Each year, researchers at Stanford produce hundreds of studies that contribute to fundamental understanding of environmental systems and generate innovative solutions to some of the most pressing energy, ecology, and societal challenges.

The Stanford Environmental Research Year in Review, produced by the Woods Institute for the Environment, provides a snapshot of key studies from scholars across Stanford’s seven schools. These publications demonstrate how Stanford faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and research staff are building connections between knowledge generation and scalable impact. The report also details awards that will foster discovery and innovation, and special reports with insights that are influencing change beyond academia.

“As part of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and with many partners, we are advancing bold investment in both fundamental discovery and scalable solutions,” said Chris Field, the Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “By fostering a rich intellectual community across campus and equipping researchers with the tools to pursue novel opportunities, we are cultivating the seeds that grow into meaningful change.”

Stanford Environmental Research Year in Review

Download the Stanford Environmental Research 2024 Year in Review (PDF)

This year’s review spans a wide range of topics that can inform environmental policies, technology, conservation, business, and decision-making, including:

  • Equitable, just, and science-backed approaches to climate adaptation

  • Novel technologies to protect buildings from wildfire and convert air into fertilizer

  • Understanding links between human and planetary health

  • Unveiling hidden threats to thriving ecosystems on land and in the ocean

  • Accounting for biodiversity and nature in business

  • Opportunities to grow tribal clean energy in the U.S.

“Right now is an all-hands-on-deck moment to restore our planet,” said Arun Majumdar, the Chester Naramore Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. “The research featured in this report gives us the knowledge, hope, and blueprint to make it a reality.”

The examples highlighted in the Stanford Environmental Research Year in Review are far from exhaustive, but they illustrate the breadth and depth of expertise brought to collaborative partnerships at the university and beyond. In total, Stanford scholars produced more than 800 peer-reviewed publications related to the environment and sustainability in 2024.

Spotlight on key 2024 Woods Institute research

New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient from thin air, cutting carbon emissions: A new prototype device demonstrates an innovative approach to producing ammonia – a key component of fertilizer – that could transform an industry responsible for about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Gas stoves emit unsafe levels of nitrogen dioxide: A study of air pollution in U.S. homes revealed 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.

Preparing 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 affect flood risk at the local level.

New gels could protect buildings during wildfires: Researchers at Stanford Engineering developed a sprayable gel that creates a shield to protect buildings from wildfire damage. It lasts longer and is more effective than existing commercial options.

New device produces critical fertilizer ingredient from thin air, cutting carbon emissions: A new prototype device demonstrates an innovative approach to producing ammonia – a key component of fertilizer – that could transform an industry responsible for about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Gas stoves emit unsafe levels of nitrogen dioxide: A study of air pollution in U.S. homes revealed 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.

View the 2024 publications collection on Zotero

For more information

This story was originally published by Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.