Environmental Studies

  • GM concession bolsters EV proponents amid auto strike

    GM concession bolsters EV proponents amid auto strike

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Mijin Cha spoke with The Hill about the UAW union's efforts to unionize battery plants. “[F]ighting for EV battery manufacturing to be union is really important to show that green jobs can be good jobs and that there is no conflict between addressing climate change and supporting workers,” she said.  

  • “Voices Of Pajaro” Brings South County Reality To UCSC

    “Voices Of Pajaro” Brings South County Reality To UCSC

    Good Times magazine covered an event organized by UCSC's Center for Reimagining Leadership that shared stories and experiences from the Pajaro levee breach and encouraged students to get involved. Astronomy and Astrophysics Professor Enrico Ramirez‑Ruiz is the center's director, and Environmental Studies Professor Sikina Jinnah is associate director.

  • How farmers used California's floods to revive underground aquifers

    How farmers used California's floods to revive underground aquifers

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Hannah Waterhouse discussed aquifer water management with KTVZ News Channel 21. 

  • Could power plants fuel alternative aquafeeds?

    Could power plants fuel alternative aquafeeds?

    Aquaculture news organization The Fish Site covered new research by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Pallab Sarker that will study whether microalgae grown using power plant emissions could be an effective ingredient in feed for trout. Additional coverage in All About Feed.

  • Democrats flock to picket lines where workers worry about their electric vehicle push

    Democrats flock to picket lines where workers worry about their electric vehicle push

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Mijin Cha spoke with The Boston Globe about how electric vehicles relate to the United Auto Workers strike. “It’s really important that we don’t say it’s workers versus the environment,” she said. “They’re not against an electric vehicle transition; they just don’t want to be left behind.”

  • How the shift to electric vehicles is fueling the UAW strike

    How the shift to electric vehicles is fueling the UAW strike

    Grist interviewed Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha about how working conditions at EV battery factories relate to the current United Auto Workers strike. 

  • U.A.W. starts strike small, but repercussions could prove far-reaching

    U.A.W. starts strike small, but repercussions could prove far-reaching

    The New York Times interviewed Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha for a story about strikes by the United Auto Workers union and how they relate to electric vehicle production. Additional coverage in In These Times presents a counterpoint to mainstream media narratives around the strikes. 

  • Auto workers prepare to strike for a place in the EV future

    Auto workers prepare to strike for a place in the EV future

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha spoke with WIRED about the importance of supporting equity for workers in the process of transitioning away from fossil fuels. Additional coverage in E&E News.

  • Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds

    Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela commented on new research featured in The Washington Post that shows how agricultural areas with natural features can help to sustain birds.  

  • The next pandemic could strike crops, not people

    The next pandemic could strike crops, not people

    Environmental Studies Professor Gregory Gilbert spoke with Grist about how promoting diversity of plants in agricultural settings creates physical barriers to the spread of disease. 

  • No Sanctuary: Animal Rescues Struggling with Climate Change

    No Sanctuary: Animal Rescues Struggling with Climate Change

    Environmental Studies Professor Mike Loik shared his insights on climate change effects and solutions with Good Times for a story about the impacts of climate change on local animal rescue operations. 

  • ‘We’re going to see workers die’: extreme heat is key issue in UPS contract talks

    ‘We’re going to see workers die’: extreme heat is key issue in UPS contract talks

    Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies J. Mijin Cha spoke with The Guardian about how climate change issues intersect with labor organizing. 

Last modified: Apr 24, 2025