The theme for Earth Day 2022, which will be celebrated on April 22, is Invest in our Planet. As stated on earthday.org, the official organizer of Earth Day activities and awareness, “For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.” In 2020, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) launched a program called Climate Grand Challenge (CGC) that perfectly aligns with the “all in” attitude of Earth Day.

CGC invites the whole of MIT’s research community to develop and implement solutions for one of humanity’s biggest threats, climate change. For more than 160 years, MIT has been one of the most prestigious universities in the world, greatly influencing the development of modern science and technology. If any institution can come up with actionable ideas to help save our planet, MIT is a safe bet. Out of nearly 100 initial proposals, MIT selected 27 finalist teams, representing 90% of the university’s research departments and 400 senior researchers and faculty members to compete in the CGC. Of the finalists, several projects, unsurprisingly, utilize drone technology to quantify and solve climate change issues.

One of the finalist teams proposes using a solar powered unmanned aircraft for climate observations that cannot be observed via manned aircraft or satellites. Called The Stratospheric Airborne Climate Observatory System (SACOS), the drone can remain in the stratosphere for months at a time. This length of time allows the sensors on the drone to collect data at a scale unlike one ever done before. Another team representing the schools of Architecture & Planning and Engineering plans to use drones to make detailed maps of some of the regions set to be most severely impacted by climate change. The maps will give decision makers the intel needed to prepare people living in high risk flood zones.

A third project, led by Christopher Hill and Ryan Woosley, will send drones out into the oceans to answer what they deem the trillion-dollar question: “Can new drone technologies and artificial intelligence help us learn about how the upper ocean carbon cycle works, improve air-sea CO2 flux estimates, and create a super-accurate monitoring network?” Using Saildrones, an oceanic cruising drone developed in California, Ryan and Christopher will begin measuring CO2 levels in a small area to use as a data baseline. Then, they plan to send out a large fleet of cost efficient Saildrones to collect 5,000 days’ worth of data over 5 years in all 5 ocean basins.

The projects proposed by the 27 finalist teams will take place over the next few years with funding from MIT and outside contributors. On April 11, 2022, MIT announced 5 Flagship projects that will receive additional funding to push team concepts to the next level. “The Climate Grand Challenges flagship projects set a new standard for inclusive climate solutions that can be adapted and implemented across the globe,” says MIT Chancellor Melissa Nobles. “This competition propels the entire MIT research community — faculty, students, postdocs, and staff — to act with urgency around a worsening climate crisis, and I look forward to seeing the difference these projects can make.”

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