Planetary & Environmental Health

Climate change, extreme heat, air pollution, and disparities in access to energy innovations pose significant challenges to both planetary health and our own well-being. IGS researchers are at the forefront of addressing these pressing issues.

Major Research Projects

Thermometer reading 100 degrees fahrenheit with highway and cars in background.

B-COOL Heat Temperature Sensor Project Releases Key Takeaways from 2024 Pilot Study

Partnership between A Better City, The Boston Foundation, Boston University School of Public Health, and City of Boston measures extreme heat differences in Boston’s hotspot communities for data-driven resource allocation.

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Spotlight on Faculty Research

4/22/2025

A Narrative Review of Spatial–Temporal Data Sources for Estimating Population-Level Exposures to Oil and Gas Development in the United States

Current Environmental Health Reports

4/16/2025

Short-Term Ambient PM2.5 Exposure and Cause-Specific Mortality in Massachusetts: Effect Modification by Structural Air Exchange Rates

Environmental Epidemiology

A worms-eye view looking up at a circle of trees

4/15/2025

The Response of a Northeastern Temperate Forest to Future Scenarios of Climate Change and Energy Policies Through the 21st Century

Environmental Modelling & Software

Upwards facing view of trees and skyscrapers

4/15/2025

Analysis of Nature-Related Themes and Terminology in U.S. Climate Assessments

Climatic Change

4/2/2025

Effects of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Cage Aquaculture on Water Quality in the World’s Largest Tropical Lake

Journal of Great Lakes Research

3/15/2025

A High Resolution Multipollutant Assessment of Health Damages due to the Onroad Sector in Boston, Massachusetts

Science of the Total Environment

3/6/2025

Estimating Air Exchange Rates in Thousands of Elementary School Classrooms Using Commercial CO2 Sensors and Machine Learning

Indoor Environments

2/8/2025

Foliar Resorption of Beech and Maple Along an Elevation Gradient in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Forest Ecosystems

Jonathan Buoncocare gives a presentation on energy systems and health.

Mapping Community Exposure to Energy Infrastructure

Power & People Symposium presents insights from a first-of-its-kind database for healthy and just energy transitions.