The University of California announced today (Nov. 17) that it is releasing three more episodes of its innovative new video series, Climate Lab, which seeks to change the way people communicate and think about global climate change.
The first six episodes of the series, released this spring in partnership with Vox, have been viewed more than 12 million times on YouTube and continue to be shared widely on social media.
The first of the three new episodes, “The environmental cost of free two-day shipping,” debuts today on Vox. With holiday shopping season already in full swing, series host Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, engages leading UC researchers on the carbon footprint of online shopping, breaking down how individuals and companies can make their shopping habits more sustainable.
Two additional episodes will follow in December and January, anchored as before by eye-opening conversations with UC scientists, researchers and sustainability experts about everything from making environmentally-friendly dietary choices to cutting down on packaging waste.
“UC’s pioneering climate science and research have put us on the forefront of the fight against global warming going back decades,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “We know that to continue to make progress, we must explain to people — in a way they can understand — how to make smart decisions that will reduce negative environmental impact on the planet.”
Conservation International is a global nonprofit that uses science, policy and partnerships to protect the nature people rely on for food, fresh water and their livelihoods. CEO Sanjayan is also a UCLA visiting researcher and a UC Santa Cruz alumnus.
“Most doom and gloom climate change messaging actually has the opposite of its intended effect — it turns people off,” said Sanjayan. “This series is different because it focuses on what messages and strategies are actually proven to galvanize corporate and consumer behavior on a scale large enough to make a real difference.”
Previous episodes of Climate Lab examined the psychology of climate change, the environmental impact of smartphones and food waste, and the evolution of nuclear energy technology, among other topics, with appearances by political commentator Van Jones, California Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols, Lauren Singer of Trash is for Tossers, and more.
Episodes can be found on UC’s Climate Lab website, along with infographics, quizzes and bonus content, and on Vox’s YouTube channel.
The Climate Lab series is closely aligned with Napolitano’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative, in which UC has committed to becoming carbon neutral in its operations by 2025. For more information on UC’s carbon neutrality and sustainability efforts, visit ucop.edu/sustainability/.
Watch a video about 150 years of being Boldly Californian, below: