Climate Change (Audio)

In the fight against climate change, those with the least resources have been left behind. In the case of solar power, the vast majority of investment in the United States has gone to majority-white communities. This means not only are people of color losing out on the benefit of solar power, but society as a whole is losing out on potential advocates for clean energy.

Dan Kammen, a professor at UC Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy is researching how we can reverse this trend and leapfrog toward clean energy for all. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 35619]

How should we teach depressing material about climate change and social injustice to college students the very generation saddled with "fixing" all our problems in the current political and historical moment? Sarah Jaquette Ray, Humboldt State University, focuses on her ethnographic research and describes strategies for connecting students' emotional responses to the material in order to combat apathy and despair and to generate empowerment to effect positive change. She ends her talk by asking the audience to resist nihilism and misery in favor of feelings of hope and collective empowerment. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Education] [Show ID: 35473]

After more than three decades, the public is finally beginning to grasp what a serious threat global warming poses. What's missing from the climate conversation now is a plausible narrative about how we might parry this threat. Drawing on ideas from his recently published book, Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work, Robert Frank explains why our ability to tap the prodigious power of behavioral contagion may make the path forward less daunting than many think. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 35561]

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" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 35000]

Around the world, individuals and families are fleeing their countries of origin because of war, violence, natural disasters, and climate change. As their numbers swell, host countries face calls to exclude them. Two prominent local religious leaders of especially targeted and vulnerable populations Bishop Robert McElroy of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego and Imam Taha Hassane of the Islamic Center of San Diego speak about a common path forward for our society, based on the wisdom of their respective traditions. In the United States, recent political decisions and governmental policies have worsened the prospects of both those seeking to immigrate legally as well as the millions of undocumented immigrants already here or those still coming. Series: "Burke Lectureship on Religion and Society" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 35228]

Climate change, caused primarily by the greenhouse gas emissions of the world's most affluent populations, is having a disproportionate impact on socially and economically subordinated populations all over the world. Although climate change is anticipated to displace between 200 million and 1 billion people by 2050, the racialized hostility of the US, the European Union, and Australia to persons fleeing poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation does not bode well for climate refugees. Carmen G. Gonzalez, Professor of Law at Seattle University School of Law, examines the relationship between climate change and racial subordination, evaluating the evolving legal and policy responses to climate change-induced displacement. Series: "DeWitt Higgs Memorial Lecture" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 35345]

Transforming our energy infrastructure to support greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals will require the deployment of technologies such as electric vehicles and energy storage. Improper integration of these technologies into the electric grid and a lack of careful planning of their scale, however, can significantly reduce their real-world effectiveness in supporting GHG emissions reduction goals. Research by Brian Tarroja and his colleagues at UC Irvine presented here focus on identifying grid integration needs and life cycle planning considerations for electric vehicles and energy storage deployment to better ensure that their potential GHG benefits are fully realized in future electricity systems. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 35164]

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]

California's recent drought has highlighted the need for a reliable source of water. Peter Stricker of SeaWell presents a reverse osmosis (RO) system to address climate-driven drought which is an entirely new approach to water supply. The SeaWell buoy is a self-contained floating vessel, moored to the sea floor, with seawater intake and brine diffusion outfall. It contains reverse osmosis equipment, electric power and water piping, and can permeate water at a rate of 950–3,800 acre-feet/year. The implementation plan is to deploy pilot SeaWell Buoys at a water cost already below the cost of State water,initially partnering with water districts to deploy five water portals. Landing sites could be chosen based in previously disturbed areas, such as decommissioned oil receiving facilities and sanitary district outfalls. These deployments will augment new water reuse projects, and share siting and infrastructure. Series: "Institute for Energy Efficiency" [Science] [Show ID: 35163]

From highways to trains to housing, where governments spend money can have a major impact on the environment and the economy. Join California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, the Center for Environmental Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Berkeley Forum for a discussion on major finance policy issues facing the State of California, including green bonds and sustainable finance. Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018 with more votes than any other candidate for treasurer in the state’s history. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. California is the world’s fifth-largest economy and Treasurer Ma is the state’s primary banker. Her office processes more than $2 trillion in payments within a typical year and provides transparency and oversight for an investment portfolio of more than $90 billion. Series: "Public Policy and Society" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 35321]