Environmental Studies
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Will regulators OK controversial effort to supercharge ocean’s ability to absorb carbon?
Given the controversy surrounding geoengineering experiments, it’s important for scientists to do public outreach before experiments happen, Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah told Science. Although scientists might be inclined to stay in the lab and focus on the technical questions, they need to engage with the public, she says. “Until scientists take this seriously, we’re…
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A controversial experiment to artificially cool Earth was canceled — what we know about why
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah, who co-chaired the advisory committee for Harvard University's SCoPEX solar geoengineering experiment, talked to The Verge about some of the lessons learned from that process. “One of the core messages that comes out of this is that public engagement is necessary even when you don’t think that the impact of the…
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Could AI robots with lasers make herbicides — and farm workers — obsolete?
Chris Benner, professor of sociology and environmental studies and director of the Institute for Social Transformation, likened the disruptive potential of new agricultural tools. “We need more efficiencies in agriculture to improve profit margins and be able to pay workers in the field more, but that’s ultimately going to displace some people,” Benner said. “What do…
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Chicago teachers demand climate solutions in their next contract
As heat and extreme weather become more prevalent because of the climate crisis, J. Mijin Cha, an environmental studies professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said it makes sense that climate demands are turning up in union negotiations. “If you want a green school, you have to really think about what the challenges of…
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Extra moisture on West Coast allowing climate-sensitive Joshua trees to recover: Experts
The obligate mutualism between the moth and the Joshua tree is limited to a narrow belt where the trees grow best, as neither can survive at high elevations, but the tree cannot reproduce in low elevations either, according to research led by UC Santa Cruz professor of environmental studies Gregory Gilbert.
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Don't cut them down: Letting dead trees rot can help make new life
“Wood-decay basidiomycetes are unusual in that they can break down a major compound of the wood called lignin,” says Gregory Gilbert, a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “Once that is broken down, the easier-to-eat cellulose is available for other fungi, insects, and bacteria.”
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Mountain lion prompts brief lockdown at Aptos High School
Environmental Studies Professor Chris Wilmers, founder of the Santa Cruz Puma Project, spoke with the Santa Cruz Sentinel about local mountain lion behavior.
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As dismantling of largest dam begins on Klamath River, activists see ‘new beginning’
Environmental Studies Ph.D. student Brook Thompson, a Yurok tribe member, spoke with the Los Angeles Times about her activism for dam removal along the Klamath River and how it feels to now see the river's largest dam being dismantled.
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The hard lessons of Harvard’s failed geoengineering experiment
Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah, who co-chaired the Advisory Committee for Harvard's proposed SCoPEX solar geoengineering experiment, told MIT Technology Review that the need for early public engagement in future research proposals is one of the major take-home lessons from the project.
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Successful reforestation is keeping the Eastern U.S. cooler
For an article about the positive impacts of reforestation, Scientific American interviewed Environmental Studies Professor Karen Holl to clarify under which conditions reforestation campaigns are appropriate and most likely to provide benefits.
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TEDxSantaCruz announces speakers for first conference in five years
Economics Professor Galina Hale and Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela are among the selected speakers for an upcoming TEDxSanta Cruz event, which will also feature UCSC alumni and a current graduate student.
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A Tale of Two Sea Level Rise Solutions
Environmental Studies Ph.D. student Amanda Stoltz spoke with Sierra about climate gentrification. "Not only are lower-income and BIPOC communities already bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, but also rising real estate prices may continue to push those communities out of climate-safe neighborhoods and into areas more at risk," she said.