Environment + Climate

Glen MacDonald, formerly the director of UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, is the first holder of a new chair named after legendary conservationist John Muir. Mark Gold is now acting director of IoES.

Water researchers from UCLA, the Natural History Museum and elsewhere are helping the region understand issues, history and possible solutions related to the drought. A discussion series featuring panels of experts begins July 10.

Among the group's other recommendations: household water meters that measure indoor and outdoor water use separately, and stronger incentives for drought-resistant landscaping.

Professor Yoram Cohen suggests that water reclamation, water recycling and reuse could become very important for health and conservation in the future.

The Cal EcoMaps site, launched this month, features a detailed interactive map and environmental impact ratings for 172 industrial facilities in Los Angeles County.

Daniela Cusack and her fellow scientists who have been working for two years on finding a strategy to reduce global warming have concluded that we cannot engineer our way out of climate change.

A $500,000 gift from Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will add a laboratory to the La Kretz Field Station, located in Malibu.

For the fourth straight year, the hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica have been recognized by Practice Greenhealth for their efforts to recycle, eliminate mercury and reduce medical waste.

A new report by professors from UCLA and five other universities concludes that climate engineering won't suffice, and we have to cut down the amount of carbon being released into the atmosphere.

Alex Hall, a professor in UCLA’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of Environment and Sustainability, appears in “Years of Living Dangerously,” airing June 2 on Showtime, and explains how climate change will impact our lives.

Alex Wang and Benjamin van Rooj explore the consequences and goals of China's new environmental protection law in an op-ed in the New York Times.

UC researchers use their expertise to help California cope with one of the most severe droughts on record

A rolling water treatment plant designed by UCLA researchers made a pit stop on campus this week before heading north to the San Joaquin Valley, where it will help address California’s inadequate water supply.

University of California experts gathered for a daylong summit in the state Capitol to discuss impacts and implications of one the most severe droughts on record.

With the worldwide celebration of Earth Day taking place this week in more than 190 countries, a number of organizations have taken note of UCLA’s commitment to sustainability and environmental excellence.

UCLA scientists found that not only have male coquis become smaller, but their mating call has also become shorter and higher pitched; the researchers attribute the change to Puerto Rico's warmer temperatures.

The gift will support research and policy fellows; fund student scholarships and a public service fellowship; support outreach, events and speaker series; and provide resources to attract faculty.

Hosted by Jeanne and Tony Pritzker, the star-studded event raised $650,000 to support UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability research and education initiatives.

Caribbean fighting conch used to be harvested with more meat, but evolved to mature at a smaller size.

The researchers used an innovative technique called clumped isotope thermometry to help determine temperature patterns dating to the last ice age, 20,000 years ago.

UCLA engineering professor Yoram Cohen's Gray2Blue system cleans up a home's gray water for reuse in irrigating the garden. It could save Californians billions of gallons of clean water every day.

With about 70,000 people and the water needs of a small city, UCLA can take small steps toward conservation during California’s drought that will add up to big savings.

In the debate about which plant and animal species endangered by climate change should be rescued and which are expendable, a small band of UCLA botanists is fervently championing a desert plant most of us have never seen or heard of.

A scientist, together with a graduate student, used cutting-edge research tools at UCLA to help Turkish archaeologists decipher a large, neolithic mural that many believe is the world's earliest depiction of a volcanic eruption.

Ultrafine particulate concentrations were found to be highest near Santa Monica Airport, followed by freeway-laced Boyle Heights and downtown Los Angeles.