ERG is a col­lab­o­ra­tive com­mu­nity of grad­u­ate stu­dents, core fac­ulty, nearly 200 affil­i­ated fac­ulty and researchers across the cam­pus, and over 600 alumni across the globe. Our stu­dents work­ across dis­ci­plines and depart­ments to cre­ate poten­tially trans­for­ma­tive knowl­edge for the planet. ERG is a world-renowned pro­gram with a 50-year his­tory of out­stand­ing research, edu­ca­tion and […]

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, […]

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at ERG Equity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission to provide education and research for a sustainable and just society. We aspire to be an inclusive community with diverse ideas, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We celebrate diversity in scholarship, teaching, community […]

Give Big to ERG on Thursday, March 11 during UC Berkeley’s annual Big Give fundraiser! Big Give is UC Berkeley’s annual fundraising blitz—24 hours when we celebrate all of the moments that make Berkeley such a big deal by sharing the love on social media, supporting all of our favorite schools and programs, and competing […]

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 2021 Curriculum ERG’s minor and certificate require a minimum of five courses and 15 total units of coursework, typically completed over two summers (or for a UC Berkeley student, a summer and a fall semester). All minor or certificate students must take EITHER Energy and Society or Climate Change Economics. UC Berkeley undergraduates may […]

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. Instructors listed may be subject to change. SAMUEL EVANS Course: Climate Change Economics […]

  Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning Minor vs. Certificate? Enrollment and Course Logistics UC Berkeley Graduating Seniors Financial Aid & Scholarships Housing High School Students Career Applicability   Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Learning What is the difference between synchronous vs. asynchronous instruction, and online courses vs. remote instruction courses for Summer 2020? Courses originally offered online (i.e. […]

Summer 2021 registration is open! Once again, all of our courses will be taught through remote instruction. The 8-week Sustainability Minor/Certificate program runs from June 21-August 13. Registration is open for all students, domestic and international, and the public. Courses in ecology, renewable energy, water, climate change economics, environmental classics, green building, business, and environmental […]

  The Minor and Certificate in Sustainability provides a comprehensive understanding of the most pressing issues facing the world today. The program offers a practical and relevant interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural issues. Students complete courses in: Global and local environmental change The science, engineering, economics, and policy […]

A Brief History of ERG For thirty years, the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at the University of California, Berkeley has provided its outstanding graduate students and exceptional faculty the scholarly conditions in which to:  study the environmental sciences, analyze the social causes of our energy and environmental problems, undertake field research in a variety […]

Jesse Ribot Awarded 2018 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship

  Congratulations to ERG alum Jesse Ribot, who received the 2018 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in the field of  Geography and Environmental Studies. The award aims to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge. Jesse Ribot is an Africanist scholar specializing in rural […]

Kammen: UC Divestment is a “no-brainer”

UC faculty, alumni and student activists say it's time to take divestment seriously. Professor Kammen gives insight into why in the East Bay Express.

Brown Schwarzenegger

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

Molly Oshun

Molly’s research is inspired by an evolving ethic of private land stewardship in Northern California. Her graduate work draws on rangeland hydrology, fire science, political ecology, behavioral science, and traditional ecological knowledge to investigate the socioecological systems that determine regional water security. Prior to ERG, Molly facilitated grassroots planning for a just climate transition in […]

Priyanka Mohanty

Priyanka is a first-year Masters of Science Student with the Energy and Resources Group. At ERG, she plans to identify and quantify the economic benefits of just transition policies and explore issues at the nexus of international economic development and climate action. Prior to coming to ERG, she worked with the New Climate Economy (NCE), […]

Sean Kelly

While Sean is particularly interested in food systems, urban agriculture and food sovereignty, he is also intent on collaborating across disciplines in order to inform and support increasingly equitable and resilient communities. Sean has held a number of professional roles since earning a BA in Music Composition from the University of Illinois in 2005. For […]

Liyang Wang

Liyang’s research goal is to accelerate clean energy technology adoption for a sustainable and equitable energy future through an interdisciplinary approach. For the past several years, Liyang is a researcher at Berkeley Lab, where she plans to be part of as she pursues her studies at ERG. Previously, Liyang worked at Eversource and completed a […]

Reem Rayef

Reem is a concurrent MPP/ERG student at UC Berkeley. She is broadly interested in leveraging energy policy toward the decarbonization of transportation and transit systems in urban settings. Previously, Reem consulted on energy and climate policy at National Journal, in Washington, DC. She is a native of New Jersey, and is in constant search of […]

Jenny Rempel

Surfacing Overlying Rights: Assessing Transitions in Overlying Rights to California’s Groundwater Basins (MS ’20) Jenny grew up in Fresno, California, and graduated from Stanford University with an interdisciplinary environmental science and policy degree in Earth Systems. She has supported community-led social justice movements through philanthropy, policy, organizing, and research, most recently at the grassroots nonprofit […]

Nancy Freitas

Arctic Lake Emissions in a Warming World (MS ’20) Nancy Freitas grew up in Tucson, Arizona and received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona (UA). She worked in environmental conservation with Peace Corps Paraguay and then helped run the Bio/Diversity Project, a STEM outreach and education program, at the UA. At […]

Kelsey Alford-Jones

Exploring Linkages Between Development Finance and Conflict Over Hydropower in Guatemala’s Indigenous Highlands (MA ’20) Kelsey is interested in how global economic and climate policies influence national environmental governance and impact vulnerable communities, particularly in developing economies and conflict environments. At ERG she looks forward to exploring interdisciplinary approaches to developing energy policies and project […]

Jesse Strecker

Evaluating the Role of Labor Unions in the Politics of Decarbonization: Insights from Political Economy and Socio-Technical Transition Studies (MA ’19) Jesse is a student in the concurrent Master’s degree program at ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. His research focuses on the political economy of energy transition. He graduated from Brown University […]

Hilary Yu

Mining Data on Reclaimed Coal Mines: a Machine Learning Approach to Assessing Habitat Suitability (MS ’18) Hilary received her B.A. in Government and Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the latter, from Cornell University, where she graduated in 2015. At ERG, Hilary is interested in exploring the science-law nexus and […]