnerships to advance climate risk insurance approaches in Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia (UNFCCC) Connected mangroves in Malaysia (UNFCCC) National resettlement plan in Uruguay (UNFCCC) Public private people partnerships for climate compatible development (4PCCD) in Mozambique (UNFCCC) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Cecelia Bolon, Student Coordinator Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and Laura Howells. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Humans use around 90 billion metric tons of materials every year, creating about ⅓ of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Which materials produce the most emissions? You might be surprised. In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Elsa Olivetti joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to talk about materials, or as Prof. Olivetti calls it, “the study of stuff”. Prof. Olivetti explains where these emissions come from and how to reduce emissions and waste in our manufacturing. Prof. Olivetti is the Atlantic Richfield Associate Professor of Energy Studies in the Material Science and Engineering Department at MIT. Prof. Olivetti focuses her research on developing strategies to make materials and manufacturing more efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly. For other climate explanations, check out: www.tilclimate.mit.edu. Read more about: Prof. Olivetti’s projects: Brick made out of industrial waste Faculty Highlight: Elsa Olivetti (MIT News) Solutions developed at MIT & beyond: A company founded by MIT alumni recently developed a new way to process steel, that could cut 5% of CO2 emissions MIT students found that plastic from disposable water bottles can be used to make concrete that is up to 15% stronger (MIT News) An MIT Climate CoLab winner designed concrete made from hemp An MIT research group focused on sustainable concrete Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Cecelia Bolon, Student Coordinator Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and Laura Howells. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Wrap your head around this: humans have changed clouds. In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Dan Cziczo joins host Laur Hesse Fisher to spell out why this is, and what this has to do with climate change. They explore how clouds form in the first place, how human activity has impacted cloud formation and rainfall, and what scientists are still trying to understand. They touch upon the emerging field of geoengineering and how humans could create more clouds to cool the planet — but we’ll have full episode on that coming out soon. Prof. Cziczo is a professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and has been an MIT faculty member since 2011. Prof. Cziczo is interested in the relationship between particulate matter and cloud formation, and his research focuses on how human activities are changing clouds and particles, and what those changes mean for atmospheric science. For other short, climate-explainer podcasts, see: www.tilclimate.mit.edu on MIT’s Climate portal. Read more about: Prof. Cziczo and his research: Cziczo Research Group website Can rain clean the atmosphere? Study explains how rain droplets attract aerosols out of the atmosphere. (MIT News) Dust in the Clouds (MIT News) Scientific uncertainty and geoengineering: Certainty vs. Uncertainty: Understanding Scientific Terms about Climate Change (Union of Concerned Scientists) The Future of Geoengineering is Far from Settled (MIT News) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (MIT’s Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Cecelia Bolon, Student Coordinator Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and Laura Howells. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“I love to travel. But I hate the fact that something I love to do, creates so much pollution.” In this episode of TILclimate (Today I Learned: Climate), MIT professor Steven Barrett and host Laur Hesse Fisher dig into how — and why — air travel impacts our earth’s climate, and what solutions are on the horizon. They explore the surprising heating effect of condensation trails (“contrails”), how computer simulations of the earth’s climate system are built, and what scientists and engineers are doing to make flying, well, less bad for the planet. Prof. Barrett is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Director of the Laboratory for Aviation and the Environment. Through this lab, he coordinates the MIT Electric Aircraft Initiative, which aims to assess and develop sustainable electric aircraft technology. To read more about Barrett’s research on contrails, biofuels, fuel efficiency, electric aviation technology, and more, check out the links below. For other short, climate-explainer podcasts, see: www.tilclimate.mit.edu on MIT’s Climate portal. Read more about: Aviation solutions developed at MIT & beyond: MIT Electric Aircraft Initiative research (MIT Electric Aircraft Initiative) Electric planes that have no moving parts (MIT News) Alternative jet fuels that reduce CO2 emissions (Energy Policy Journal) Prof. Steven Barrett and his work: How Air Travel Warms the Planet Steven Barrett: Contrails, Carbon & Climate The earth’s reflectivity based on color (the albedo effect): NASA article on measuring the Earth’s albedo (NASA) MIT research on how urbanization is changing Earth’s albedo (MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub) Articles mentioned in the podcast: For the Love of Earth, Stop Traveling (Washington Post) Empty skies after 9/11 set the stage for an unlikely climate change experiment (Global News) For advice on personal air travel: “I feel guilty about flying… help!” (Yale Climate Conversations - Climate Advice) An overview of climate change: Climate Science and Climate Risk: A Primer (MIT’s Kerry Emanuel) Credits Laur Hesse Fisher, Host and Producer David Lishansky, Editor and Producer Ruby Wincele, Student Researcher Cecelia Bolon, Student Coordinator Music by Blue Dot Sessions Artwork by Aaron Krol Special thanks to Tom Kiley and Laura Howells. Produced by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MIT Climate is launching a new show that breaks down climate science and its impact on our society. Here's a teaser. Full episodes will be released on March 20th. Follow us on Twitter @TILclimate Check out our website tilclimate.mit.edu Send a question you have about the climate to tilclimate@mit.edu