MIT Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy

08/23/2026

Commentary co-authored by MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Christopher Knittel argues for a mileage-based approach to how we tax auto travel. (WBUR)
https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2026/08/18/highway-trust-fund-gas-tax-vmt-tax-christopher-knittel
MIT Sloan School of Management MIT Climate MIT Energy Initiative

“Electric vehicle owners create a real problem for transportation finance,” write Christopher Knittel and Gilbert E. Metcalf. “Because they do not buy gasoline, they do not pay gasoline taxes, which have long helped fund the Highway Trust Fund." So, as electric vehicles become more common that...

08/12/2026

AI’s biggest threat isn’t the power draw of data centers — it’s the economic growth AI unleashes, argue MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate John Sterman and co-author in a forthcoming book chapter.
MIT Climate MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan School of Management researchers find that AI’s biggest climate threat isn’t the power draw of data centers — it’s the economic growth AI unleashes.

08/11/2026

MIT CS3/MIT Energy Initiative Principal Research Scientist Jennifer Morris's latest project aims to enable decision-makers to assess the regional economic effects of different pathways. In this Researcher Profile, we explore her career path and its potential impact on society.
https://cs3.mit.edu/news-media/news-outreach/researcher-profile-3-questions-jennifer-morris
MIT Climate MIT Energy Initiative

08/11/2026

Shifting to low- and zero-carbon sources can have ripple effects on a region’s , from water supply to food production to employment. A new project funded by Schmidt Sciences and co-led by MIT CS3 Principal Research Scientists Jennifer Morris and Angelo Gurgel aims to enable decision-makers to assess the potential economy-wide impacts of multiple pathways.

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

Five international teams will bridge abstract global climate models to the realities of grids, cities, farms, factories and communities Media Contact: Carlie Wiener, [email protected] NEW YORK—Five international research teams will receive $26 million over five years from Schmidt Science...

08/03/2026

Articles featured in our August 2026 e-newsletter show CS3 researchers are advancing our understanding of the Earth's interwoven natural and societal systems; providing actionable information for , and business planners; and addressing ongoing planetary and regional changes.

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

07/16/2026

The most comprehensive and rigorously quality-controlled interior data product for studies, GLODAPv3 enables quantitative assessment of biogeochemical changes and feedbacks between change and the ocean. MIT CS3 Principal Research Scientist Ryan Woosley contributed to this upgrade.
https://ocean-icu.eu/latest-news/glodapv3-is-here/
MIT Climate MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences

07/16/2026

MIT Professor/CS3 faculty affiliate Michael Howland and MIT co-authors of new Nature Energy study find that where new and projects are built could be key to avoiding blackouts in a future with hotter weather and other challenges.

MIT Energy Initiative MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering MIT Climate

The location of new energy projects will play a significant role in meeting future demand in a changing climate, MIT researchers report. They created a way to make more climate-informed decisions about siting new energy systems, which can in turn make the grid more resilient and reduce blackouts.

07/01/2026

Scenarios can be a powerful tool to explore a wide range of potential outcomes for impacts, and water security, air quality, and other indicators. The July edition of the MIT CS3 e-newsletter explores how CS3 researchers are designing, modeling and applying to inform decision-making.
https://tinyurl.com/yeyvckrv
MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences MIT Energy Initiative MIT Sloan School of Management MIT Climate

07/01/2026

What's the best use of a tract of land? To support long-term planning, MIT CS3 researchers are advancing a new modeling framework that projects the future of land use in a geographic region at high resolution.
https://cs3.mit.edu/news-media/news-outreach/research-insight-advancing-scenario-based-modeling-framework-long-term
MIT Energy Initiative MIT Climate

07/01/2026

Congratulations to MIT CS3 Director Noelle Selin, who has been named as TEPCO Professor in the MIT Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS) and MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS)!

Established at MIT in 1992 as part of a $5 million gift from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), now Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., the professorship supports a succession of distinguished faculty engaged in research on global environmental issues.
https://cs3.mit.edu/news-media/news-outreach/mit-cs3-director-noelle-selin-named-tepco-professor