UC Davis |

People turned to gardening for stress relief, food access during pandemic, new survey says

More green spaces and urban farming opportunities could be helpful in future disasters.
UC Santa Barbara |

Do we need to revise our definition of drought?

Climate scientists reconsider the meaning and implications of drought — and whether we can return to “normal.”
UC Santa Cruz |

Elephant seals’ map sense tells them when to head ‘home’

Researchers found that female elephant seals know their distance from the breeding beach and allocate extra time to get back if they have farther to travel.
Columbia and UC Santa Cruz |

A slow-motion section of the San Andreas Fault may not be so harmless after all

A study suggests that the central section of the San Andreas fault has hosted many major earthquakes.
UC Merced |

Last year’s drought cost the ag industry more than $1 billion, thousands of jobs, new analysis shows

Crops most affected by increased fallowing include rice, cotton, grain and field crops.
UC Davis |

Just what is a resilient forest, anyway?

Resilient, frequent-fire forests have far fewer trees than we're used to.
UC Riverside |

Can the Salton Sea geothermal field prevent the coming lithium shortage?

UC Riverside and Berkeley Lab join exploration of California’s resources.
UCLA |

Megadrought in southwestern North America is region’s driest in at least 1,200 years

The drought that has enveloped southwestern North America for the past 22 years is the region’s driest “megadrought” — defined as a drought lasting two decades or longer — since at least the year 800, according to a new UCLA-led study in the journal Nature Climate Change.

UC Newsroom |

UC’s greenhouse gas emissions are now at 1990 levels — and declining

All 10 campuses and their affiliated health systems have reduced greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels – a notable achievement given UC’s significant growth over the last three decades.
UC Newsroom |

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposes 5-year funding compact with the University of California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom today (Jan. 10) proposed a state spending plan that includes a five-year funding compact with the University of California. If enacted, it would bring budget stability to UC and support critical long-term investments in educational access and excellence.
UC Newsroom |

The strange, tumultuous life of solar power at the White House

Press conferences at the White House tend to occur in predictable locations: The Briefing Room, the Rose Garden, the South Lawn. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter chose a loftier venue: the roof. He didn’t do it for the view over Washington, D.C.; he wanted to show off a brand-new array of 32 solar panels.

UC Newsroom |

The California model: Make polluters pay

Even when climate change is a top priority for lawmakers, progress is challenging. It often comes down to money: We have plenty of expensive problems right now, so expensive problems down the road take a backseat.