In this talk, Professor Desirée Plata, School of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Climate and Energy, Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT, explores the paths for sustainable innovation in materials and chemistry to transition our economy toward environmentally restorative systems. Through real-world examples—tackling plastic pollution, reducing methane emissions, and advancing carbon storage—Plata will highlight the power and limits of computational discovery, the role of green chemistry, and the challenges of scaling carbon removal and emissions reductions technologies in today’s financial landscape. Join us for a dive into the future of sustainable innovation and the race to make it a reality.