IoES in the News
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Travis Longcore in National Audubon Society: Artificial Lighting May Shift Bird Migration by More Than a Week, New Research Says
Purple Martins exposed to bright nighttime light migrated eight days early—which could lead to starvation at their breeding grounds. Travis Longcore, a UCLA biologist who studies the wildlife impacts of…
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2020 Marcie Rothman Centennial Scholars Undergraduate Scholarship awarded to Desiree Felix
Desiree Felix, a graduating senior with a major in environmental science and minors in environmental systems and society and food studies, received the 2020 Marcie Rothman Centennial Scholars Undergraduate Scholarship…
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A ‘ghastly future’ unless extraordinary action is taken soon on sustainability
In a paper published Jan. 13 in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, the researchers cite more than 150 scientific studies and conclude, “That we are already on the path of…
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Robert Eagle in New Scientist: Corals bleached from heat become less resilient to ocean acidification
A new study co-authored by Robert Eagle provides evidence for how both ocean acidification and warming interact to harm the corals even more than the sum of their parts would…
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UCLA professors win $956,000 award to tackle rising heat in Los Angeles communities
A team of 10 UCLA professors has earned a $956,000 award for a project that will combine their expertise in engineering, urban planning, public health and environmental law to address…
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Cara Horowitz in Grist: Biden nominees signal cooperation with states on climate
Beyond their stark ideological contrasts to President Donald Trump’s agency heads, President-elect Biden’s top-level nominees also appear to signal the new administration’s plans to embed climate policies at the state…
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Gregory S. Okin in Mic: Could feeding your dog bugs save the planet?
If America’s 163+ million dogs and cats were their own country, they’d rank fifth in worldwide meat consumption, according to a 2017 study by Gregory S. Okin, a professor at…
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Daniel Swain in TIME — 2020 Was a Year of Climate Extremes. What Can We Expect in 2021?
2020 was a year of extreme weather around the world. Hot and dry conditions drove record-setting wildfires through vast areas of Australia, California and Brazil and Siberia. Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA focused on…
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Daniel Swain in The Guardian — California’s wildfire hell: how 2020 became the state’s worst ever fire season
2020 was the state’s worst wildfire season on record. By the end of it, the flames had killed 31 people, destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 buildings and burned a…
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Daniel Swain in Axios: 2020 was an extraordinary year for fires. Expect more like it.
2020 has been an extraordinary year for wildfires on the U.S. West Coast and around the world, but you should expect more of the same this decade and in years…
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Daniel Swain in ABC News — From the Atlantic hurricane season to wildfires in the West: How 2020 weather shattered records
This year became one for the record books for yet another reason: The turbulent weather of 2020 smashed numerous records, from storms to wildfires to heat waves. California’s massive fire activity…
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Arthur Winer Opinion in Los Angeles Times — Letters to the Editor: It’s a shame Mary Nichols won’t lead Joe Biden’s EPA
“While we support environmental justice goals, as air pollution researchers with a century of experience between us, we are dismayed at the single-issue attacks on Mary Nichols’ distinguished record that…
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What they’re reading: 2020 Pritzker Genius Award book recommendations
One of our favorite Pritzker Award traditions is the book bar. Each candidate selects a book to share with attendees. At the 2020 ceremony, of course, our book bar was…
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Ann Carlson in The Los Angeles Times: Environmental justice groups block Mary Nichols’ path to EPA
Through four governors, two Obama terms and the Trump administration, Mary Nichols has led the charge to clean up California’s smog and fight climate change. In the process, she has…
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UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability in Forbes: California’s Natural Gas Bans Are Drawing Fire From Black And Latino Leaders
Achieving a gas-free future requires ignoring the cost impacts on the poor and middle class. Last month, a report by researchers, Stephanie Pincetl and Eric Fournier, at the UCLA Institute…
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J.R. DeShazo in ABC News: Are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles the future of autos?
J.R. DeShazo, director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at UCLA, remembers when Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor, vowed to revamp California’s highways as “Hydrogen Highways” in 2004. The infrastructure…
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Troy Carter in WebProNews: US Plans to Build Nuclear Fusion Plant
The US is taking definitive steps toward nuclear fusion, with plans to build its first plant by the 2040s. “The community urgently wants to move forward with fusion on a…
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Daniel Swain in VICE: The Climate Scientist Who Is Demystifying Extreme Weather
Daniel Swain studies climate change at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and is dedicated to helping us understand our warming planet. Whether hiding from the smoke or sheltering…
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Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner in Scoop World: Pacific Island Artists Demand Governments Fulfill 1.5°C Promises In Film Series “Fighting For Our Survival”
Ahead of the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, artists from the Pacific islands call for the international community to urgently defund the fossil fuel industry amidst the dual crises…
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Jennifer Jay in The Daily Bruin — Professors 101: Jennifer Jay motivates students to combat environmental, sustainability issues
UCLA is home to some of the world’s leading researchers and experts – better known to students as professors. Jennifer Jay, a civil and environmental engineering professor has taught a…
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Jason Cong Amongst Four UCLA Engineering Researchers Named to National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) announced Tuesday its 2020 class of fellows, including four UCLA Samueli School of Engineering faculty members. There are now 18 UCLA Samueli-affiliated NAI fellows. Election…
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Ann Carlson in The New Republic: California’s Climate Policy Goes National
Yet after years in the trenches fighting the executive through both tweets and lawsuits, California is on the precipice of a major power shift. The Biden team wants Californian expertise.…
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Troy Carter in Science Magazine: U.S. physicists rally around ambitious plan to build fusion power plant
U.S. fusion scientists coalesce around a goal for the Department of Energy (DOE), the main sponsor of U.S. fusion research, to prepare to build a prototype power plant in the…
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2020 Pritzker Award Finalist Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner — “I envision simple things. Our islands, above water”
The world marks the 10th anniversary of the International Day Against Nuclear Tests today, August 29. Though the nuclear legacy is considered a cold war relic by so many, this…
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Eric Fournier in The Los Angeles Times: Should California ban gas in new homes? A climate battle heats up
UCLA researchers published a study last month concluding that Californians would probably pay more for energy under electrification mandates, and that “low-income residents of disadvantaged communities … will be most adversely…
