ERG has a small core faculty but a much larger group (100+) of affiliated faculty. Affiliated faculty are based in other departments on campus or at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and share ERG’s commitment to shared learning and interdisciplinary work.  They are advisors, mentors, or employers to ERG students, and serve on master’s project, […]

Climate & Carbon Sciences Program

The research mission of the Climate & Carbon Sciences Program is to advance the understanding and prediction of multiscale climate dynamics, abrupt and extreme climate events, terrestrial feedbacks to climate change, and their impacts on energy and water resources.

Please note: This is a full list of ERG course offerings; not all courses are offered each term. For current course offerings, please refer to the online Schedule of Classes. ENERES 98/198 – Energy DeCal Daniel Kammen (Instructor of Record); class conducted by undergraduate students Introduction to energy topics and explore the social, environmental and […]

Areas of Interest Climate Change Ecology Energy Governance Water International Climate Change ERG CORE David Anthoff David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used widely in academic research and in policy analysis John Harte John Harte’s research interests span ecological […]

In 2018 the Energy and Resources Group lost dear professor and colleague Gene Rochlin. A memorial fund for student support is being established. To give to this fund, please visit ERG’s giving page and indicate that the gift is in his memory, or contact contact David Tozer at (510)643-9903 or dtozer@berkeley.edu. The Energy and Resources Group […]

Harte Lab: Ecology & Global Change

Ecology and global change are the primary topics of research in the Harte Lab. Among the goals are: to characterize ecological feedbacks to climate change, to predict effects of global change on biodiversity, and to develop fundamental theory that predicts the structure of ecosystems across spatial scales.

The purpose of the ERG Master’s program is to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders. Specifically, students are taught the range of methods and subjects they should be able to understand, advance, and critique to address critical issues stemming from the interaction of humans and the environment. To that end, the requirements for the […]

Summer 2018 Curriculum (Note: The 2019 curriculum will be posted by November 2018 and will include expanded and online course offerings.) ERG’s minor and certificate require the same 16 total units of coursework, which can be completed in either one or two summers. UC Berkeley undergraduates may elect to take Energy and Society (ENERES C100 […]

“Biodiversity Scales from Plots to Biomes With a Universal Species-Area Curve” John Harte, Adam B. Smith, and David Storch “Carbon Cycle Uncertainty Increases Climate Change Risks and Mitigation Challenges” Paul A. T. Higgins and John Harte “Insight from Integration” John Harte and Lara Kueppers “Deep Carbon Reductions in California require Electrification and Integration Across Economic […]

Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)

RAEL is engaged in projects to develop the science, technology, policy needs and to foster engagements that explore the future of energy, specifically the transition to a low-cabon, environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable energy system.

The Energy and Resources Group summer instructors understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. All have significant experience teaching and/or professional experience in the subject areas of their courses. For course descriptions and schedule, visit our Summer Curriculum and Schedule page. Unless otherwise stated, office hours take place at 310 Barrows Hall.   SAMUEL […]

SUSTAINABILITY SUMMER MINOR AND CERTIFICATE Whatever direction your studies take you in, the Minor or Certificate in Sustainability will equip you with tools to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the world today. This program offers a practical and relevant interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural issues. […]

ERG PhD Student Kripa Jagannathan Spotlighted for California Outreach

As a graduate student in the UC Cooperative Extension Program, Kripa Jagannathan has the opportunity to supplement her research at ERG with outreach to California farmers and water utilities officials. Her goal is to evaluate the usability of climate science for adaptation planning in agriculture and water management. This week, the Berkeley Food Institute highlighted […]

ERG Student Zeke Hausfather Maps Global Warming

                  “Climate change is often communicated by looking at the global average temperature. But a global average might not mean much to the average person. How the climate is likely to change specifically where people live is, in most cases, a much more important consideration.” – Zeke […]

Carbon Loopholes: Report by ERG Student Cecilia Springer in New York Times

In an article examining the costs of carbon pollution "outsourcing" this week, The New York Times featured a report co-authored by ERG student Cecilia Springer.

Energy New ERG Courses Focus on Data

The Energy and Resources Group has announced two new courses this fall addressing current, timely topics in energy and environment. Registration is open.

