Our picks: Top 10 stories of 2024
Our list includes a mix of favorites, high-impact stories, and some of our most-read research coverage from the past year.
As 2025 approaches, we are looking back on Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability stories from the past year.
In a year that’s set to beat 2023 as Earth’s hottest on record, scientists brought new certainty to climate projections using AI. Even if humanity stops adding heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere by the 2050s, they found, the odds that long-term warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius are greater than 99%.
The results underlined the importance of investing not only in decarbonization but also in measures to make human and natural systems more resilient to severe heat, intensified drought, heavy precipitation, and other consequences of continued warming.
Research by other scholars this year could help inform those efforts. One study revealed that hurricanes and tropical storms in the U.S. cause a surge of deaths for nearly 15 years after a storm hits – long after floodwaters recede and public attention moves on. Some possible solutions, the researchers said, could include communicating to families and governments about the need to allocate money after a big storm for health care expenses, particularly for the elderly, communities of color, and mothers or expectant mothers.
Another study showed that back-to-back atmospheric rivers, which are likely to become more common because of climate change, produce outsized economic damages. The work could help improve public communication about the dangers of incoming atmospheric rivers – such as those headed for the West Coast in the final weeks of 2024 – and help flood insurance companies analyze potential risks.
For communities and governments working to mitigate flood risk, Stanford researchers in 2024 showed a way to improve equity. Collaborating with regional planners and residents in bayside cities including East Palo Alto, they developed an easy way for planners to simulate future flood risks at the neighborhood level under conditions expected to become commonplace with climate change, such as extreme rainstorms that coincide with high tides elevated by rising sea levels.
Scholars this year uncovered some surprises. A study of air pollution in U.S. homes revealed that gas stoves frequently raise concentrations of nitrogen dioxide to unhealthy levels even in rooms far from the kitchen. Another showed that methane emissions from a large share of U.S. oil and gas facilities are three times higher on average than the level predicted by official government estimates.
Read on to find 10 highlights from coverage of Stanford experts studying Earth, climate, and sustainability this year.
Clusters of atmospheric rivers amp up California storm damages
When multiple atmospheric rivers hit California back-to-back, the economic damage from resulting rain and snowfall is three to four times higher than predicted from individual storms, a Stanford study finds.
Read about atmospheric riversMethane emissions from major U.S. oil and gas operations higher than government predictions
Stanford-led research shows methane emissions from a large share of U.S. oil and gas facilities are three times higher on average than the level predicted by official government estimates.
Read about methane emissionsHurricane risk perception drops after storms hit
Programs and policies that help households go beyond stocking up on food and medical supplies to invest in longer-term protections could overcome the risk perception gap and support adaptation to rising climate-related threats.
Read about hurricane risk perceptionPeople with gas and propane stoves breathe more unhealthy nitrogen dioxide
A study of air pollution in U.S. homes reveals how much gas and propane stoves increase exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to childhood asthma. Even in bedrooms far from kitchens, concentrations frequently exceed health limits for hours after burners and ovens are turned off.
Read about gas stove pollutionPreparing for urban floods with an eye toward equity
Plans for flood mitigation along urban rivers often benefit some neighborhoods more than others. Researchers and collaborators in a densely populated California floodplain developed a way to help planners see how infrastructure designs, sea-level rise, and severe storms fueled by climate change will affect flood risk at the local level.
Read about urban flood planningKrill harvesting threatens whale recovery
Soaring human demand for krill in the Southern Ocean poses a challenge to the recovery of whale species once hunted nearly to extinction. Stanford researchers identify the growing food conflict and offer solutions.
Read about whales and industrial krill fishingAn AI tool for scanning grains of sand reveals volumes about the past
The shapes and textures of quartz grains speak to the processes that molded and transported them. A new tool from Stanford researchers enables quick, accurate, insightful analysis of this sand, which can be used in geology, geoarchaeology, forensics, and more.
Read about AI for sandStudy links hurricanes to higher death rates long after storms pass
U.S. tropical cyclones, including hurricanes, indirectly cause thousands of deaths for nearly 15 years after a storm. Understanding why could help minimize future deaths from hazards fueled by climate change.
Read about hidden deaths from hurricanesScientists tap into the fungal network
Kabir Peay wants to leverage the relationship between plants and the beneficial fungi that colonize their roots to help ecosystems weather climate change.
Watch the video and read about fungal networksAI predicts Earth's peak warming
Artificial intelligence provides new evidence that rapid decarbonization will not prevent warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius. The hottest years of this century are likely to shatter recent records.
Read about peak warmingExplore More
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A new report looks back at the most impactful environment and sustainability research from Stanford scholars in 2023.
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Our list includes a mix of favorites, high-impact stories, and some of our most-read research coverage from the past year.
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New reports detail how faculty, students, and scholars came together from across campus to generate sustainability solutions.
