We are a non-partisan group of MIT alumni and affiliates who are concerned about the devastating effects of climate change. We support communicating the urgency of the problem and adopting science-based interventions to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

US and World Climate News

Many world temperature records were broken in July of 2023 and 2024 as we surpassed 17 ^oC for the first time since records have been kept. The plot above shows weekly global temperature data since 1940 provided by the Climate Reanalyzer, University of Maine. The Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that the annual global temperature eclipsed 1.5 ^oC over historical averages for the first time in the 12 months from February 2023-January 2024.

In other news:

• NOAA reported Mauna Loa CO2 levels peaked at 426.9 ppm in May 2024, 2.9 ppm above 2023

• Scientific American reported U.S. needs to install 95 GW of new wind and solar capacity every year through 2035 in order to cut emissions 50% compared to 2005 levels, but installed less than 33 GW in 2023 (a record high)

• NY Times reported a new surge in power use is threatening U.S. climate goals, with forecasts of additional power needed doubling by 2028

More Climate News from Around the World

MACA has developed an award-winning plan for 100% decarbonization of the MIT campus by 2035 (click on poster for details)

MACA 100% Decarbonization of MIT Buildings by 2035

Cambridge Adopted Historic Building Emissions Regulations

In 2023, Cambridge, MA mandated non-residential buildings to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions with a net zero requirement by 2035 for large buildings and 2050 for mid-size buildings.

Check out MACA's Green Fuels Paper

See MACA's Climate Introduction

See Climate Features on MACA members

View the TEDx talk "Go Solar, and Save!" by MACA member and Cambridge, Massachusetts City Councillor, Quinton Zondervan.

Hear the recent podcast showcasing the work of MACA member Tom Gurski, Founder and CEO of Blue Dot Motorworks.

Read about the interprofessional course "Climate Change, Health, & Society" that Shiladitya DasSarma, a MACA member and professor at the University of Maryland, launched with colleagues in the Spring of 2024.

Read Our Roadmap for Responding to Climate Change

Climate change is primarily driven by burning of fossil fuels and is resulting in many observable and ongoing changes, including global temperature rise, warming oceans, melting polar ice, glacial retreat, sea level rise, and increased extreme-weather events. Click to read our Roadmap which provides scientific background and recommendations to address this monumental problem.

ROADMAP

See more details on our climate activities below

MIT Campus

Decarbonize MIT campus

We encourage MIT to be a leading climate innovator among universities and research institutions through a plan for on-campus clean energy generation projects, energy neutral buildings, zero-emissions transportation on campus, and other ways to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. Click to see some impacts of climate change on campus and the Boston region as well as our letter to MIT in 2020 and other statements, actions, and opinions.

Campus climate

Climate Advocacy & Policy

We conduct analysis and advocate for effective policies on climate.

Our members engage with and advise policy makers, both locally and nationally, to advance science-based solutions to the challenges of climate change. We also collaborate with other climate groups to advocate for stronger climate leadership and environmental laws and regulations.

Climate change is an urgent global problem.

Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have been increasing rapidly since the 1950s, driving global warming and climate change. See our educational resources to learn more about the main causes, effects, and solutions to on-going climate change.

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Climate Entrepreneurship

Practical implementation of climate technologies is essential.

The market should be employed as a driving force to accelerate the implementation and scaling of many existing solutions and the rapid development of next generation, cutting-edge technologies to achieve our climate goals.

COMING SOON