Food Security Why Climate Change

Last month, the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust co-hosted a world-class symposium on water stewardship in a changing climate. Canadian water expert and professor Bob Sandford spoke about “The Hard Work of Hope,” the title of his recent book, and the grim outlook of global climate issues, from the water cycle to temperature rise. Also […]

ERGies Contribute to the Green Schoolyard Movement

May is International School Grounds Month, and organizations like Green Schoolyards America are inspiring and enabling communities to enrich their school grounds and use them to improve children’s well-being, learning, and play, while contributing to the ecological health and resilience of their cities. ERG student Alana Siegner contributed to this year’s Living School Yard Activity […]

The Fundamentals of a Clean(er) Economy – Dan Kammen

ERG Chair Dan Kammen wrote an Op-Ed piece for the Daily Californian this week, outlining the stark global reality of climate change in 2018 and the need for collective action. “…As it stands, China is now projected to be able to cap emissions before 2030. Conversely, the United States is currently the only country in […]

Patrick Gonzalez Selected to be a Lead Author of IPCC’s Next Major Climate Change Report

ERG alumnus Patrick Gonzalez (PhD ’97) has been selected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be a lead author for a chapter about freshwater ecosystems in their next milestone report, “Climate Change 2021: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability.” The IPCC is the scientific panel that produces the authoritative reports on human-caused climate change, […]

How Does Building a New Suburb Affect the Atmosphere?

A team of scientists at the University of Utah as well as several other universities decided to take a closer look at the effects of expanding suburban communities near Salt Lake City, UT over the past decade. The atmospheric researchers found that “carbon dioxide emissions increased as suburban areas developed to the southwest of Salt […]

Transportation Emissions in Mexico City – How Big Data is Driving Change

Mexico City is one of the most congested cities in the world, and it’s taking a toll on the health of its citizens and the environment. Sergio Castellanos, a postdoctoral scholar with Energy and Resources Group, along with Dan Kammen and other researchers from UC Berkeley and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change […]

What Happens When You Track Climate Change for Over 25 Years in the Rockies?

ERG ecosystems professor John Harte and his team at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory know the answer. They have been tracking wildflower populations and soil moisture in a meadow above Crested Butte since the early 1990’s, using a warmer climate mimicked by electric heaters suspended above the meadow. The team’s findings have confirmed their predictions for […]

Zeke Hausfather Cited by the Washington Post on 2017’s Concerning Temperatures

Recently, scientists from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2017 was among the warmest years in history. While the two agencies approach global temperature measurements differently, both confirmed that “the 2017 results make the past four years the hottest period in their 138-year archive.” ERG’s Zeke Hausfather, a PhD student studying climate […]

Climate Change Slowing Down Wind Turbines? Kammen Weighs In

With global temperatures increasing, researchers analyze the effects of temperature differences on wind patterns. Multiple studies confirm the possibility of wind resources declining across the Northern Hemisphere, reducing the energy potential of wind turbines. Familiar with the studies, Dan Kammen adds that the phenomenon is “a disturbing but entirely expected consequence of climate change.” However, […]

ERG Student Jose Daniel Lara Joins UC’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative as a 2017 Fellow

Jose Daniel Lara was recently selected to represent UC Berkeley as a fellow for the University of California’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative (CNI). Jose will foster communication about UC-wide goals to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainability through his research on the use of biomass feed stocks to generate electric power. To learn more about the Carbon […]

the Effects of Climate Change on Tropical Storms Dan Kammen: Renewable Energy

Photo: Lizette Kabré After a few hectic weeks in the news, Energy and Resources Professor Dan Kammen reflects on his resignation as State Department Science Envoy and highlights the continued importance of renewable energy sources. Read his most recent statements to UC Berkeley News and Vox. Kammen has also commented on the effects of climate change […]

Adds Plug for Impeachment Kammen Resigns State Department Science Envoy post

ERG Professor Dan Kammen resigned as US State Department Science Envoy on Wednesday morning, August 23. His letter is attached below. Read more about his resignation at the following links: UC Berkeley News CNN CNBC The Washington Post Scientific American Facebook USA Today Highlight Hollywood Sacramento Bee TIME Heavy KQED KQED Radio The Guardian Vox […]

Dan Kammen Discusses Climate Change Initiative Being Developed by California Universities

In a recent Nature article, ERG Professor Dan Kammen comments on the potential establishment of a California-based climate change research institute. The proposal is backed by all University of California campuses, Stanford University, the California Institute of Technology, amongst others. The leading panel of researchers hopes to have a proposal to the California state legislature prepared […]

