this might seem like something out of a climate scientist’s dream, an unattainable magical contraption. but chemists have already begun building the foundation of knowledge for this machine to become a reality. most recently, one study made a breakthrough: for the first time, researchers have mapped the molecular details of how the solar-powered reaction occurs.

“co2 is a very stable molecule,” said dr. tonü pullerits, professor of chemical physics at lund university and an author of the study. pullerits said that the first step to turning carbon dioxide into a more reactive, malleable substance, is transforming it to carbon monoxide.

“it will always cost you energy to go uphill from co2 to co. so, where can that energy come from?” said j. houston miller, a researcher not affiliated with the study and professor of chemistry at george washington university. “the best answer is the sun.”

the study, published last month in nature, comes from a large multi-national scientific collaboration of researchers from denmark, sweden, china and germany.

“what makes our work special is that we explain how this reaction goes on… in quite a detailed way,” pullerits said. “it was an exciting day when we realized that we can actually explain this.”

the researchers used two materials to drive the solar-powered reaction. the first is a covalent organic framework, or cof, that absorbs light, and serves as a structure where the conversion takes place. pullerits described cof as a “micro porous material.” the shape of the material gives it a large surface area, allowing it to efficiently absorb light, for example from the sun. as a light source, pullerits and colleagues shone laser pulses onto the cof. the second material is a catalytic complex containing the element rhenium, one of the rarest elements on earth. the complex is embedded in the cof, harnessing the light the cof absorbed to drive the reaction. pullerits said knowledge of the catalytic complex is not new, but the addition of the cof is.

the study found its answers through spectrometry, a method of analyzing a material using waves of light. this work determined precisely how the catalytic complex and cof work together to capture light and harness it to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide, a feat no study had yet reached.

“we were using short laser pulses to follow the process. we triggered the reaction with one pulse of a laser, and with a second pulse slightly later, we could figure out what happened.” pullerits said.

in the study, light passed through the cof, and researchers observed what colors of light were absorbed and which weren’t. what colors a molecule will absorb reveal a lot about the molecule’s structure, miller said. 

the conversion from carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide requires adding electrons. the cof captures the light, and the light particles excite electrons, creating carbon monoxide. then, researchers studied the way the light particles triggered the electrons to join the reaction.

however, researchers were puzzled by some of their observations at first. they knew one light pulse generated only half the electrons necessary for the conversion, but the reaction was occurring nonetheless. where did the other half of the electrons come from?

then, the team had a breakthrough.

“we all of a sudden realized… we can store the extra electrons needed in the porous cof material. the previous pulses made a few additional electrons which are stored. the cof is charged,” pullerits said.

finally, the team understood how the reaction occurs. the cof was not only absorbing light, but also absorbing electric charge by way of storing electrons. the new porous material they introduced was the key to the reaction. and through their use of light spectrometry, they knew the exact mechanism of how it all worked. this detailed knowledge allows researchers to recreate the reaction and find ways to make it more efficient, moving closer to the dream device.

pullerits is modest about the implications of his work.

“my general picture of how science works and how it can hopefully help mankind… it’s like building a house. everybody brings in their brick and at the end somewhere there is going to be something that is very important, solving some practical question,” pullerits said. “i don’t dare to claim that our work is more than a brick in a wall, but it was important that we covered this area.”

pullerits envisions a future with a fully built house, or “a device that lets the sun shine on it and starts converting co2 to something more stable or usable.”

now, researchers can draft next steps.

pullerits continued: “now that we understand what is going on, we can start asking the question, ‘what could be done to make it better?’”

