Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup and global music tours are major events that generate significant cultural and economic value. But these events also come with massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions caused by international travel, building infrastructure, and mass consumption. Last week, a research team from the University of Cambridge released a new framework in the journal Communications Sustainability to evaluate mega-events from the perspective of 'climate viability.' Analyzing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which ended on Sunday, and Coldplay's 2024 European tour, the scientists weighed the consumer welfare gains of each event against the emissions costs. 'Effective climate strategies for mega-events like the World Cup go well beyond reducing operational emissions at venues, as this is only a fraction of the overall footprint,' Cambridge professor Shaun Larcom explained in an announcement about the report's findings. According to the research team's estimates, the expansion of the 2026 World Cup to a 48-team format is expected to increase total emissions by approximately 590,000 metric tons compared to the 32-team tournament of years prior, reaching about 4.23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. Of that total, 82 percent is attributable to fan travel, with international travel accounting for approximately 3.07 million metric tons. The estimated emissions from the 2026 World Cup were on par with Iceland's total annual emissions, the researchers found....

'I appreciated immediately that these were students comfortable being at the edge of the discipline, eager to push and transform it,' says Miljacki. 'They didn't necessarily seek the spotlight, but understood the value of participating in important transformations.' Transformations are forthcoming for Miljacki, the Francis White Davis Professor of Architecture: She became head of the Department of Architecture for the School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) on July 1, and the architecture department itself will move to the Metropolitan Storage Warehouse (the Met) in late summer. Miljacki takes the reins from Nicholas de Monchaux, the Weber-Shaughness Professor, who helped significantly advance the department's commitment to studio-based research and impact, particularly around climate resilience and sustainability. He also helped catalyze and deepen the ongoing exchange between MIT and Tuskegee University rooted in the legacy of Robert R. Taylor. In announcing Miljacki's new role, SA+P Dean Hashim Sarkis noted that Miljacki has directed two of the department's specialized graduate degree programs: the Master of Science in Architecture Studies program (2023-25) and the Master of Architecture program (2016-20), and played a central role in shaping the department's academic and pedagogical culture....

In the first half of this year, investors poured $15 billion into seed- through growth-stage rounds for companies in Crunchbase cleantech, EV and sustainability-focused categories. That puts funding on track to slightly exceed the 2025 tally, which was the lowest in several years. Even taking into account recent gains, however, cleantech funding remains far below its former peak in 2021 and 2022. Given that overall venture funding has risen with the AI boom, cleantech also accounts for a smaller share of total investment. Stockholm-based green steel producer Stegra scored the largest financing of 2026, securing $1.6 billion in a round led by Swedish asset manager Wallenberg Investments. Stegra plans to use the money to complete the construction of its large-scale steel plant. The next-biggest round went to Slate Auto, a Jeff Bezos-backed startup that has been generating buzz and reservations for a flagship electric pickup starting at around $25,000 that can be converted to an SUV. Troy, Michigan-based Slate raised $650 million in Series C funding in April and plans to deliver its first trucks to customers later this year....

Every month, millions of people automatically channel pension contributions into index funds and institutional portfolios that keep financing the very AI infrastructure driving exploding energy demand and rising emissions. Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google have unleashed a devastating surge in greenhouse gas emissions in 2025, exposing a terrifying reality: the world's most powerful tech companies are sacrificing the planet on the altar of artificial intelligence, pumping massive quantities of fossil fuel pollution into an already dying atmosphere. Amazon's emissions exploded by 16% from 2024, the company reluctantly admitted in a sustainability report released Wednesday. The tech behemoth spewed approximately 81 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere last year'the equivalent pollution of 19 million gas-guzzling cars choking our roads. Google's 'ambition-based' emissions'a definition conveniently designed to hide portions of its supply chain'skyrocketed 18% overall in 2025. Its direct operational emissions surged 20% compared to 2024, fueled by its relentlessly expanding data center empire, according to the company's sustainability report released Tuesday....