Latest research

New analysis shows the U.S. has accounted for more wetland conversion and degradation than any other country. Its findings help better explain the causes and impacts of such losses and inform protection and restoration of wetlands. (Source: Stanford News)

Our health and economic stability depend on biodiversity, but our governing policies often fail to address it coherently. An analysis of the world’s second most biodiverse country, Colombia, highlights how policies that span sectors and actors can fit together to govern biodiversity more effectively. (Source: Stanford News)

Artificial intelligence provides new evidence our planet will cross the global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius within 10 to 15 years. Even with low emissions, we could see 2 C of warming. But a future with less warming remains within reach. 

Plant-based and lab-grown meat substitutes are here to stay, but are unlikely to eliminate livestock agriculture’s climate and land use impacts anytime soon, according to Stanford environmental scientist David Lobell. In the meantime, Lobell says we should also focus on reducing emissions of animal-based systems. (Source: Stanford News)

A new study of tropical reef building corals shows these very long-lived animals are constantly changing and testing their genes – and some of these changes make it into the next generation. In this way a centuries-old coral might be a cauldron of genetic innovation, and it might help prepare them for climate change. (Source: Hopkins Marine Station)

According to a recent study, when providers act to curtail water use or invest in new infrastructure because of a drought, bills can rise for low-income households and drop for high-income households. (Source: Stanford News)

As a young adult, Ayla Pamukçu found herself at a crossroads between college and culinary school. Thanks in part to an influential box of rocks, she chose a research path that eventually led to a career studying the inner workings of the Earth.

Marketing experts Wesley R. Hartmann, Yewon Kim, and Bryan Bollinger join Professor William P. Barnett and undergraduate student Ingrid Ackermann to discuss takeaways from a January 2023 conference held at Stanford GSB. This conference discussed the role of marketing to encourage behavioral change.

Stefan Reichelstein joins Professor William P. Barnett and undergraduate student Ingrid Ackermann to discuss takeaways from a December 2022 conference held at Stanford GSB. Conference topics included corporate carbon accounting, carbon reporting, net-zero pledges, and more.

Stanford planetary scientists have uncovered how sandy waves form on our sister planet at a scale that previously seemed incompatible with the physics of how ripples and dunes arise on Earth. 

"Life has taken me on a long journey. My family fled Somalia and ended up in a refugee camp in Mombasa, Kenya, where we spent four years. I was born there, and two years later we were granted asylum and came to the States." 

Professor Fiorenza Micheli joins Professor William P. Barnett and undergraduate student Ingrid Ackermann to discuss takeaways from a November 2022 conference held at Stanford GSB. At the conference, participants discussed technologies that could transform management by governments and communities, engage businesses, and help catalyze sustainability and accountability at scale.

A new tool that pairs satellite imagery with AI has uncovered some of the strongest evidence yet of the extent to which electrification fuels economic growth. (Source: Stanford News)

Tax rebates for installing residential solar power have done little to spur adoption in low-income communities in the United States, while a less common incentive seems to succeed, according to new research using AI and satellite images. (Source: Stanford News)

Professor Amit Seru joins Professor William P. Barnett and undergraduate student Ingrid Ackermann to discuss takeaways from a November 2022 conference held at Stanford GSB. This conference explored the roles that corporations, financial markets and innovations in finance might play in meeting sustainability challenges by ensuring that sufficient capital is raised and allocated in ways consistent with sustainability goals.

New research shows treated wastewater can be more dependable and less toxic than common tap water sources including rivers and groundwater. (Source: Stanford Engineering)

Federal subsidies promote planting cover crops to store carbon in agricultural soils, among other benefits, but the approach as currently practiced can reduce yields in the U.S. Corn Belt, researchers find. Their analysis highlights the need to better implement the practice. (Source: Stanford News)

The secret to long life for rechargeable batteries may lie in an embrace of difference. New modeling of how lithium-ion cells in a pack degrade show a way to tailor charging to each cell’s capacity so EV batteries can handle more charge cycles and stave off failure. (Source: Stanford News)

International negotiators will meet in Egypt this Sunday for the latest U.N. climate change conference. Stanford experts in a range of fields discuss issues likely to be in the spotlight, including compensation to developing countries for climate change-related damages. (Source: Stanford News)