Hazards
The science behind earthquakes, extreme weather, pollution, and other hazards, and how communities and governments can prepare.
Contaminants Drought Earthquakes Extreme weather Flooding Heat waves Hurricanes Pollution Severe storms Tsunamis Volcanoes Wildfires
Site news
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How can air quality policies adapt to the new world of pollution trends shaped by wildfire smoke? Learn about the growing problem of air polluted by wildfire smoke, and what the data show about policies that can make a difference.
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With support from the TomKat Center’s Graduate Fellowship in Translational Research, PhD student Daniel Neamati is modeling prescribed burns to better manage wildfires.
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A new Stanford-led study finds that controlled, low-intensity fires known as prescribed burns can slash wildfire intensity and dangerous smoke pollution across the western United States.
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A new water market model for the Colorado River basin could improve water security and restore ecosystems amid intensifying shortages.
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Many U.S. utilities lag in implementing fundamental mitigation steps despite facing considerable wildfire risk, according to a new Stanford white paper. Failing to prepare endangers communities as well as future development of the energy system, according to the researchers.
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Stanford-led sustainability research offers tangible benefits for human health. Scientists are developing new techniques to enhance air and water quality, improve disease monitoring, mitigate risks from extreme weather and severe storms, and more.
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Tribal, local, and private firefighters are often undercounted, despite their growing role in fire response. This makes it harder for planners to know how many firefighters are actually available and can lead to unfair pay, protections, and benefits.
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Researchers tested a low-cost, low-tech intervention to reduce pollution from brick kilns in Bangladesh. Stanford co-authors discuss insights from the study about scaling clean technologies in informal and unregulated industries.
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A Stanford study reveals how climate change has altered growing conditions for the world’s five major crops over the past half century and is reshaping agriculture. The impacts corroborate climate models used to predict impacts, with a couple of important exceptions, according to the researchers.
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New research shows that elevation changes and earthquakes in Italy’s Campi Flegrei volcanic area are caused by rising pressure in a geothermal reservoir – not magma or its gases, as commonly thought. Channeling water runoff or lowering groundwater levels could reduce risks for surrounding communities.
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An epidemiologist is on a mission to reduce pollution where past efforts have failed—and end an environmental health nightmare.
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A SIEPR Policy Forum examined how government, business, and academia can best address the rising economic costs of wildfires.
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A wildfire policy expert explains how California’s ongoing fire crisis is being driven by climate change and poor urban planning. “Whole-of-society” approaches are needed, he says.
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Developed out of a collaboration between Stanford Radio Club students and researchers at the Woods Institute's Climate and Energy Policy Program and the Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program, low-cost sensors provide air quality data to monitor the effects of prescribed burns on local communities.
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Researchers found that up to 13 million acres of California’s Central Valley may be suitable for recharging groundwater. The largest portion of this area occurs on agricultural land, with most corresponding to orchards, field crops, and vineyards.
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Scientists estimate that reducing harmful chemical emissions could cut cancer risks from smoke exposure by over 50%.
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Electricity generated using natural underground heat could become cost competitive with power from the grid by 2027 using enhanced geothermal systems, although care is still needed to address earthquake risks, researchers found.
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Researchers found widespread deployment of technologies that pull carbon dioxide from industrial flues and ambient air would be much more expensive and damaging than a hypothetical worldwide switch to electricity and heat from renewable sources – if energy costs, emissions, and health impacts are all taken into account.
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New research shows grain yields critical to India’s food security are dragged down 10% or more in many parts of the country by nitrogen dioxide pollution from power stations that run on coal. Economic losses from crop damages exceed $800 million per year.
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Tiny fragments of plastic that fail to break down have pervaded our water, food, ecosystems, and the human body. Experts explain impacts on our long-term health and what can be done to address the problem on a broader scale.
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A new study underscores the importance of transformative adaptation to create a more sustainable future for tribal nations.
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Debbie Sivas discusses California's fire crisis and examines how climate change and urban development are making residents more susceptible to the dangers of fires.
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In light of the Los Angeles-area wildfires, Stanford experts spanning the fields of environmental science, medicine, and public health discuss what we know about wildfires’ health impacts, what remains a mystery, and how communities can better protect themselves from the increasingly common threat.
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For geophysicist Jenny Suckale, helping underserved communities navigate the extremes of climate change requires a new perspective on both.
