Society & policy
The health and economic impacts of environmental change, and the policies, technologies, and human behaviors influencing what happens next.
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Environmental chemist Nina Zhao seeks to understand the chemicals in our lives, and why people respond so differently to the same drug, pesticide, or pollutant.
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Summer reading recommendations from Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability scholars span topics from oceans to living with machines, in genres from science fiction to thrillers.
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During the Stanford Sustainability Forum, the chef and founder of a global food relief organization discussed access to clean cooking fuels and pathways for quickly moving solutions into action.
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Civil and environmental engineering professor Jack Baker discusses his new book, which aims to transform how researchers communicate their findings.
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Researchers presented new methods for tracking wildfire pollution and recovering bleached corals while former government officials and leaders from business and civil society called for urgent responses to food security, climate risks, and AI energy demand.
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Khalid Osman, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, assesses public perceptions of water infrastructure, water conservation efforts, and the management of existing infrastructure systems.
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Tyrone Jue, director of the San Francisco Environment Department, leads the city’s climate efforts. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Air District, where he has helped advance nation-leading regional clean air and pollution-reduction policies.
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A recent conference highlighted how environmental entrepreneurship is advancing through incremental change.
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From studying the economic aftermath of cyclones to understanding innovative approaches to crop planting schedules, five researchers represent a new wave of climate progress.
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Since his time as a Stanford undergraduate, William Tarpeh has been interested in addressing problems others ignore. His lab develops systems that recover nitrogen from wastewater in usable forms such as fertilizer.
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While 14% of major companies report carbon emissions, just 9% disclose water withdrawals and only 1% reveal recycled water use. Stanford and Korea University researchers have developed a scoring system that weighs where companies draw water and how they use it.
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Gretchen Daily, professor of biology and faculty director of the Stanford Natural Capital Project, discusses valuing nature’s benefits to people and scaling an initiative to 75 countries in this episode of the Stanford Ecopreneurship podcast.
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Yi Cui discusses how experiences in entrepreneurship can inform academia in this episode of the Stanford Ecopreneurship podcast. Cui is a professor of energy science and engineering and faculty director of the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator.
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Natural Capital Project scientists offered up holistic development solutions at the 30th UN climate conference, where there was growing recognition of nature’s role.
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A new guide supports academic innovators who want to translate their innovations into impact. The report includes case studies from Stanford faculty who have successfully navigated for-profit startups, nonprofits, licensing, and other ventures to build projects, technologies, and organizations.
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Delta Electronics leader Yancey Hai and energy efficiency expert Amory Lovins shared advice for companies, countries, and students in Stanford’s Big Ideas in Sustainability series.
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Scientists are tapping wastewater for valuable nutrients, public health information, and more.
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Stanford marine biologist Steve Palumbi uses fundamental science to find practical solutions to pressing questions about ocean life and its future. His lab’s work on the effects of heat waves on marine life has implications for the environment, economies, health, and culture.
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Stanford researchers are working to create a unique, interdisciplinary curriculum to help students better understand both the physical and biological ocean systems and the human relationship with them.
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Discover thought-provoking reads on climate, culture, and the planet – handpicked by Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability faculty.
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During an event at Stanford, the vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives at Apple and former Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa P. Jackson discussed her efforts to reduce climate impacts and create ripple effects throughout industry.
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Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe joined Woods Institute director Chris Field for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of climate progress and public engagement. Hayhoe argues that most people already care about climate change – they just need help seeing how it impacts their lives directly.
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Scholars are developing a way to make wastewater drinkable while also recovering valuable products like fertilizer components.
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Building on past analyses of how political movements and climate change are represented in popular U.S. history textbooks, Stanford scholars find that the rare mentions of Asians and Asian Americans largely use language related to war.
