Latest research

Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe joined Woods Institute director Chris Field for a wide-ranging discussion on the state of climate progress and public engagement. Hayhoe argues that most people already care about climate change – they just need help seeing how it impacts their lives directly.

The third United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica, will take place from June 9 – 13, 2025 in Nice. The Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions will contribute to events on sustainable blue foods, oceans and human health, women in ocean science, and data systems in small-scale fisheries.

Sivas explains the Seven County decision, looking at the question of agency deference and the broader implications of this decision.

Stanford-led study finds small-scale tree cover in Costa Rica boosts biodiversity while limiting dangerous mosquito species

Tribal, local, and private firefighters are often undercounted, despite their growing role in fire response. This makes it harder for planners to know how many firefighters are actually available and can lead to unfair pay, protections, and benefits.

To advance meaningful climate action, decision-makers need reliable, accessible data about what’s actually working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report from Stanford Law School’s Law and Policy Lab.

As water becomes more scarce and demand rises, researchers are pioneering a new management approach that can help avert disastrous drought impacts. By collaborating with experts in Chile, the team aims to provide policymakers with the tools needed to integrate long-term environmental and social changes into water governance and ensure resilience in a warming world.

A Stanford food and agriculture expert discusses a record-setting slab of lab-grown meat – and what it means for the future of food.

As a recipient of a TomKat Graduate Fellowship for Translational Research, PhD student Lauren Gillespie develops tools for estimating biodiversity in ecosystems.

Supported by the Stanford School of Medicine, the School of Engineering and the Doerr School of Sustainability, a symposium on May 7 focused on ways synthetic biology can promote a sustainable world.

A Stanford study reveals how climate change has altered growing conditions for the world’s five major crops over the past half century and is reshaping agriculture. The impacts corroborate climate models used to predict impacts, with a couple of important exceptions, according to the researchers.

An epidemiologist is on a mission to reduce pollution where past efforts have failed—and end an environmental health nightmare.

A new initiative led by Stanford Bio-X unites all seven Stanford schools to integrate research, education, and innovation for a healthier, more sustainable food future. At the kickoff symposium, researchers discussed topics including optimal diets, climate resilience, and AI.

A SIEPR Policy Forum examined how government, business, and academia can best address the rising economic costs of wildfires.

Stanford students are helping rural energy non-governmental organizations put health at the center of energy decisions.

A wildfire policy expert explains how California’s ongoing fire crisis is being driven by climate change and poor urban planning. “Whole-of-society” approaches are needed, he says.

Developed out of a collaboration between Stanford Radio Club students and researchers at the Woods Institute's Climate and Energy Policy Program and the Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program, low-cost sensors provide air quality data to monitor the effects of prescribed burns on local communities.