ERG Professor Emeritus John Holdren and Alum Nicky Sundt Comment on the EPA’s Proposed Red-Team/Blue-Team Exercise

In a Climate Science & Policy Article co-authored by Nicky Sundt, an ERG alum (MA ’79), former ERG chair John Holdren criticizes the “red-team/blue-team” exercise proposed by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and DOE Secretary Rick Perry, amongst others. He claims that the exercise would serve not to reach a consensus on climate change, as Pruitt […]

Dan Kammen Featured in Recent WIRED Article

ERG Professor Dan Kammen was quoted in a recent WIRED article addressing the effective withdrawal of US funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

New ERG Chair Daniel M. Kammen

We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new Energy and Resources Group Chair, Professor Daniel M. Kammen. His appointment began July 1, 2017. Daniel Kam­men is a Pro­fes­sor of Energy with appoint­ments in the Energy and Resources Group, The Gold­man School of Pub­lic Pol­icy, and the Depart­ment of Nuclear Engi­neer­ing at the Uni­ver­sity of Cal­i­for­nia, Berke­ley. […]

New Study by ERG Postdoc James Rising Finds Northern States Might Profit as the Planet Warms

If you live in the South, climate change could kill your economy.

including ERG International Team

“The fossil-​​free econ­omy is already profitable.”

Kammen and Hausfather of ERG Respond to Withdrawal from Paris Agreement

ERG Professor Dan Kammen and graduate student Zeke Hausfather respond to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement

ERG graduate student Hausfather in LA Times

ERG doctoral student Zeke Hausfather comments in this LA Times article on a newly published analysis that reconciles different climate change data sets and confirms dominant human influence in long-term warming.

No Pause in Global Warming Says ERG Grad Student Hausfather NOAA Was Right

A controversial paper published two years ago that concluded there was no detectable slowdown in ocean warming over the previous 15 years — widely known as the “global warming hiatus” — has now been confirmed using independent data in research led by researchers from UC Berkeley and Berkeley Earth.

Introducing New ERG Faculty Lara Kueppers

The Energy and Resources Group is delighted to announce the arrival of new core faculty member Lara Kueppers.

The Elephant and Matinale On the Radio: Kammen in KQED

ERG professor Daniel Kammen was featured on a KQED Radio Forum segment in addition to a podcast and French radio station.

Kammen Comments on What Action Obama Can Take Over Climate Change

ERG professor Daniel Kammen joins a discussion of what President Obama should do about climate change before leaving office with Democracy Now!

Kammen from COP22: Is Trump’s victory game over for climate?

Donald Trump, who has described global warming a "hoax", said in May he would "cancel" the climate-rescue Paris Agreement if elected leader of the free world.

ERG Professor Anthoff: Climate Change at the International Level

ERG Professor David Anthoff discusses climate change at the international level for Berkeley's C&R Breakthroughs magazine.

ERG Professor Kammen: We’re Placing Far too much Hope in Pulling Carbon Dioxide Out of the Air

ERG professor Dan Kammen commented for the Washington Post on the uncertainty of negative emissions as a viable fix for the planet's warming.

ERG Alum Receives Microsoft Grant for Ugandan Micro-grid Systems

New Sun Road is a California technology company directed by ERGie Jalel Sager (MS’11 , PhD’15). They are committed to implementing solutions to climate change and global energy poverty, provide electricity to communities, health clinics, and education centers in remote and challenging environments. New Sun Road designs, builds and installs SolPower™ micro-grid systems with broadband […]

ERG’s Siegner Presents National Farm to Cafeteria Conference

ERGie Laney Siegner (MA ’16) presented her research at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Madison, WI held throughout June 4-5th.  Along with practitioners of this field, Laney spoke about integrating climate change education in with school food reforms. Read more about ERGie Laney Siegner here.    

ERG’s Energy Research Featured in Multiple News Outlets

“Research at the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory [ERG Professor Daniel Kammen’s lab] at the University of California Berkeley highlights that while cities currently contribute to global climate change by emitting the majority of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, they could become the building blocks of sustainability. In this week’s inaugural special issue of Science Magazine on […]

Kammen: Panelists Consider Potential of Nuclear Power As Climate Change Solution

ERG professor Dan Kammen spoke on a Cornell University panel on the potential of nuclear power to address global climate change.

ERG Professor Dan Kammen Speaks at Climate Change Symposium

ERG professor Dan Kammen participated in a Climate Change Symposium on Friday, April 15, at a Modesto Area Partners in Science (MAPS) lecture.

