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Climate Change as an Information Problem

Catherine Cronquist Browning, Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and of Equity and Inclusion at the School of Information | April 17, 2023

In 2019, I argued that our information and data scientists should use their skills to support colleagues in the environmental sciences and other disciplines doing critical work on climate change. As we approach Earth Day 2023, I’m revisiting my call and my predictions to see how far we’ve come. First, a personal note: I had … Continue reading »

Need Quick Climate Solutions? Check Out UC Berkeley Law’s “Climate Break” Podcast

Ethan Elkind, director, Climate Program at Berkeley Law | March 7, 2023

Climate change news is often quite depressing, with frequent stories on the science and ever-worsening impacts. What gets lost in this otherwise important coverage is the amazing and inspiring tales of innovation and solutions happening all around us, in every sector and walk of life. That’s why Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the … Continue reading »

Can We Take Steps Towards Sharing Water Better in California?

Dennis Baldocchi, Professor of Biometeorology and Executive Associate Dean of Rausser College of Natural Resources | January 25, 2023

We just returned from a drive up and down the San Joaquin Valley. Being reared on a California almond and water ranch, I have a long-standing interest in water and California agriculture. Consequently, I always view our trip as an opportunity to read the pulse of California’s water situation. This year the landscape was fresh … Continue reading »

Want to address climate change? Start with your sandwich

Camille Crittenden, Executive Director, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute | November 28, 2022

As COP27 met this month, the looming effects of climate change are again in the headlines. Devastating wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and sea level rise now affect more than 6 in 10 Americans within their local communities. Billions of dollars have been committed through the Inflation Reduction Act and various state measures, including California’s most recent … Continue reading »

Rediscovering our Roots as a Land-Grant, Agricultural Experiment Station University and Fostering its Potential

Dennis Baldocchi, Professor of Biometeorology and Executive Associate Dean of Rausser College of Natural Resources | September 1, 2022

In 1862, during the midst of the Civil War, Congress had a bold vision. They passed the Morrill Act which provided land grants to states to establish colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts to teach practical agriculture, science, military science and engineering. It was on this foundation that the University of California was launched. And, … Continue reading »

California can do better than carbon neutrality by 2045

Daniel Kammen, Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy | May 22, 2022

The California Air Resources Board has released a draft of the state’s blueprint for combating climate change that will guide California’s policy for years. Despite the stakes for Californians, and although my research indicates the state could actually become carbon negative by 2030, the draft proposal would delay reaching carbon neutral until 2045. The barriers to a target of 2030 are political, not technical.

The Solace and Inspiration of Berkeley’s Nature

Noam Schimmel, Lecturer, International and Area Studies and Development Practice |

Growing up in New England, I distinctly remember as a child my kind neighbor showing me her yellow marigolds and teaching me about flowers. When it comes to flowers, marigolds are – in retrospect rather fittingly – a humble flower. They are fairly subdued in their beauty and not particularly extravagant or unusual. They don’t … Continue reading »

Women in Energy: A Powerful Case for Inclusion

Camille Crittenden, Executive Director, CITRIS and the Banatao Institute | March 4, 2022

March brings the annual celebration of Women’s History Month. What started as a week of activities sponsored by the Sonoma school district in 1978 expanded to a national commemorative month by order of Congress in 1986. That same year saw a remarkable two-day Congressional hearing on “Ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect and climate change.” As … Continue reading »

Overcooling of offices reveals gender inequity in thermal comfort

Stefano Schiavon, Associate Professor of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering | December 9, 2021

Our appetite for cooling is growing — air conditioning represents the fastest-growing source of energy use in buildings, with cooling energy tripling between 1990 and 2016. In our latest study, we found that part of this energy demand is wasted on excessive cooling of offices.

On Natural Climate Solutions: The Multi-Faceted Role of Restored Wetlands in the Bay Area

Dennis Baldocchi, Professor of Biometeorology and Executive Associate Dean of Rausser College of Natural Resources | December 8, 2021

Ecosystems have the potential to act as Natural Climate Solutions by taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it in the form of plant stems, roots, and soil organic matter. The more popular forms of Natural Climate Solutions include planting trees and restoring endemic, deep-rooted, perennial grasslands. To be effective, these Natural Climate … Continue reading »

Towards an equitable microgrid policy

Heather Lewis, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Environmental Law Clinic | June 30, 2020

The 2020 fire season has already started, and we cannot repeat the mistakes of past fire seasons. PG&E recently pled guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter after 84 people were killed when a derelict PG&E transmission line sparked the 2018 Camp Fire. The 2019 fire seasons saw widespread public safety power shutoffs (PSPS events), most … Continue reading »

Green in black and white: It’s time to show up

Claudia Polsky, assistant clinical professor of law | June 5, 2020

My favorite opening line from any Earth Day speech ever was this: “Today, black and white, yellow and brown, we are all green.”  The speech was delivered three decades ago; the place was Times Square; and the speaker was David Dinkins, New York City’s first (and to date, only) African-American mayor. How I wish his … Continue reading »

A Green Stimulus to recover from the COVID Recession

Daniel Kammen, Class of 1935 Distinguished Professor of Energy | June 2, 2020

A Green Stimulus to recover from the COVID Recession Daniel Aldana Cohen and Daniel M Kammen The COVID-19 epidemic is ravaging our tattered health care system and shredding our economy. In the past month, over 20 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, compounding the fear that unemployment could breach 32% absent massive public action. This … Continue reading »