MIT Sloan Climate Catalysts: Sparking Change

Christopher Knittel, George P. Shultz Professor and a Professor of Applied Economics

With the launch of the new MIT Climate Policy Center, MIT Sloan will be at the center of efforts across MIT to address global climate and environmental challenges. The center, led by Professor Knittel, will create and strengthen connections between leading climate and environmental researchers and policymakers. This talk will dive into the vision for the center, how it will impact climate change policy, climate research at MIT, and the holes in the academia-policymaking nexus that it hopes to fill. Professor Knittel will also discuss how it fits into MIT’s new Climate Project. 

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Catherine Wolfram, PhD '96, William F. Pounds Professor of Energy Economics; Professor of Applied Economics

The tax code, where much of U.S. climate policy is implemented, will likely be the subject of intense policy debate in 2025, particularly as major provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are set to expire. To inform that debate, it is important to explore how tax policy choices impact the speed of decarbonization in the United States. Together with colleagues, Professor Wolfram has mapped out several policy scenarios that could be relevant in 2025 depending on the outcomes of this year’s elections. 

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Stwart Pena Feliz, MBA '23, Co-Founder MacroCycle

Plastics are very useful materials, but their initial value to society becomes a massive burden at their end-of-life. MacroCycle believes that chemistry holds the key to enabling fully circular plastics, made without carbon emissions. Their proprietary process enables them to produce virgin-grade recycled PET from plastic waste at 80% lower energy use than traditional processes. The remaining 20% can be powered through renewable energy to produce it with zero carbon emissions. Through this, MacroCycle is able to fill a major gap in the plastic recycling market, eliminating plastic from ever ending in our oceans or being produced from fossil fuels ever again. 2023 delta v alumnus Stwart Peña Feliz will share the trajectory of his team and company since their 2023 Demo Day presentation. 

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