ERG Alum Dr. Peter Gleick on Arctic Warming

ERG Alum Dr. Peter Gleick warns about catastrophic artic warming.

ERG Summer Courses Available

ERG is offering four of its most popular courses this summer! Enroll Today!

Kammen: Are Universities Making a Difference on Climate?

ERG Professor, Dan Kammen, comments on the impact University researchers have on Climate Change.

One grad student’s story: from English lit to global climate talks

ERG grad student Valeri Vasquez will be at the COP21, acting as a counselor to the co-chair of the United Nations climate negotiations, Daniel Reifsnyder. She has been advising on the mediation and negotiations among the 195 national parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

ERG at the Paris Climate Talks

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris has begun and will continue until December 11th. Energy and Resources Group faculty, students and alumni will be playing an active role at the conference and the many peripheral activities.

An Environmental Leader California

Professor Daniel Kammen will be joining Gov. Jerry Brown at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris to discuss California's climate initiatives as a model for the world to follow.

Feeding people on our stressed planet will require a “revolution”

ERG Professor John Harte was featured on Environmental Health News speaking of how the implementation of sustainable energy will play an important role in future food security.

CFCC15: ERG Students Present at Paris Conference

ERG & RAEL students present and engage at scientific conference “Our Common Future under Climate Change” ahead of COP21

China’s Energy Choices To Pave The Way For The World

ERG students Anne-Perrine Avrin (MS'15) will be presenting her research at the Our Common Future Under Climate Change conference held in Paris, France from 7-10 July 2015.

Siegner finalist in Feeding the Planet’s Storyfest

Signer writes about the potential of urban foraging

BOOK: Applying Anthropology and Physics to Sustainability

New book by Dove and Kammen released this week.

A unique moment in history for “sustainable energy for all”

ERG team study showing how off-grid power can improve equality in energy access published in Nature Climate Change. Interview with lead author Peter Alstone.

Solidarity and Survival on the Roof of the World Fire and Ice: Soot

Read the adapted excerpt in Slate of a new book by ERG alum Jonathan Mingle (MS'09).

California could power itself three to five times over with solar

ERG postdoctoral fellow Hernandez with Hoffacker and Field from Stanford publish in Nature Climate Change.

Zoë Chafe leads new WHO Report

"We wanted to help policymakers and members of the general public understand that household heating with biomass is a complicated issue," says ERG PhD candidate Zoë Chafe.

23-year experiment finds surprising global warming impacts

Professor John Harte and team's paper on results of a 23-year ecosystem experiment in Rocky Mountain meadowlands featured in Guardian.

Biomass with carbon capture could make western U.S. carbon-negative

Paper by ERG team published in Nature Climate Change this month.

ERG Grad Student Selected To Represent UC Berkeley in Sacramento

Rachel Golden will share her views in the state capital in April.

Calculating the Footprint of the Caribbeans

The carbon footprint of the Virgin Islands by Dr. Daniel Kammen and PhD candidates Rebekah Shirley & Christopher Jones cited in St Croix news.

Jessica Reilly Awarded Fellowship to Sail Pacific Coast

ERG PhD candidate awarded the Institute of Current World Affairs Fellowship.

Anthoff & Team in Science on Social Cost of Carbon Pizer

Which way forward for the social cost of carbon? Environmental economists explain next steps in Science Magazine.

UC Berkeley Ranks 1st in the World for Environment

Subject-specific rankings from US New & World Report are based on academic research performance in those subjects.

Profs. Leach & Ray Launch UN Gender Equality Report

Dr. Isha Ray at UN Headquarters discussing report on gender equality.

Water Quality: Woelfle-Erskine’s Search for Salmon

“As the dry season becomes more intense and rainfall more erratic, we’d expect to see this pattern propagating northward.”

RAEL at UN Climate Summit

SWITCH model selected as a "Project to Watch" by the UN's Big Data Climate Challenge.

Dr. Holdren Handles House Climate Deniers

"If the United States does not [limit carbon emissions], it is unlikely that other major emitters in the world — China, India, Russia, Europe, Japan — will do so either."

Brown Schwarzenegger

Kammen speaks at Schwarzenegger's climate pep rally where both parties agree that it's time to fight the dark side.

Upcoming Certificate Course on Economic Impact of Climate and Energy Policy

3-day cer­tifi­cate course Oct 3-5, offer­ing a prac­ti­cal per­spec­tive on the eco­nomic effects of cli­mate and energy policy.

