The creation of the S-Lab recognizes the scale of the challenge caused by climate change, said Richard Locke, one of six MIT professor who set up the new courses.

CNN: It's not easy being green

At an industry privacy seminar earlier this month, Federal Trade Commission Consumer Privacy chief David Vladeck said the FTC has set up a full-scale forensic mobile lab dedicated to reviewing applications on iPads, iPhones, Androids, and other smartphones.

FORBES: How Smartphone Apps Spy on Their Users