Brighton research on boat pollution inspires international project
by
-
Fibreglass particles are entering the marine food chain via ageing boats, according to the research (image credit: University of Brighton). A UK marine biologist’s research into fibreglass pollution in shellfish has inspired a UN-endorsed international project to tackle the growing issue of “invisible pollution” from abandoned boats across the UK, France, and Portugal. University of […]
-
Precision control drives the next phase of green hydrogen growth
by
This article contains sponsored content. As the UK accelerates towards a low-carbon future, green hydrogen is emerging as a cornerstone of the energy transition. Central to this shift are electrolysers, systems that split water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. However, the main challenge facing wider deployment is efficiency, which is being tackled on […]
-
Q&A: How countries got the global ‘net-zero’ shipping deal ‘back on track’
Nations are “back on track” to adopt a framework for curbing global shipping emissions, following the latest International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) meeting in London, UK. The proposed “net-zero framework” had been expected to be approved by countries at the IMO towards the end of 2025. Instead, the Trump administration was accused of “bully-boy” tactics as […]
-
Green Packaging in Heavy Equipment Shipping: What’s Actually Changing
by
Moving a 20-ton excavator across the ocean is nothing like shipping consumer goods. You’re dealing with extreme weight, corrosive salt air, and months of transit. For decades, the heavy machinery industry handled this the same way: thick timber crates, petroleum-based greases, and mountains of single-use plastic. It worked. It was also expensive, wasteful, and increasingly […]
-
Staff News: Daniel Metzger is Promoted to Director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative and Hema Lochan Joins the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative
We are pleased to announce that Daniel Metzger has been promoted to Director of the Sabin Center’s Cities Climate Law Initiative. In this role, Daniel will continue to research legal tools that cities and other local governments can use to advance climate mitigation and adaptation. In addition to his academic research, Daniel will also work […]
-
DeBriefed 1 May 2026: Countries chart path away from fossil fuels | China’s clean-tech surge | Global forest loss slows
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s DeBriefed. An essential guide to the week’s key developments relating to climate change. This week Countries chart path away from fossil fuels SANTA MARTA SUMMIT: Countries attending a first-of-its-kind summit have walked away with plans to develop national “roadmaps” to move away from fossil fuels, along with new tools to address subsidies […]
-
Improving understanding with language
by
When she was a child, MIT senior Olivia Honeycutt would spend summers on her grandparents’ farm in rural Alabama outside Birmingham. The practical and cultural differences between farm and city life became more pronounced by comparison. “Life and the way we lived it slowed down on the farm,” she says. “It was a nice change […]
-
Beacon Biosignals is mapping the brain during sleep
by
The human brain remains one of the most fascinating and perplexing mysteries in medicine. Scientists still struggle to match neurological activity with brain function and detect problems early, slowing efforts to treat neurological disorders and other diseases. Beacon Biosignals is working to make sense of the brain by monitoring its activity while people sleep. The […]
-
Santa Marta: Key outcomes from first summit on ‘transitioning away’ from fossil fuels
Countries attending a first-of-its-kind summit have walked away with plans to develop national roadmaps away from fossil fuels, along with new tools to address harmful subsidies and carbon-intensive trade. The first conference on “transitioning away” from fossil fuels held in Santa Marta, Colombia, from 24-29 April saw 57 countries – representing one-third of the world’s […]
-
Making the case for curiosity-driven science
by
“The thing that really struck me when I came to MIT and strikes me every single day is the stuff that’s going on here is amazing. The science, the engineering… every day I hear something that makes my jaw drop,” remarked President Sally Kornbluth during a live discussion with Lizzie O’Leary of Slate’s “What Next: […]
-
China Briefing 30 April 2026: Fossil fuel ‘strict controls’ | El Niño approaches | Why cleantech exports have surged
Welcome to Carbon Brief’s China Briefing. China Briefing handpicks and explains the most important climate and energy stories from China over the past fortnight. Subscribe for free here. Key developments New documents ramp up pressure on coal ‘STRICTLY CONTROL’ FOSSIL FUELS: On 22 April, China issued a set of “guiding opinions” on energy conservation and carbon […]
-
Dealing with the waste from old wind turbines
by
Decommissioning old wind turbines generates thousands of tons of new waste. If we don’t create incentives and regulations that force the responsible handling of decommissioned wind turbine parts, especially blades, we will have an enormous waste problem. (Words: Norwegian University of Science and Technology). By 2040, up to 20,000 wind turbine blades could be landfilled […]
-
Is the UK ready for large-scale electrificationan?
by
Griff Thomas is Executive Director of Energy Transition and External Affairs at United Infrastructure and Managing Director at GTEC Training. Griff Thomas considers whether the UK has the grid capacity, infrastructure planning and skilled workforce needed to support a more electrified energy system. The question of whether the UK is ready for a highly electrified […]
-
Solving the “Whac-a-mole dilemma”: A smarter way to debias AI vision models
by
In today’s hospitals and clinics, a dermatologist may use an artificial intelligence model for classifying skin lesions to assess if the lesion is at risk of developing into a cancer or if it is benign. But if the model is biased toward certain skin tones, it could fail to identify a high-risk patient. Perhaps one […]
-
Traditional models still ‘outperform AI’ for extreme weather forecasts
Computer models that use artificial intelligence (AI) cannot forecast record-breaking weather as well as traditional climate models, according to a new study. It is well established that AI climate models have surpassed traditional, physics-based climate models for some aspects of weather forecasting. However, new research published in Science Advances finds that AI models still “underperform” […]
-
The MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab launches to shape the future of AI and quantum computing
by
The following is a joint announcement by the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and IBM. IBM and MIT today announced the launch of the MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab, advancing their long-standing collaboration to shape the next era of computing. The new lab expands its scope to include quantum computing, alongside foundational artificial intelligence research, with […]
-
Could energy harvesting reduce the battery waste burden?
by
Battery dependence could become a sustainability and maintenance liability for large-scale IoT deployment. Ambient energy harvesting may offer an alternative way to power sensors and small connected devices, explain Dr Lethy Krishnan, of the University of St Andrews, and Clara Ko, Head of Technical Sales, Linkam Scientific Instruments Billions of batteries end up in landfill […]
-
Enabling privacy-preserving AI training on everyday devices
by
A new method developed by MIT researchers can accelerate a privacy-preserving artificial intelligence training method by about 81 percent. This advance could enable a wider array of resource-constrained edge devices, like sensors and smartwatches, to deploy more accurate AI models while keeping user data secure. The MIT researchers boosted the efficiency of a technique known […]