Climate Solutions (Audio)

Climate scientist Julie Kalansky discusses how drought in California and Nevada is a common occurrence, with the attendant water restrictions and threat of severe wildfires bringing the reality of climate change into sharp focus. Future climate projections for the region suggest a trend toward more extremes, including more severe and prolonged drought as well as exceptionally wet years. Learn about the science of drought and how the Scripps-based California Nevada Climate Applications (CNAP) program works to provide drought tracking and early warning in support of drought preparedness and resilience in the face of a changing climate. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 37031]

Join world renowned scientist Ram Ramanathan for insight into a multifaceted education program, Bending the Curve, which inspires action on climate solutions. The groundbreaking program is offered at all University of California campuses and internationally. Learn how he and colleagues around the world are educating students at every level to become climate warriors. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 35706]

The ocean plays a major role in regulating Earth’s temperature through exchange of chemicals and microbes with the atmosphere. When waves break, ocean-derived biological species including viruses and bacteria are transferred into the atmosphere. These species can ultimately form clouds, altering precipitation and climate. Highlights will be presented of novel experiments being conducted in a unique ocean-atmosphere simulator developed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE). Kimberly Prather, Professor of Climate, Atmospheric Science, and Physical Oceanography at UC San Diego will focus on recent CAICE studies aimed at advancing our understanding of how the oceans influence human and planetary health. New insights will be discussed as well as future studies designed to unravel human versus microbial impacts on the changing Earth’s system. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Show ID: 35000]

Researchers at UC San Diego are working on cutting edge technology to combat the constant threat of wildfires in California. The WIFIRE Lab is a collaboration between the Qualcomm Institute and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. The technology uses big data from cameras, weather stations, topography and other sources to quickly predict where wildfires will spread. And, it's not just theoretical. Fire departments like LAFD are actively using WIFIRE to get ahead of blazes before they get out of control. Series: "Computing Around UC" [Science] [Show ID: 35075]

Skyelark Ranch, owned an operated by UC Davis graduate Alexis Robertson and her husband Gillies, uses rotational grazing while raising sheep, which can benefit plant growth, drought resistance, and the climate. The grazing encourages plant growth, which through photosynthesis, captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil, where it can create healthier soils and stay out of our atmosphere. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Science] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 34110]

Can geoengineering save the planet? Injecting particles into the atmosphere to counter the warming effects of climate change would do nothing to offset the crop damage from rising global temperatures, according to a new analysis by UC Berkeley researchers. Shading the planet keeps things cooler, which helps crops grow better. But plants also need sunlight to grow, so blocking sunlight can affect growth. Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Science] [Show ID: 33999]

As we rethink our energy use, we focus on the highest polluters, and at a global scale. But energy use at a much finer scale seriously threatens the health and safety of hundreds of millions of people who still cook on inefficient wood stoves in developing countries. Berkeley professor Ashok Gadgil and his students launched the Berkeley Darfur Stove project to design and build efficient and inexpensive stoves. They then created a non-profit to manufacture the $20 stoves in Mumbai. The stoves’ efficiency halves the fuel wood to cook each meal, and the time needed to collect it. Women purchasing fuel wood saved about $260 per year. Series: "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" [Science] [Show ID: 33083]

Since we don’t yet know how fast and how high sea levels are going to rise, Berkeley urban designer Kristina Hill stresses that our strategies must be ready and be adaptive as conditions change. Rising seas pose multiple dangers. Groundwater rises on top of sea level causing inland flooding. What can we do to prepare? Kristina Hill says a fundamental principle of landscape architecture -- "dig a hole, make a mound” -- offers a time-tested strategy. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 33070]

At a time of uncertain water supplies, how can we get the most use of our water? By passing water through a material called a reverse osmosis membrane, adding a small amount of hydrogen peroxide and exposing it to ultraviolet light, engineers in Orange County, California have been turning what used to be considered useless wastewater into drinking water for more than 25 years. David Sedlak’s research team at Berkeley has developed technologies to improve the treatment processes. Series: "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" [Science] [Show ID: 33071]

We are on a straight-line trajectory that connects increased emissions to a much warmer and much stranger climate. Are there pathways for escaping from the up-escalator of climate change? UC Berkeley Professor Bill Collins examines the key culprits, carbon dioxide and “black carbon” from ordinary diesel combustion. Series: "Cal Future Forum: Our Changing World" [Science] [Show ID: 33068]

Dan Kammen’s Berkeley research group has revealed the need for a dramatic shift to electricity and away from both fossil and biofuels. Meanwhile, 1.3 billion people – 15 percent of the world population – still lack electricity, and their growing demand for it would raise – not lower – global temperatures. The solution, Kammen says, must be local. He sees great promise in efforts to bring together new technologies with best practices to electrify those who don’t have power and to “green it” for everybody else. Series: "UC Public Policy Channel" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 33072]

