In the recent Scientific American article “California’s Mega Fires Have Arrived 30 Years Early”, ERG adjunct professor Margaret Torn argued that as more people living in wildland-adjacent areas, the catastrophic impacts of wildfires only continues to grow.

“We’re changing how catastrophic a fire is because we have put more properties and lives at risk… because we’re building in fire zones,” Torn stated.

COVID Wastewater Epidemiology for the Bay Area Project (COVID-WEB) is a pop-up lab dedicated to monitoring Bay Area sewage for COVID-19, with ERG alumna Sasha Harris-Lovett as one of the several UC Berkeley scientists and researchers heavily involved with the project. The lab analyzes 30 samples each week, contributing valuable data to health officials keeping track of outbreaks in neighborhoods lacking in COVID tests and health care.

“Having a regional wastewater monitoring system is like having a fire lookout on a mountaintop,” says Harris-Lovett in the Berkeley News. “We want to be able to see smoke and marshall resources to put out the fire before it becomes an inferno.”

ERG professor Dan Kammen recently co-authored and published a research article, “Near-real-time monitoring of global CO2 emissions reveals the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic”, on Nature. The article was featured on various news sources, including AZO Cleantech, ScienceDaily, and StudyFinds.

“The greatest reduction of emissions was observed in the ground transportation sector. Largely because of working from home restrictions, transport CO2 emissions decreased by 40% worldwide. In contrast, the power and industry sectors contributed less to the decline, with −22% and −17%, respectively, as did the aviation and shipping sectors,” Kammen states in his research.

ERG PhD student Valeri Vasquez co-published “Protect the Antarctic Peninsula — before it’s too late” on Nature, focusing on how various issues like over-fishing have had devastating consequences on the icy regions. She depicts how banning fishing in such coastal waters, as well as limiting tourism and construction on land, can help protect the native marine mammals and seabirds.

“With human activity and construction also rising, the region’s precious biodiversity is at risk of being destroyed. Preventive measures must be taken immediately, on sea and on land,” Vasquez states.

ERG professor Dan Kammen was featured in the latest episode of the My Climate Journey (MCJ) Podcast. Kammen discussed numerous topics, including the feasibility of carbon pricing in the US, the implications of switching a fossil fuel economy to a renewable economy, and much more.

“There’s no question that 100% renewables is possible. I’ve done a lot of research, my lab works on scenarios to get the U.S., China, Mexico, Kenya, Bangladesh, Morocco to 100% renewables. And in many cases where the technology mix is improving enough, the climate favors that you can do that. It’s also a case that we are not today ready to think about a solar and wind only world, but solar and wind plus storage, plus geothermal, plus potentially nuclear,” Kammen states.

ERG Alumnus Niklas Lollo recently published his research paper, “Measurement without Clear Incentives to Improve: The Impacts of the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) on Apparel Factory Practices and Performance” on SocArXiv Papers. He discusses how the Facility Environment Module (FEM), an annual assessment of an apparel facility’s environmental management capabilities, could be improved to better the environmental performance of the apparel industry.

On a recent Scientific American article, ERG Professor Dan Kammen and Alumnus Zeke Hausfather was featured commenting on China’s sudden announcement to end CO2 emissions within 40 years. Both ERG affiliates discuss the significance of the commitment, since this pledge marks the first time China and its top political leader have made a long-term commitment to reducing emissions.

“Reaching that goal by 2060 will require a massive makeover of China’s economy… If they are serious about this, it is certainly the biggest climate news in the last decade in terms of what will bend down global emissions,” Hausfather said.

In a recent Washington Post article, “How do carbon offsets work?”, ERG alumna Barbara Haya was quoted on the purpose of carbon offsets and how they potentially help reduce overall carbon emissions. The article discusses both the benefits and drawbacks of enforcing carbon offsets, and offers an in-depth look on their utilization.

“The whole purpose of offsets is to create a way for an individual or a company or a university to pay someone else to reduce emissions to cover emissions that they can’t reduce themselves,” Haya states.

ERG PhD student Jose Lara was recently awarded the prestigious 2021 Siebel Scholars Award by the Siebal Scholars Foundation. Lara’s new title as a Siebel Scholar demonstrates his ability as an exceptional student, and he is to join around 100 other top scholars to form the Siebel Scholars Foundation’s Class of 2021.

“‘Every year, the Siebel Scholars continue to impress me with their commitment to academics and influencing future society. This year’s class is exceptional, and once again represents the best and brightest minds from around the globe who are advancing innovations in healthcare, artificial intelligence, the environment and more,’ said Thomas M. Siebel, Chairman of the Siebel Scholars Foundation. ‘It is my distinct pleasure to welcome these students into this ever-growing, lifelong community, and I personally look forward to seeing their impact and contributions unfold.'”