Basic Challenges

A key principle behind the Climate CoLab is breaking down the large, complex problem of climate change into a series of more focused sub-problems. Climate CoLab’s 65 basic challenges each address a particular sub problem. For more on how basic challenges were selected, see Why these contests?

Challenge	Problem description	Date	Entries
Adaptation 2018	What initiatives, policies, and technologies can help prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change?	2018	42
Buildings 2018	What initiatives, policies, and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings sector?	2018	27
Carbon Pricing 2018	What initiatives, policies, and strategies can advance carbon pricing?	2018	22
Energy Supply 2018	What initiatives, policies, and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector?	2018	35
Land Use: Agriculture, Forestry, Waste Management 2018	What initiatives, policies, and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from land use change and waste?	2018	53
Shifting Attitudes and Behaviors 2018	What initiatives and strategies can mobilize individuals and societies to shift attitudes & behaviors to address climate change?	2018	69
Transportation 2018	What initiatives, policies, and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector?	2018	32
Adaptation 2016	What can be done to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change?	2016	29
Aviation 2016	How can we design, operate, and power aircraft to reduce the climate impacts of aviation?	2016	11
Buildings 2016	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector?	2016	33
Energy Supply 2016	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector?	2016	40
Energy Water Nexus 2016	What actions can address interdependent water-energy challenges, and drive us toward a secure water and energy future?	2016	21
Industry 2016	How can industry innovate to meet the challenges of sustaining a healthy climate while meeting societal demands for goods and services?	2016	11
Land Use: Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock 2016	How can we scale-up sustainable landscape management to significantly reduce GHG emissions while ensuring food, water, and energy security?	2016	60
Shifting Behavior for a Changing Climate 2016	How can we mobilize individuals and society to shift behaviors in order to address climate change?	2016	92
The Smart Zero Carbon Cities Challenge 2016	How can smart technologies drive a rapid transition to zero-carbon cities?	2016	16
Transportation 2016	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector?	2016	28
Waste Management 2016	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste and waste management?	2016	30
Adaptation 2015	What can be done to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change?	2015	30
Buildings 2015	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector?	2015	13
Energy Supply 2015	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation?	2015	29
Energy-Water Nexus 2015	What immediate actions can we take to address energy-water nexus challenges?	2015	16
Industry 2015	How can industry innovate to meet the climate challenge and drive sustainable growth?	2015	9
Land Use: Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock 2015	How can we scale-up sustainable landscape management to significantly reduce GHG emissions while ensuring food, water, and energy security?	2015	32
Rural resilience 2015	What actions can rural communities take to increase their resilience to climate change?	2015	19
Shifting Attitudes & Behavior 2015	How can we shift perceptions, values, norms, and attitudes about climate change?	2015	71
Transportation 2015	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector?	2015	21
U.S. Carbon Price 2015	How could a national price on carbon be implemented in the United States?	2015	16
Urban Energy Efficiency 2015	How do we leverage innovation in hardware, software and business models to increase urban energy efficiency?	2015	23
Waste Management 2015	What initiatives, policies and technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste and waste management?	2015	23
Adaptation to Climate Change 2014	What can be done to adapt to the impacts of climate change?	2014	29
Buildings 2014	How can we increase building energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?	2014	29
Consumption of Products & Services 2014	How can we reduce consumption of goods and services that, by their manufacture or use, emit greenhouse gases?	2014	27
Crowdsourcing for Disaster Risk Management 2014	How can crowdsourcing provide more efficient disaster risk management?	2014	12
Energy Supply 2014	How can GHG emissions from the electricity sector be minimized?	2014	35
Geoengineering 2014	How can research into geoengineering be governed to limit its environmental and political risks?	2014	18
Industry 2014	How can industry innovate to meet the climate challenge and drive sustainable growth?	2014	15
Land Use: Agriculture, Livestock & Forestry 2014	How can we scale-up sustainable landscape management to reduce GHG emissions while ensuring food, water, and energy security?	2014	23
Shifting behavior for a changing climate 2014	How can we shift perceptions, values, norms, and attitudes to inspire individuals and institutions to take action on climate change?	2014	53
Transportation 2014	How can CO2 emissions from the transportation sector be reduced?	2014	45
U.S. Carbon Price 2014	How could a national price on carbon be implemented in the United States?	2014	29
Waste Management 2014	How can emissions from waste be reduced?	2014	16
Adaptation and Civil Society Groups 2013	What role will civil society actors play in climate adaptation?	2013	15
Agriculture and forestry 2013	Which activities can best reduce climate impacts and enhance resilient adaptation to climate change in agriculture and forestry?	2013	27
Building efficiency 2013	How can greenhouse gas emissions from buildings be reduced?	2013	18
Climate friendly diet 2013	How should we eat given the risks of climate change?	2013	1
Electric power sector 2013	What can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions attributable to the electric power sector?	2013	29
Enabling adaptation 2013	How can businesses, governments, and individuals coordinate to ensure the implementation of effective domestic and international strategies to prepare for the effects of climate change?	2013	14
Fossil fuel sector 2013	What are some ways to create step-change improvements in the GHG emissions associated with the production of fossil fuels?	2013	5
Geoengineering 2013	What climate-engineering initiatives might be feasible, especially to avoid methane feedbacks caused by global warming?	2013	33
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) 2013	What can be done to measure, monitor and reduce the climate impacts of increased oil and gas production spurred by hydraulic fracturing (fracking)?	2013	15
Industrial efficiency 2013	How can greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector be reduced?	2013	10
Local solutions 2013	What can be done at the local level to address climate change?	2013	39
MIT Sloan Innovation Period Class, 2013	What actions should be taken to address climate change?	2013	2
Profitably reducing emissions from cement 2013	What can be done to reduce GHG emissions in the cement industry profitably?	2013	12
Reducing consumption 2013	How can we reduce consumption of greenhouse-emitting goods and services?	2013	23
Replacing diesel generation 2013	What actions and/or policies can encourage large-scale deployment of commercially viable renewable energy sources to replace stationary diesel generators?	2013	6
Scaling renewables in major emerging economies 2013	How can renewable technologies be rapidly deployed in the major emerging economies?	2013	9
Shifting cultures for a changing climate 2013	What can be done to shift cultural attitudes on climate change to inspire action?	2013	38
Transportation efficiency 2013	How can CO2 emissions from the world's transportation be reduced?	2013	41
Urban adaptation: Climate resilient cities 2013	How can cities become more resilient to the challenges brought on by climate change?	2013	16
Waste management 2013	How can emissions from waste disposal be reduced?	2013	20
Contest 2010 Follow-Up 2010	How can the Climate CoLab 2010 finalists be improved?	2010	11
Inernational Climate Agreement 2010	What international climate agreements should the world community make?	2010	4
UNFCC plan 2009	What plan should be adopted at the UN climate talks?	2009	20