Carbon management to help mitigate global climate change
Efforts to address climate change require significant carbon mitigation. NiSP will research the development of tools to index and compare carbon footprints, develop novel strategies to manage carbon at both the consumer and community levels, explore policy measures to hasten transitions to carbon-friendly technologies
Sustainable water management to ensure water quality and quantity
Sustainable water management ensures both the quantity and quality of our limited freshwater resources. NiSP will evaluate scenarios and develop technologies to ensure sustainable water management by industries in and around the Great Lakes.
Environment and human health implications of nanomaterials
With more than $50B in products, we are witnessing the transition of nanotechnology from discovery to commercialization. This revolution in atomic and molecular engineering promises many environmental and human health benefits. Yet, the risks posed by nanotechnology to ecological and environmental health have yet to be rigorously assessed. NiSP coordinates nanomaterial development with the assessment of biological impacts at various scales and couples this scientific knowledge to policy development.
Sustainable transportation systems to reduce energy and carbon footprints
NiSP will extend Northwestern’s strength in capacity analysis, assurance, demand forecasting, policy analysis and cost/benefit estimates of investments toward questions related to alternative fuels, energy efficient fleets, water footprint of biofuels, social impacts of shifting to plug-in hybrids.
