An international collaboration between Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has successfully grown premium Japanese rice on Kauaʻi using water-saving upland methods. The rice matured one month faster than in Japan while achieving comparable yields and producing larger, higher-quality grains. This research demonstrates the potential to reestablish local rice production, enhance food security, and offer a sustainable farming model for water-scarce island regions.

New analysis of 5.5 million buildings shows 84% fall short of tree canopy levels required for meaningful cooling.

Researchers developed a simple and cost-effective way to protect environmental monitoring equipment from wildfire damage. The redesigned data cabinets will keep electronics below their failure temperature during wildfires, helping maintain critical environmental data collection.

A new review in Journal of Management Science and Engineering maps nearly five decades of climate adaptation economics, covering 6,248 studies from 1978 to 2025. It shows how households, firms, markets and governments adapt to climate risk, why adaptation and mitigation must be coordinated, and where future research needs better data, causal evidence and models of inequality.