“this is an evolutionary field. people need to keep doing it because somebody’s going to make it work,” said miller. “we could have solar powered fans that essentially scrub the air all the time, but we need to do it soon.”

washington – data on global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions released this week shows the united states is not on a path toward meeting president joe biden’s ambitious climate change goals. the announcements come at the start of a year when the president’s climate agenda will face multiple challenges. 

according to russell vose, chief of climate monitoring at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration’s national center for climate information,  the u.s. is not on track to fulfill the objective laid out in the paris climate agreement.

vose said that global temperatures could surpass 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels––the threshold to which the treaty aims to limit global warming––at least once by the early 2030s and “almost certainly” by the 2040s. 

multiple global temperature reports for 2021 released on thursday concluded that while temperatures last year did not break any records, they continued a clear trend of global warming.  

separate assessments from nasa, noaa and nonprofit research organization berkeley earth found that global temperatures measured approximately 1.1 to 1.2 degrees celsius above the pre-industrial average. 

annual temperature averages aren’t the only measure of human impact on the planet’s climate: u.s. greenhouse gas emissions also rose in 2021, according to an analysis released monday by the rhodium group. emissions last year increased 6.2% compared to 2020, pushing the u.s. even further off course from biden’s targets for addressing climate change. 

the consequences of these rising greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures can be seen in extreme weather events at the local and regional level––like the heat wave that baked the pacific northwest last summer or the dixie fire that devastated california. 

“we are seeing climate change today. this is not a future problem,” said lesley ott, research meteorologist at nasa. “we know that if we want to protect our communities in the future, we have to do something about the root cause of climate change, which scientists know is human emission of greenhouse gasses.” 

but biden faces a steep uphill climb to achieve his goal to lower emissions by 50-52% by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

the build back better act, which includes $555 billion for clean energy and climate investments, remains stalled in the senate after sen. joe manchin, d-w. va., said he would not vote for the $1.7 trillion bill. the supreme court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in february in a case that could frustrate the biden administration’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants––a contributor to climate change. 

and then there are this year’s midterm elections, which are likely to shape lawmakers’ conversations on climate policy ahead of races that place democrat’s control of congress in jeopardy. 

“it definitely affects what they think is possible in congress,” said carrie jenks, executive director of the environmental and energy law program at harvard law school. 

the data released last week and similar warning reports alone are unlikely to push climate policy forward, said kevin book, managing director at clearview energy partners, llc.  

“there are times when data releases or big signal events from the scientific community can galvanize action, but they tend to be few and far between,” book said. 

book added that repeated amplification of new extremes found in data year after year can be desensitizing. 

“it starts to lose some of its impact. every new data point, rather than becoming more alarming, becomes more familiar in that context,” book said. 

biden will head to egypt for the next united nations climate summit in november, after pledging that the united states would slash carbon emissions by the end of the decade and encouraging other countries to do the same at last year’s gathering in glasgow. 

yet, urging other countries to act on climate change when the u.s. fell short of its goals to address it could be difficult. roger karapin, professor of political science at hunter college, said he thinks the credibility of the u.s. and president biden “is going to be dented.” 

“(other countries) want the u.s. to succeed.” karapin said. “they also want us to look reasonably good… so (biden) will just be kind of a dented and bruised leader at the next meeting.”

over recent months, stay-at-home orders have led to a temporary plunge in greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, as much of the population stayed home more and traveled less. however, as governments gradually lift social distancing orders, more and more people are leaving their homes and transitioning back to old routines. 

yet, some aspects of the quarantine routine have the potential to translate into long-term lifestyle changes. in particular, teleworking offers a multitude of environmental benefits if continued after the quarantine period. recent research shows that increased teleworking in communities reduces air pollution and traffic congestion. 

in 2018, civil engineer and transportation systems analyst at the university of illinois-chicago ramin shabanpour published a study on the impacts of teleworking on local air pollution. in his study, shabanpour identified the current populations in chicago capable of telework. then, he calculated what percentage of those populations participated in telework at the time. he found that only 12% of individuals who are capable of telework worked from home to some extent. using 12% as the base, shabanpour and his team developed a simulation that modeled a hypothetical “twin city” of chicago. 

“we spent a few years here in chicago developing a transportation simulation platform which, in a nutshell, is a simulation-based twin city. using a software known as the polaris model, we were able to simulate what we have in the real world,” he said.

shabanpour and his team kept all data points constant in the simulation, except for the percentage of the population who worked from home which they increased from 12% to 50%. the simulation did not manipulate the frequency that chicago residents worked from home, only increasing the percentage of teleworkers at the current frequency. 

the results proved to shabanpour and his team how beneficial teleworking can be for the environment. 