Drawing on personal experiences of living with the Maasai tribe in east Africa and the Inuit of Greenland – whose cultures and resilience derive from living in constantly changing environments - Jacqueline McGlade explores how mind-sets, economies and ecosystems can become (re)active and more resilient to an increasingly uncertain world. McGlade has pioneered research in the dynamics of ecosystems, citizen science and social and environmental informatics. Series: "Bren School of Environmental Science & Management" [Science] [Show ID: 33663]

Kelly Ferguson is the Director of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Energize California Program, an initiative of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. She is a lifelong Green Entrepreneur and Eco Warrior. She works to accelerate clean energy development by supporting energy entrepreneurs and startups and helping them get access to the business and technical resources they need to bring new technology to market. Series: "Innovator Stories: Creating Something from Nothing" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 33056]

Jennifer Granholm, the former Governor of Michigan and now on faculty at UC Berkeley, makes a rousing case for how electric driverless cars will lead to new industries, cleaner air, more mobility and a higher quality of life as commuters relax while in transit. Governor Granholm was the featured speaker in the Fall 2017 Board Dinner of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.   Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 32979]

“Ram” Ramanathan, chief architect of the “Bending the Curve” report, lays out the Top Ten Scalable Solutions to global climate change. V. Ramanathan is a Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanograph, UC San Diego. Series: "UC Carbon and Climate Neutrality Summit: UC Climate Solutions" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 30300]

By focusing on a current water issue, students in public schools learn the science behind the problem and then exercise the scientific method in determining a unique solution to the problem with their classmates.  The students develop teamwork and communication skills while figuring out innovative ways to problem solve- skills that are beneficial beyond the classroom.  Series: "UCTV Prime" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Education] [Show ID: 32394]

Floods are the most destructive of natural disasters, on average affecting 100 million people globally. Drones can be used as very cost effective mapping devices, gathering fine resolution data on a site's terrain, landcover, and even its infrastructure. This information is necessary to build models capable of predicting flood hazard at scales of streets and individual homes. Learn how the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation is working to create a fleet of drones to benefit developing countries. Series: "UCTV Prime" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 32396]

We are now at a point in the United States in which, in a range of areas, evidence-based policy making no longer enjoys the degree of even rhetorical support that it once did. Dale Jamieson, Professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy at NYU, reviews the history that led to the Paris Agreement and explores the strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures of the evidence-based approach to ask how we might make progress on climate change in the years ahead. Series: "Bren School of Environmental Science & Management" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 32567]

Imagine a future in which every home has an appliance that pulls all the water the household needs out of the air, even in dry or desert climates, using only the power of the sun. That future may be around the corner, with the demonstration this week of a water harvester that uses only ambient sunlight to pull liters of water out of the air each day in conditions as low as 20 percent humidity, a level common in arid areas Series: "UC Berkeley News" [Science] [Show ID: 32684]

Rosina Bierbaum, formerly of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and an Adaptation Fellow at the World Bank, shows how climate change will affect all regions and sectors of the economy, and disproportionately affect the poorest people on the planet. Therefore, improving the resilience, adaptation, and preparedness of communities must be a high priority, equal to that of achieving deep greenhouse gas reductions,and rapid development and deployment of innovative technologies, as well as altered planning and management strategies, will be needed in the coming decades to achieve a sustainable world. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 32343]

Timothy O'Connor, San Diego: Stretchable, Printable and Wearable Solar Cells Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31078]

Andrew Zumkehr, UC Merced: Novel Land Use, Energy, Water and Solar Canals Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31209]

Blending climate science with economic modeling, Emilie Mazzacurati offers clients strategic advice on how to protect local communities by integrating climate risk into business decisions. Mazzacurati, an alumna of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, talks with fellow alumnus Jonathan Stein how she founded her company, Four Twenty Seven Climate Solutions, to build climate resilience through social innovation. Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Business] [Show ID: 32257]

Lakshana Huddar, Berkeley: How to Build an Advanced Nuclear Reactor in a University Laboratory Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31079]

Chao Wang, Riverside: A Network that Loops Everyone in to Contribute Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31071]

Robert Pomeroy, UC San Diego: Might as Well Go Surfing: Biomass Utilization in a World With Oil at $30/Barrel Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31061]

Kelsey Johnson, Santa Barbara: EV Match Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31081]

Mihri Ozkan, UC Riverside: The Sponge Suit and Rechargeable Batteries from Sustainable Sources Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31062]

Hear from six Berkeley Lab scientists with big new ideas designed to help transform our carbon-drenched, overheating world. These short presentations cover desalination, energy efficient window coating, capturing carbon, energy from ocean waves, alternate fuel for your car, and an app that compares fuel economy or EV range. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 31928]

