Video: Expert insights on the causes, impacts and aftermath of the L.A. wildfires
UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and and UCLA’s Sustainable LA Grand Challenge recently hosted a virtual seminar addressing the historic wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles in January 2025. The event brought together an esteemed panel of experts to share insights on the causes, impacts and recovery efforts surrounding these devastating wildfires.
This timely discussion, livestreamed via Zoom on January 23, 2025, explored the interconnected challenges posed by wildfires, including climate change, water, air quality and long-term environmental and community resilience.
Meet the Panelists:
Alex Hall
- Climate science expert
- Director, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES)
- Faculty Director, UCLA’s Sustainable LA Grand Challenge
- Director, UCLA Climate and Wildfire Research Initiative (CWRI)
Greg Pierce
- Water quality expert
- Research and Co-Executive Director, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)
- Director, UCLA Water Resources Group and Human Right to Water Solutions Lab
- Adjunct Associate Professor, UCLA Department of Urban Planning, Luskin School of Public Affairs
Yifang Zhu
- Air Quality Expert
- Associate Director, UCLA IoES’s Center for Clean Air
- Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Moderated by:
Nurit Katz