IoES in the News

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Ever wondered how much your pet’s diet impacts the environment?

Meat production has well-documented impacts on the environment, as Okin notes in a study he published this month in the journal PloS ONE: “Compared to a plant-based diet, a meat-based diet requires more energy, land, and water and has greater environmental consequences in terms of erosion, pesticides, and waste.”

ever wondered how much your pet’s diet impacts the environment?

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America’s Fancy Pet Food Addiction Is a Big Problem for the Environment

American pets have been increasingly served up prime cuts of meat, but this food comes at a cost.

america’s fancy pet food addiction is a big problem for the environment

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Fido, fluffy and climate change: The news is not good

Meat-eating cats and dogs create the equivalent of about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, about the same climate impact as a year’s worth of driving from 13.6…

fido, fluffy and climate change: the news is not good

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Straying Too Far? Professor Says Dogs and Cats Harm Climate, Advises Hamsters Instead

In his paper published last week, UCLA professor Gregory S. Okin found that meat-eating dogs and cats create the equivalent of 64 million tons of carbon dioxide per year based on the energy consumption required to produce their food, or the same impact as driving 13.6 million cars.

straying too far? professor says dogs and cats harm climate, advises hamsters instead

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Did we humans contribute to the Texas heat wave? It’s complicated

"One of the clearest signals that is summarized in this report is that California is already a warmer place than it used to be", said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA whose work is cited in the report.

did we humans contribute to the texas heat wave? it’s complicated

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Your Carnivorous Pet May Have a Large Carbon ‘Pawprint’

UCLA researchers say that meat-eating pets meat might have unexpectedly large effects on climate change. Pets generate 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year, UCLA geography professor Gregory Okin…

your carnivorous pet may have a large carbon ‘pawprint’

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Climate gloom and doom? Bring it on. But we need stories about taking action, too

Facts are not enough. Bring people into the story of science to stimulate their curiosity and inspire them to action. 

climate gloom and doom? bring it on. but we need stories about taking action, too

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Climate gloom and doom? Bring it on.

UCLA’s Jon Christensen urges people to tell stories that inspire action against climate change. 

climate gloom and doom? bring it on.

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Federal report sees human-caused changes to California’s climate

Since the 1980’s, human activity has caused higher temperatures and extreme swings between floods and droughts in California’s climate. 

federal report sees human-caused changes to california’s climate

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Climate gloom and doom? Bring it on. But we need stories about taking action, too

In order to take action, people not only need to hear the bad news, they need to hear the good news too.

climate gloom and doom? bring it on. but we need stories about taking action, too

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Your Pet’s Food Is Not Helping the Environment

Meat production has a significant impact on the Earth's environment — and new research shows that your pets are part of the problem.

do your pets contribute to climate change? one ucla professor says yes

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Here’s what your pets are really doing to the environment

 Armed with a survey estimating that Americans owned 77.8 million pet dogs and 85.6 million pet cats in 2015, Gregory Okin started investigating pets' food needs.

here’s what your pets are really doing to the environment

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Study gives pet lovers paws

A shocking new study unleashed by UCLA is blaming family pets for causing some global warming.

study gives pet lovers paws

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U.S. pets are responsible for 30% of the environmental impact of meat eating

If America’s dogs and cats were their own country, their meat consumption would rank fifth in the world.

u.s. pets are responsible for 30% of the environmental impact of meat eating

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UCLA professor says dogs and cats contribute significantly to climate change

In a study released Wednesday, a geography professor at UCLA calculated that the meat-based food Americans’ dogs and cats eat – and the waste those pets produce – generate the equivalent of about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

ucla professor says dogs and cats contribute significantly to climate change

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LA’s new cleantech chief and a champion for tomorrow’s talent

Vien Truong, Pritzker candidate, featured in GreenBiz.

la’s new cleantech chief and a champion for tomorrow’s talent

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It’s Never Been Harder to Be a Climate Scientist

Lauren Kurtz, Pritzker candidate, featured in the New Republic.

it’s never been harder to be a climate scientist

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Dream Corps and NAACP Get New Leaders

Vien Truong, director of the Dream Corps’s Green for All climate-justice program and Pritzker Award candidate, has been named chief executive officer.

dream corps and naacp get new leaders

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Warmer than normal July for the Bay Area

Elsewhere in California, summer has been searing, according to Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, whose California Weather Blog provides perspectives on the state’s weather, climate, and regional environmental change.

warmer than normal july for the bay area

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Cooking in the American south

Pritzker Award candidate, Micheal Twitty, writes a book about his journey through African-American culinary history in the south. 

cooking in the american south

Blog

Meet the Pritzker candidates: 16-20

by Rebecca Ash Next month, we’ll announce the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award finalists. Until then, meet the final group of candidates for the award, which is dedicated to someone under…

meet the pritzker candidates: 16-20

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BBC News – Greenland ice sheet

UCLA IoES professor Aradhana Tripati interviewed on BBC News about melting glaciers.

bbc news – greenland ice sheet

Blog

Meet the Pritzker candidates: 11-15

by Rebecca Ash Two weeks after the announcement of the inaugural Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, our 20 candidates continue to be narrowed down to five finalists. All under the age of 40,…


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Michael Twitty’s ‘The Cooking Gene’ Explores Intersection of Culture and Cuisine

(Pritzker candidate feature) Michael Twitty, writer, Judaic studies teacher, culinary historian and historical interpreter is a new kind of voice on the food scene. Twitty meshes cooking, food and history…

michael twitty’s ‘the cooking gene’ explores intersection of culture and cuisine

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Monsoons in Southern California? Here’s why it’s so cloudy

"I think a lot of people are always intrigued to find out there is, in fact, a monsoon in the desert Southwest,"said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA and author of the California weather blog Weather West.

monsoons in southern california? here’s why it’s so cloudy