Johannes Rebelein, Irvine: Novel Biofuel Formation by Nitrogenase Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31082]

Kendra Kuhl co-founded Opus 12 to find out if an electrochemical process, operating inside a desk-sized reactor, can do on an industrial scale what is often hailed as the Holy Grail of carbon-recycling research—convert CO2 captured from smokestacks into ethanol and other valuable products. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Science] [Show ID: 31941]

Ilan Gur, founder and director of the high-tech incubator Cyclotron Road relates the work of chemist William Crookes and subsequent critical discoveries motivated by the global crisis of food supply and population in the 19th century, and how overcoming skepticism in finding solutions is critical to our current climate challenges. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31085]

Replacing millions of porous windows with energy-efficient versions in older buildings and homes can be prohibitively expensive. Berkeley Lab’s Raymond Weitekamp, a Caltech PhD, has a new approach: an inexpensive, paint-on, energy-efficient coating that can be applied simply and evenly without the help of a professional—while the windows are still in place. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Science] [Show ID: 31938]

At CalWave, Marcus Lehmann is developing the WaveCarpet, which harnesses the power of ocean waves to produce electricity and freshwater. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Science] [Show ID: 31939]

A Berkeley Lab scientist specializing in all things vehicular—from powertrain technologies, vehicle electrification and vehicle-grid integration to advanced engine technologies, personalized fuel economy and EV range prediction—Samveg (Sam) Saxena is leading the development of a new app called MyGreenCar. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Science] [Show ID: 31942]

Removing excess carbon from an overheating atmosphere is an urgent and complicated problem. The answer, according to Berkeley Lab’s Jeff Urban, could lie at the nanoscale. Series: "Science at the Theater" [Science] [Show ID: 31940]

Eric Walters, Davis: Fungal-bacterial Co-culture for Biofuel Production Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31076]

Tianyu Liu, Santa Cruz: Enhancing the Performance of Supercapacitors Through Facilitation of Ion Diffusion Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31080]

Sue Carter, UC Santa Cruz: The Sustainability Lab and Sustainable Solutions at the Water, Food, Energy Nexus Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31059]

Gabriel Falzone, Los Angeles: Carbon Upcycling: Turning CO2 into Concrete Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31083]

Sintana Vergara, UC Berkeley: From Garbage to Gold: Repurposing Waste for Carbon Sequestration Series: "Women in Science" [Science] [Show ID: 31060]

Benjamin Sommerkorn, Riverside: The Water-Energy Relationship at UCR: Managing Our Consumption Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31075]

Kurt Kornbluth, UC Davis: Zero Net Energy and Carbon Neutrality at UC Davis: Applied Research and Project-Based Learning Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31063]

Over the last 30 years predictions of climate change as a threat to individuals, societies and nations have changed from possibilities to realities. Ethical issues associated with individuals, companies, nations which cause climate change, who might benefit from it, and who will suffer from the impacts have been part of the discussion from the beginning. How has thinking about the ethics of climate change evolved during that time and how does this relate to the ethics of extreme mitigation efforts like climate engineering? Margaret Leinen, UC San Diego Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dean of the School of Marine Sciences discusses what can be done, what is being done, and the ethical implications of deploying solutions. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 31033]

Tony Barnosky, a Professor of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, and Teenie Matlock, the McClatchy Chair of Communications and Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at UC Merced, discuss tactics for communicating the urgency to act and depoliticizing the discussion on climate change. Series: "UC Carbon and Climate Neutrality Summit: UC Climate Solutions" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 30294]

Officials of the University of California Office of the President and the Director of the Palo Alto Research Center provide background on the purpose of the UC Carbon Slam 2016. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31049]

UC Carbon Slam 2016 brought students from all 10 campuses to Silicon Valley to present their climate science and carbon reduction research in three-minute pitches and posters at a live competition before a panel of esteemed judges and guests. These ten graduate students present short pitches about their research in carbon reduction strategies. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31053]

Presentations from University of California Faculty Climate Action Champions, who are working to build community engagement and awareness of climate change and to discover and implement solutions. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31051]

Presentations from University of California Faculty Climate Action Champions, who are working to build community engagement and awareness of climate change and to discover and implement solutions. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Science] [Show ID: 31050]

A diverse panel of experts – from academics to activists to ranchers – discuss the moral, animal welfare, human health and environmental issues surrounding meat production and consumption. This is the second of a four-part series covering food sustainability sponsored by the Berry Good Food Foundation. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 30711]

Highlights of the lively and informative symposium on natural climate solutions hosted by the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at UC Davis. Series: "Climate Solutions " [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 30795]