Climate & Sustainability
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CZU Lightning Complex fires weren’t first of its kind, UC Santa Cruz researchers say
As factors including climate change increase fire risk, collective land management and risk mitigation will be key to avoiding massive fires, said UCSC professor of anthropology Andrew Mathews, who led the research team.
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How damaged is Angeles Crest Highway? I hiked it to find out
“If our storm and other conditions were normal, we would expect closures and losses at some points,” said Michael Beck, director of UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Coastal Climate Resilience.
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Popular Miyawaki reforestation method lacks evidence, study finds
Reforestation expert Karen D. Holl, a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in the U.S., who wasn’t involved with the study, told Mongabay that she has personally heard the Miyawaki method mentioned in meetings about tropical forest restoration strategies as a promising approach to enhance carbon and biodiversity. This despite the method being,…
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UCSC researcher aims to fill gaps in Pajaro Valley air monitoring data, help farmworkers deal with pollution health impacts
Javier González-Rocha, an assistant professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, has been working to identify air monitoring data gaps in the Pajaro Valley to better inform farmworkers and the local community.
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Looking to DNA for answers as climate change outpaces California wildlife’s ability to evolve
“It can be helpful, but it’s not a solution unto itself,” said Karen Holl, a distinguished professor of environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz. “What should be prioritized is reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
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Climate change could create “zombie forests”
New research from UC Santa Cruz shows climate change is a greater threat to California’s native trees than previously thought. The study estimates in the next 30 years some species may lose as much as half of their habitat. Lead author Blair McLaughlin says the rising temperatures and droughts that come with climate change increase…
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Community sensors provide Pajaro Valley with air quality info
Javier Gonzaléz-Rocha, a Watsonville native and applied mathematics professor at UC Santa Cruz, is developing a network of drones and small sensors that can be attached to homes. He uses data collected from these monitors to try and paint a clearer picture of the air quality in the Pajaro Valley, as data that appears on…
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Gas spikes and geopolitics: Why the ‘Lithium Valley’ dream is charging back to life
When UC Santa Cruz Professor of Sociology Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor published Charging Forward in late 2024, they envisioned a steady, policy-driven climb toward a green energy future. They didn’t account for a legislative “sledgehammer” followed by a global oil shock.
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Fog is a vital water resource. Could it disappear in a warming world?
For millions living in the most populous U.S. state, the fog spawned where a cold ocean meets a Sun-warmed coast is like “natural air conditioning,” says Peter Weiss-Penzias, an atmospheric chemist at the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz.
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Climate change is outpacing evolution. Scientists are using DNA to catch up
“It can be helpful, but it’s not a solution unto itself,” said Karen Holl, a distinguished professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “What should be prioritized is reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
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Stashing CO₂ in the sea
The ocean is already one of humanity’s biggest climate allies: It has absorbed more than 90 percent of excess heat generated by global warming. It is a gargantuan carbon sink, storing a third of all carbon emitted by humans since the Industrial Revolution and, overall, 42 times more carbon than the atmosphere does. “Why not…
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For This Bay Area Island City, Water Is Coming From All Sides
But water from above is not the only issue. Patrick Barnard, research director for the UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience, said about 60% of Alameda’s groundwater is already close to the surface — without further sea level rise. “We know there are lots of issues in Alameda, but bottom line, it’s effectively…