“we found that we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 0.7% because of an increase in telecommuting. when you talk about impact, this is actually a huge number because if you multiply 0.7% with current greenhouse gas emissions in chicago, we find that an implementation like this can reduce 500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per day,” shabanpour said.

capable teleworkers do not need to solely work from home to produce these emission reductions. shabanpour acknowledges that most teleworkers only work from home a few days per week, and they likely still drive when they telework in order to run errands. the simulation’s results account for the driving needs of teleworkers, because shabanpour kept the frequency that teleworkers drive to work and run errands in real life constant.

shabanpour’s study was one of the first to analyze teleworking’s impacts on air pollution and the environment. while he only examines telework patterns in the chicago metropolitan area, his findings can apply to any area that suffers from air pollution and has a section of the population that is capable of telework. 

as a result, shabanpour has emerged as an advocate for telework. he believes that current efforts to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions invest in the wrong solutions, instead of cost-efficient solutions like telework programs. 

“we just invest billions and billions of funding into building new bridges and infrastructure – let’s start looking at this soft side of transportation. focusing on these numbers, we can definitely reduce the transportation emissions and congestion that we have at a very low cost, compared to the big infrastructure projects that we have,” shabanpour said. 

as the quarantine period forced many companies to temporarily transition their workforce online, the potential for companies to commit to a long-term telework system makes shabanpour’s research more relevant now than ever. 

in the past, companies have hesitated to allow teleworking. timothy golden, a professor and telework researcher at rensselaer polytechnic institute, finds that companies assume teleworking would decrease employer satisfaction and productivity. 

“because you’re working away from the office, particularly if the rest of the office is still there, that has the potential to make you feel cut off or separated from people,” golden said.

golden asserts that hybrid teleworking programs, which allow employees to split their hours between working from home and in the office, alleviate employees’ concerns of feeling isolated from the workplace. he also recommends that managers assess which employees are capable of telework, meaning they can productively complete their tasks at home. 

“it’s not an all-or-nothing scenario. it’s not a one-size-fits-all,” golden said.

companies who supported teleworking before the pandemic prove that implementing a telework system increases productivity and company savings, in addition to reducing carbon footprints.

dell, headquartered in austin, texas, is one company leading the global movement toward hybrid teleworking programs. since implementing its “connected workplace” program, dell allows employees to design a work-from-home schedule tailored to their preferences. dell cuts 136 million travel miles and more than 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually through this program, as calculated in their most recent sustainability report. 

john pflueger, the principal environmental strategist at dell who designed the connected workplace program, told environment+energy leader, “we’re pleased with the flexibility it offers our employees and the positive consequences it has on carbon emissions.”

if the environmental impacts do not incentivize companies, perhaps the benefits in finances and productivity will. dell’s recent sustainability report highlights that it saved $39.5 million from the connected workplace program, which allows the company to reduce the amount of office space they pay for and maintain. dell also hires from a greater applicant pool, with the ability to hire top talent beyond the region of austin.

“when a company is considering a work-from-home program or telecommuting or remote work, sustainability is probably not the primary reason why. the primary reasons are issues related more to work-life balance and being the sort of employer that the 21st-century employee has come to expect, but we found sustainability-related benefits are an important side effect,” pflueger said.

golden is hopeful that this quarantine period will help companies and employees realize the various benefits to teleworking. 

