Glaciers and Sea Level Rise

Using helicopters, icebreakers, fishing vessels, and autonomous surface and underwater vehicles for over a decade, Fiammetta Straneo and her group have been probing the edge of massive calving glaciers in iceberg-choked fjords in Greenland to explore what is the Achille’s heel of glaciers – the marine edge where glaciers meet the sea.

Their goal? Collapsing ice shelves and calving of large icebergs in Greenland and Antarctica have recently become major drivers of sea level rise. The rapidity of these changes has come as a surprise, revealing major gaps in our understanding of how ice sheets respond to a changing climate. To a large extent, these gaps are due to a lack of measurements so Fiammetta and her group have probed in these polar environments to improve models of sea-level rise predictions.

Watch — Navigating the Perilous Waters at the Edge of Glaciers to Understand Sea Level Rise – 2019 Keeling Lecture

Climate Change

“When you talk about diversity of the soil, human beings we carry our soil with us. And we give that a very fancy term which is all the rage these days which is ‘microbiome.’ And as we see microbes diminishing in the soil, we are also seeing the same things happen in ourselves,” says Kelli Gray-Meisner, RDN.

Super blooms, extreme weather, fires, insects, and human health, these seemingly separate things impact each other – for better or worse. Join a panel of experts as they tease out the relationships being built and destroyed by climate change. They also share how we as individuals can work to limit negative impacts and create positive outcomes.

Watch — Climate Change: What it Means for Our Agriculture & Our Health – Future Thought Leaders Series Presented by the Berry Good Food Foundation

Pathbreaking Environmental Initiatives

Over the past 30 years, arguably the most significant innovation in environmental policy has been the introduction of policy instruments that rely upon market forces to control pollution. You may know it as “cap-and-trade.” This policy debuted in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and has since spread from a focus on acid rain in the US to the development of carbon markets around the world. China is the most recent large emitter to announce a national carbon market.

This talk by Dan Dudek at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara reviews the major innovations of this policy tool, its migration around the world, and prospects for the future.

Dudek joined the Environmental Defense Fund in 1986. He has participated the development of several environmental initiatives including the Montreal Protocol, the US acid rain program, the Kyoto Protocol, and California’s AB-32. He has been an adviser and consultant to numerous governments and organizations. He has served on the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board; US EPA advisory committees; and on two councils that personally advise China’s Premier on environmental issues. He launched EDF’s China Program in 1995 to develop programs for the control of both conventional and greenhouse gas emissions. His work now focuses on India’s air quality problems.

Watch From the Adirondacks to Beijing: One Economist’s Journey.

Get the Latest on Climate Change Research and Solutions

climate-solutionsNew programs on The UC Climate Solutions Channel explore what climate change is, the science behind what we know, and what we can do about it.

8232The Natural Climate Solutions Symposium, from UC Davis
Enjoy highlights from this lively and informative symposium on natural climate solutions hosted by the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy at UC Davis.

8232Harness the Sun: America’s Quest for a Solar-Powered Future
Philip Warburg explores a range of solar technologies. A seasoned environmental lawyer, Warburg makes a case for embracing this technology as he talks about what is happening around the country and what more could be done.

8232Climate Change is Here. Now What?
Berkeley Lab Scientist, Bill Collins, discusses what we know about climate change, how we know it, and what we can do about it. Collins serves as the director for the Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division at Berkeley Lab. He is also the director of the Climate Readiness Institute, a multi-campus initiative to prepare the Bay Area for climate change.

Check out The UC Climate Solutions Channel for more videos on climate change research and solutions.

Launching The UC Climate Solutions Channel

8232The news about climate change is serious. The scientific consensus is clear – it’s getting worse and if we don’t address it, our planet will suffer. Browse this collection of some of the finest voices on climate change, as the University of California continues to lead the world in researching its causes and developing best practices to mitigate its impacts.

Public lectures, panel discussions, interviews, animations, mini-documentaries – UCTV’s newest theme channel features easily watchable programs that will inform your understanding of what’s at stake and show how you can join the ten UC campuses and be part of the climate solution.

Visit The UC Climate Solutions Channel.