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The 2026 winners of the Natural Capital Young Leaders Prize have advocated for a view of nature and economies as deeply intertwined, encouraging people to see themselves as part of nature rather than separate from it.
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A new way to measure hurricanes using earthquake-monitoring equipment could improve storm forecasting, support public safety, and enhance understanding of Earth’s atmosphere.
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Stanford researchers are working with the City of Santa Cruz to improve assistance programs for residents who pay their water bills indirectly through rent.
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This year’s Big Ideas for Oceans seed grants support research on dynamic marine monitoring to protect whales, investigating the causes of marine diseases, and engineering algae to enhance marine resilience.
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A new federal rule redefines "harm" to exclude habitat destruction under the Endangered Species Act. Stanford experts in law and biology explain why the change matters, and which species have the most to lose.
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The U.S. Department of Energy announced the first phase of funding for projects using artificial intelligence to tackle the nation’s most complex science and technology challenges, including six led by Stanford and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
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Stanford engineer Khalid Osman and collaborators are building modeling tools to help water system managers find the most cost-effective option for improving their community’s drinking water.
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As COVID-19 disrupted rural economies, communities living near protected rainforests faced rising uncertainty about jobs, health and basic needs.
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Leaders from 32 countries convened at Stanford to unlock ways of meeting surging demand for valuing nature in decisions – and growing that demand exponentially.
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Some wildfire smoke plumes are more toxic than others, depending on the geology where a fire burns. Stanford scientist Scott Fendorf explains why.
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From watersheds to wildfire risk, the natural world provides services that don't show up in America's economic accounts. Ken Bagstad, a former U.S. Geological Survey economist and Woods Institute visiting fellow, explains why putting nature on the books could reshape decisions from Washington to any town, USA.
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AI is contributing to a rising demand for electricity – a pressing sustainability challenge. Professor Will Chueh says it can also be part of the solution, by accelerating advances and deployment in energy technologies.
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Through experiments comparing living representatives of animal groups that dominated Paleozoic oceans with those that thrive today, Stanford scientists have directly linked the disappearance of once-dominant marine groups to intolerable heat and diminished oxygen in ancient oceans.
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Hotter, drier conditions could leave millions of Americans struggling to afford tap water. The cost of drought resilience measures, such as desalination plants, will likely fall on ratepayers, with the greatest impact on low-income and minority communities, according to the research.
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Environmental microbiologist Yaochun Yu studies how microbes break down pesticides, plastic additives, and other chemicals in the environment. His goal is to enable new ways to clean up pollution and design safer chemicals for the future.
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In the 14 years after a new road was paved through a previously isolated portion of the Peruvian Amazon, cases of the world’s most rapidly expanding mosquito-borne disease skyrocketed in nearby communities.
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Electrification for Health is a new Stanford program that aims to accelerate the transition to safer, cleaner electric appliances to protect human health today and support sustainable energy for the future.
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Supported in part by the Sustainability Accelerator, based in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, researchers developed an AI tool that creates novel burger recipes based on individual preferences. The framework could have implications in pharmaceuticals, materials, biomolecules, and other complex systems.
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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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What does behavioral science research show about why people join collective efforts related to clean energy and other climate solutions? Learn what studies suggest about how people weigh personal benefits and connect government policies to tangible outcomes.
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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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Experts in physics, chemistry, and bioengineering discuss scientific revolutions, the importance of basic science, and new frontiers in biology and sustainability.
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Stanford environmental health scientist Tracey Woodruff discusses new research showing widespread exposure among pregnant women to common but understudied chemicals. She highlights what consumers and policymakers can do to protect public health.
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A Stanford study found that mountain lion visits to Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) triggered cascading effects on deer, smaller predators, and vegetation.