“i think this is a defining moment for telework in that it is likely to be much more commonplace after this pandemic. now that it’s forced on so many people, it’s changing mindsets because teleworking is no longer something that ‘other people do’, it is something that everyone does,” golden said.

shabanpour demonstrated the environmental benefits of teleworking scientifically, while companies such as dell show how teleworking programs foster a more sustainable and cost-efficient workplace. now, the covid-19 pandemic showed many companies already have the means for telework, although they may not have taken advantage of it previously. 

perhaps what helps to flatten the curve of covid-19 cases now just may help flatten the curve of greenhouse gas emissions as well.

q: hello ruby, thank you so much for answering these questions for planet forward! firstly, does middlebury’s declaration of its carbon neutrality change anything for other schools? has the college ‘paved the way’ for other institutions?

a: middlebury’s announcement certainly pressures other schools to reach their goals. middlebury is now the largest college or university to achieve carbon neutrality, which is a pretty powerful statement. i think this especially pressures schools that are peers to middlebury, for example smaller private colleges in the northeast. schools with similar situations and climates can look at middlebury’s strategies as models for their own paths to carbon neutrality. that being said, i don’t think this is a major change for the majority of the network. each school has different factors influencing its emissions and different challenges to overcome.

q: how can schools like middlebury, that have achieved carbon neutrality, continue to show climate leadership going forward?

a: schools can always continue to improve their operations, reduce energy use, and implement more renewables. maintaining carbon neutrality each year is a major task that will require an ongoing effort by middlebury. another way that schools like middlebury can continue to show climate leadership is to reach out beyond campus boundaries to drive climate action in the local community and region. many of the universities that we work with are now signatories of the [second nature] climate commitment, which means they are committed to improving climate resilience with their community. schools can act as conveners for local and regional stakeholders, and work with community partners to assess climate vulnerability. we know that many regions in the u.s. are already feeling the impacts of climate change, and i think there is a lot of opportunity for schools to step up and provide leadership in terms of adaptation and resilience.

q: what other schools are on the path of carbon neutrality?

a: all of the schools that have signed either the carbon or climate commitment have a target carbon neutrality date and a commitment to achieve this.  some are much closer to doing so than others. there are at least 30 schools that have set their carbon neutrality data as 2020 or before. you can look at our public reporting system to see the list of schools that have upcoming carbon neutrality dates.

q: on january 20, 2017, the united states will inaugurate donald j. trump as president of the united states. his nominee to lead the epa, scott pruitt, has been called a “climate change denialist” by the new york times. do you believe that his nomination will change anything for institutions looking to become more ‘green’?

a: so far we’ve actually seen this to be a motivating factor for schools. over 220 college and university presidents and chancellors just signed an open letter asking the incoming administration to remain in the paris agreement, support climate and energy research, and invest in a low carbon economy. higher education sustainability professionals have been organizing themselves and discussing the best ways to ensure that faculty, staff, and students remain engaged and committed to supporting the causes we believe in. the currently proposed polices of the incoming administration are certainly discouraging, but i’m actually optimistic that this will be a call to action and drive more commitment to addressing climate change on a local and regional level.

q: if alternative ‘green’ energy incentives are reduced, (i.e. removal of federal tax credits for renewable energy projects or the purchase of energy efficient products), can colleges and universities realistically still become carbon neutral?

a: yes absolutely, although it may change some schools’ paths to neutrality. regardless of federal incentives, renewable energy is becoming increasingly more cost effective and competitive with fossil fuels, especially large-scale wind and solar projects. and on the state level there are many states committed to policies that support clean energy and investment in renewables. i really do think that investing in clean energy is good business.

q: what do you see as major developments in store for institutions looking to achieve carbon neutrality in 2017?

a: i think there is a lot of room for innovative finance and insurance mechanisms to drive large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency. we’re already starting to see some of this. for example, we work with a few schools that are able to sell carbon credits and access revenue from the voluntary carbon market to finance further energy reduction projects on campus. i’ve also heard about companies that are willing to develop large-scale renewable energy projects because there are now firms that will carry a lot of the weather risk. i don’t know much about this type of partnership, but am excited to learn more! schools are always in need of capital for the large-scale investments in clean energy and energy efficiency that can truly bring them to carbon neutrality. it is certainly a challenge, but i am excited there seem to be more creative financial mechanisms to explore.

q: what institutional innovation in achieving carbon neutrality are you most excited about right now [i.e. what is the newest, coolest way to reduce carbon effectively]?

