Cities & society

A Stanford-led study based on two decades of satellite data finds California could cut deadly pollution from wildfire smoke by 20% in active fire years by expanding use of prescribed fire in conifer forests each year.

Climate change could make historically rare tropical cyclones more common in Southern California, significantly expanding landslide risk across the region by 2050.

PhD student Sierra Castañeda’s research on cover crops could shape policies that protect drinking water and reward farmers for implementing practices that keep pollution out of water supplies.

Why is the cost of electricity going up in U.S. western states? Stanford experts explain how wildfires, AI data centers, extreme weather, and deferred grid maintenance are affecting utility bills, along with strategies that could help lower costs.

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.

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.

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.

Stephanie Fischer, a PhD student in Earth system science at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and a PhD minor in the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University, researches how identity and culture can not only help people get involved in climate action but also buffer against harm.

A PhD student in environmental social sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Quito Tsui researches how communities rebuild after conflict, how digital evidence is used in international law, and how the destruction of the environment is documented and witnessed.

Cross-sector collaboration is key to reducing pollution and improving environmental and public health across populations, according to scholars, students, and professionals at the Center for Just Environmental Futures’ recent conference on campus.

Researchers have discovered a way to draw potable water from air almost anywhere using solar power and a gel-like material that lasts for eight months or more. 

With energy costs up and electricity demand climbing, Stanford researchers are leading efforts to make clean power affordable and reliable for all while cutting the emissions that drive climate change. Their work ranges from deep underground heat to solar on farms, renewable fuels, and upgrades for the power grid and batteries.

Future climate damages from past greenhouse gas emissions dwarf the economic harm already inflicted.