Grist Features ERG Climate Change Solutions

Professor John Harte and three ERG students are "Hacking the Climate" with featured articles in the popular online publication.

Obama’s Carbon Rules Bring Urban Flooding Closer to Home

"It seems as if after years of feet dragging the United States is finally willing to walk its climate talk," Dr. Malini Ranganathan (MS'05, PhD'10), Assistant Professor at American University.

Kammen on UC Climate Advisory Group

UC President forms Global Climate Leadership Council including UC professors and climate experts.

Are Obama’s Carbon Rules Enough?

The New York Times calls the EPA's emission proposals "modest." Professor Dan Kammen points out the challenge.

Holdren on Climate Change in the USA

Watch Dr. John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science & Technology and ERG Co-founder, discuss the newly released National Climate Assessment report.

Holdren Sets New Course for US Energy

President Obama's top science advisor and ERG Co-founder, John Holdren, is confident that America's next energy plan "will make a difference."

50% of U.S. household carbon footprint Suburban sprawl

Chris Jones (ERG PhD) and Prof. Dan Kammen point out that U.S. households are responsible for about 20% of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving climate change.

ERG students win United Nations award

Jalel Sager (PhD candidate) and Austin Cappon (Minor) head to Nairobi, Kenya to pick up UN prize for a sustainable energy development project in Vietnam.

An interest in the human dimensions of climate change – in particular, in understanding the dynamics of power and agency in responses to climate change – has always been at the heart of Ella’s work. She graduated from McGill University with a B.A. Joint Honors in Environmental Studies and Economics in 2016, where she studied […]

Samira Siddique

Samira’s research focuses on the social, economic, and physical processes of urbanization and climate change in Asia. She was previously an international development researcher at Mathematica Policy Research, where her work included an evaluation of the Global Protocol for Community-scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions in cities worldwide. Prior to that, she was a researcher at the […]

Lara Kueppers

Lara Kueppers is an Assistant Professor in the Energy and Resources Group, with a Faculty Scientist appointment at Berkeley Lab. She is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, whose research focuses on ecological responses and feedbacks to climate change.

Sophie Major

Sophie Major’s interests are found at the intersection of political philosophy and contemporary issues of social justice. She is currently researching the roles of narrative theory and emerging political psychology research for understanding international climate politics. Her MA thesis investigated the philosophical assumptions underlying the concept of “path dependency” in political studies. Prior to joining […]

Frank Errickson

Frank grew up on the central New Jersey coast, completing a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Environmental Policy & Sustainability from the Richard Stockton College. He went on to earn an M.A. from Columbia University’s Climate and Society Program, focusing on atmospheric science and international economic development. Upon graduation Frank worked on […]

Patricia Hidalgo-Gonzalez

Patricia graduated as an industrial and electrical engineer in 2012 from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). During her undergraduate studies she worked as a Linear Algebra teaching assistant for three years, performed research in Dr. Daniel Kammen’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) at UC Berkeley working on the SWITCH model for the US. […]

Jason MacDonald

Jason is interested in optimization and control of distributed energy resources to support renewable energy integration into the electricity grid. He works at Lawrence Berkeley National lab researching wholesale electricity market integrated demand response and electric vehicles, particularly to provide fast reliability services. He graduated with from University of Michigan with an MS in Natural […]

Adrienne Marshall

Adrienne works on climate change adaptation and mitigation in the public and private forests and wild lands of California. She is interested in understanding how the natural resources in these areas, particularly water, are affected by climate change. How can we manage our forests and wild lands in order to reduce both the magnitude of […]

Julia Szinai

Julia studied economics and Spanish at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, and realized her interest in energy and environmental issues while a research assistant at the UC Energy Institute. After consulting in the energy and finance sectors, she worked at Pacific Gas & Electric forecasting electric generation and its cost for customer rates. For the […]

Cecilia Han Springer

Cecilia is a MS/PhD stu­dent at ERG. Cecilia received her BS in envi­ron­men­tal sci­ence from Brown Uni­ver­sity. For sev­eral years, she worked in Wash­ing­ton, DC on inter­na­tional cli­mate, energy, and agri­cul­tural pol­icy at Cli­mate Advis­ers, a pol­i­tics and pol­icy firm. Cecilia is par­tic­u­larly inter­ested in energy-intensive commodities in Asia, and the economic, social, and political […]