a: i wish there was a silver bullet! i’m actually pretty excited about the land use and forest carbon sequestration that middlebury used to achieve net carbon neutrality. so many schools have large amounts of land that they are not fully considering in their ghg [greenhouse gas] emissions. i think there are still many questions to resolve, but there is a lot of opportunity for improved land management and reforestation to sequester carbon. this isn’t to say that schools don’t also need to reduce emissions and implement renewables. however, i do think that a holistic approach to carbon neutrality and sustainability includes land use and its exciting to see some schools beginning to tackle that. there are also exciting examples of partnerships that enable larger innovative projects. as i mentioned before, the cost of renewables are very competitive – institutions can form partnerships like gwu [george washington university] and au [american university] have done and source a significant amount of their energy from new renewables projects.

q: anything else you wanted to share about carbon neutrality in 2017?

a: congrats to middlebury [on achieving carbon neutrality]!

sometimes, i’m alone – in rhythm with only my breath and my thoughts. other times, i’m with a friend, sharing stories and jokes as our strides fall in step with one another. in either case, this time is sacred.

i’m a runner, and for me, there’s nothing better than a crisp morning, when the air is fresh, the sun is peaking over the horizon, and my legs are light.

but this isn’t always the case.

some days, when the smog is thick and my phone buzzes with an air quality warning, i know running outdoors won’t only be unpleasant; it would be unsafe. when this happens, i worry for the possibility of a day that we reach the point of no return- a day pollution holds us hostage not once or twice a summer, but every day of the year.

that doesn’t have to be the case.

most of us would love to cut our carbon footprint in half – i know i would – but it just isn’t convenient. we want to drive in cars, fly in planes, and eat exotic fruits that only grow on the other side of the world. i’m lucky enough to live in a city with great public transportation and a wealth of eco-friendly ride-sharing options. but many americans don’t have these choices.

census data shows that, in all but 7 states, three-quarters of americans drive to work alone. well, i don’t know anyone who loves their commute, but commuting is a necessary evil. we could demand an increase in public transportation options, but that takes a lot of time, money, and – wait for it – government intervention.

so, if we can’t take millions of cars off the road, what can we do right now, on an individual level, to keep our air clean, and reduce our carbon footprint?

well, everybody eats.

we eat to celebrate. we eat to nurture. we eat to survive.

we also eat selectively – it seems like everyone has a dietary restriction these days. planning a dinner party with my friends is a unique challenge, and more often than not it results in a sort of potluck of new dietary options. i’ve tried a friend’s gluten-free chickpea blondies. they’ve tried my tofu arrabiata sauce. most of these dietary choices were made for personal, health-related reasons, but what i’ve learned recently is that the food we eat doesn’t just impact us; it impacts the planet. big time.

just this summer, a group of researchers in the uk published a study that compared the carbon footprints associated with different diets: meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. turns out, eliminating meat from your diet can reduce your carbon emissions by half. a vegan diet was associated with the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions – 99 percent to 102 percent less than meat-eaters – but even switching from meat and poultry to fish can slash your dietary emissions by 50 percent.

before learning about this study, i never thought about how my diet – i’m a pescatarian; i eat a predominantly plant-based diet with the occasional seafood meal – impacted anyone but myself (and my dates when they suggested going out for barbecue or a steak dinner – awkward). i always figured that what i put into my body was a personal decision, but it turns out that it is quite the public concern.

the good news is, it’s getting easier to find healthy and delicious meatless options. whole foods, as well as schools across the nation, participate in meatless monday. once-hated vegetables, such as brussel sprouts, are making a comeback at dinner tables and on trendy restaurant menus; celebrity chef josé andrés is even opening a veggie-centric fast casual joint in washington, d.c. next year. on the internet, countless blogs and message boards create an online community and endless ideas for meatless fare.

every night, after washing my face and penning a quick journal entry, i climb in bed. i lay there for a moment, reflecting on the day, and, most likely, already thinking about my next meatless meal. and as i close my eyes, i hope for a crisp morning with fresh air, the sun peaking over the horizon, a lightness in my legs. as i drift into a slumber, i get excited for the next day’s run.