Stanford University
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Stanford Earth Matters

Cattle graze among recently cut and burned rainforest in the Brazilian Amazon, where cattle ranching is the biggest cause of deforestation. (Image credit: Getty Images)

How the meat and dairy sector resists competition from alternative animal products

A new analysis compares innovations and policies related to plant-based and lab-grown alternatives to animal meat and dairy in the U.S. and European Union. (Source: Stanford News)

Book covers

Summer reading to fuel curiosity and conversation about sustainability

Faculty and scholars associated with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability recommend these 29 books for your summer reading. 

Bulldozer and firefighters near smoldering wildfire and the roof of a home

Better predictions of wildfire spread may sit above the treetops

Stanford researchers show that understanding the physics of wind currents above forest canopies may help wildfire managers forecast the flight paths of dangerous burning embers.

Illustration of hot rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c next to star

Researchers rule out thick carbon dioxide atmosphere for rocky exoplanet

An international team of researchers has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to calculate the amount of heat energy coming from the rocky exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 c. The result suggests that the planet’s atmosphere – if it exists at all – is extremely thin.

Blue flame of a gas stove burner

Gas stoves emit benzene

About 47 million homes use natural gas or propane-burning cooktops and ovens. Stanford researchers found that cooking with gas stoves can raise indoor levels of the carcinogen benzene above those found in secondhand smoke. (Source: Stanford News)

Sunlight streams through white clouds

Q&A: Solar geoengineering as the 'airbags' of a robust climate response

Stanford visiting scholar Douglas MacMartin discusses how solar geoengineering – artificially reflecting sunlight back into space – could fit into the array of solutions for the climate future. (Source: Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment)

water flows from a rusted pipe

The future of wastewater

An engineer explains why purifying “waste” water could be the answer to the world’s freshwater problems. (Source: Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast)

Smoky New York skyline

Wildfire smoke and air quality

Wildfire smoke from Canadian wildfires is polluting air across much of the northeastern US. Explore Stanford research about wildfire smoke, health impacts, and solutions.

Illustration of wildfire, polar bear, birds, starry sky, Earth in flames, worried face

Beyond climate dread – how the medical community is helping

A growing number of projects are dedicated to finding solutions to urgent problems of planetary and human health. (Source: Stanford Medicine)

Snow surrounds mountain road

A fix for snowpack's influence on groundwater readings

Scientists have long suspected that the weight of snow and ice in nearby mountains could throw off groundwater assessments tied to elevation changes in California’s Central Valley, but they lacked a way to quantify the effect. A new study demonstrates a solution. (Source: Stanford News)

mangroves

Quantifying mangroves’ value as a climate solution and economic engine

A new approach quantifies the value of mangrove forests in Belize for carbon sequestration, tourism, fisheries, and coastal protection, then uses the values to target conservation and restoration. (Source: Stanford Natural Capital Project)

Wildcat Creek marsh and San Francisco Bay

Q&A: Supreme Court decision on EPA powers

The May 25 U.S. Supreme Court decision Sackett v EPA "dramatically shrinks the authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to regulate wetlands," Stanford environmental law expert Deborah Sivas explains. (Source: Stanford Law School)

A student in a blue lab coat works in a Stanford lab.

Looking back at Stanford's contributions to 2022 energy and environmental research

New reports detail how faculty, students, and scholars came together from across campus to generate sustainability solutions.

Two students read a textbook

Climate change in history textbooks

A new AI-driven analysis finds the most popular U.S. history textbooks used in California and Texas commonly misrepresent the scientific consensus around climate change. (Source: Stanford News)

Colorado River at California-Arizona border

Q&A: Colorado River deal and ongoing challenges

Water and natural resources expert Buzz Thompson discusses a recent tentative deal to reduce water use by entities drawing from the Colorado River, averting near-term potential disaster and predictions that the river could all but stop. (Source: Stanford Law School)

Dean Arun Majumdar addresses an auditorium of event participants.

Collaborating for climate resilience

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and the Naval Postgraduate School recently convened experts to discuss coastal resilience, water security, and energy security for communities and military installations along the U.S. West Coast. (Source: School Highlights)

Person's hands on colorful geological map

The art of geology: Stanford maps spur international recognition of Northern Snake Range in Nevada

Hundreds of students participated in the Stanford Geological Survey, a century-long program that brought undergraduates to the field for extended periods to survey and map the geology of parts of California, Nevada, and Utah. (Source: Stanford News)

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