The United States Southern Command's (USSOUTHCOM) is responsible for providing contingency planning, operations, and security cooperation for Central and South America, and the Caribbean. USSOUTHCOM is one of the eleven unified combatant commands in the Department of Defense. While regional security is an important aspect of its mission, climate change is having an affect on its area of responsibility. Climate change is impacting our national security and the security of our partners and...

In California, the car is king. Most travel is conducted by car across all socio-economic groups and has been incentivized by massive government investment in roads, infrastructure, and sprawling land use developments. Will gas-fueled cars continue to dominate the roads or do we need an alternative transportation future? How can we redesign our transportation system to reduce chronic traffic congestion, promote healthier environments, reduce the cost of travel, and provide greater mobility...

Spanning nearly 63 million square miles from California to China, the Pacific Ocean is by the far the largest of the world's ocean basins. The Pacific contains more than half of the free water on the planet and is the deepest ocean on Earth. Climate change impacts are being felt around the globe, but what do we do about it? Much of the ocean is still waiting to be explored, but human activities like industrial fishing, deep-sea mining, and fossil-fuel burning are changing it in significant...

Using carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies to mitigate climate change is a land-intensive endeavor. To capture one gigatonne of CO2 through direct air capture requires a facility & energy production footprint of at least hundreds, but potentially tens of thousands of square kilometers. To capture one gigatonne of CO2 via reforestation requires about 862,000 square kilometers of arable land (nearly the size of the Kalahari Desert). We currently release about 40 gigatonnes of CO2 into...

Soil - that mixture of degraded bedrock, decomposing organic matter, and microorganisms that nourish the root systems of plants and trees - holds 4x more carbon than vegetation. By changing how we manage our soils, we can increase the rate of CO2 trapping from the atmosphere into the soil carbon bank, while at the same time enhancing the agricultural productivity of a region. Dr. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry at University of California, Merced, is a global leader in...

Humans now annually add more biologically available nitrogen to the Earth’s land surfaces than do all natural processes. For 3 billion years, available nitrogen had been the major limiting currency for life on Earth. The recent human disruption of the global nitrogen cycle is causing major environmental harm, including water and air pollution, marine dead zones, 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and species extinctions. Three major ways to solve this nitrogen problem are: (1) much more...

Climate economists have created a value called the "social cost of carbon" in order to better understand the cost/benefit relationship of climate policies and regulations. The social cost of carbon is the cost to society from damages caused by a ton of CO2 emissions. This value is difficult to quantify, with factors such as future societal wealth and global climate damages (such as species extinction) that are impossible to know. Series: "Sustainable California" [Science] [Show ID: 38046]

In order to reach global net-zero emissions by 2050, we must remove CO2 from the atmosphere as well as prevent further emissions. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) can be accomplished naturally -- through forests, soil sequestration, or mineralization -- and technologically. In fact, we will need both natural and technological CDR methods to get to net-zero. So what methods exist that remove carbon from the atmosphere? What are their respective costs, how do they compare, and which are already on...

Humans have adapted to meet their water needs across disparate environments over time using behavioral adaptations. Yet, as temperatures rise and freshwater sources become depleted, it is critical to understand 1) how populations modify their environments to meet their water needs, and 2) the consequences of these anthropogenic - or human caused changes - on the environment and further on human health. This talk will provide an overview of different global water challenges and focus on a...

California is a pioneer in researching the impacts of and solutions to climate change. Getting to carbon neutral - or net zero carbon emissions - is key to curbing our increasingly warming planet. Dr. Roger Aines of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory talks with Climate Now's James Lawler about the latest research on ways to capture carbon. Series: "Sustainable California" [Public Affairs] [Science] [Show ID: 37993]

The ocean is enormous, indeed so large that for centuries we assumed that there was nothing we could do to substantially harm it. Unfortunately, we now know that this is not true. We are having success on some fronts, such as saving species from extinction, protecting ocean waters, fishing more sustainably, and restoring damaged ecosystems by replanting critical species and reducing pollution. Even actions on land, such as removing dams from rivers and rats from islands, can make an important...

Conservation is common to all societies which learned to live within ecosystem limits. In breaking the evolutionary and biological straight-jackets constricting other species, we became the ultimate multi-niche free-ranging species. Our rise to global conquest and ecological emancipation from nature through domestication and manufacturing expanded conservation for survival to saving whales, elephants, the Acropolis and Mona Lisa. The universal rules for overcoming a tragedy of the commons...

Through the lens of the study and impact of aerosols, Vicki Grassian argues that collaboration, innovation, and implementation are the only way forward for successful science and a healthy society. She addresses the role of research institutions, traditional science boundaries, and the need for interdisciplinary work. Series: "Exploring Ethics" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 37402]

For several Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) countries, notably Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and Guyana, the production of oil and gas is vital for their fiscal health. This dilemma has only been exacerbated by the economic challenges derived from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, countries in the region face growing pressure to de-carbonize their economies. To support LAC countries on the path towards net-zero objectives, international financial institutions and multilateral...

The impacts of climate change and the urgency to act have not gone unnoticed in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The Institute of the Americas (IOA) has released a policy white paper entitled, Nationally Determined Contributions Across the America: A Comparative Hemispheric Analysis in an effort to better assess progress made to date by countries across the Americas in delivering on their climate commitments. The white paper provides a timely snapshot of progress made, while also...

The climate crisis is impacting health, and health care professionals have a pivotal role as advocates for change. The climate crisis must be mitigated by vast reductions in carbon use. Physicians share how they have promoted advocacy, as well as effective ways of messaging, and how leaders serve as trusted sources of information for policymakers and local institutions, and change agents. Panelists: Mark Coleman, MS, author and nature meditation teacher; host, Nature Summit; Robin Cooper, MD,...

The ocean provides a bounty of essential life-supporting services. Yet, a changing climate and increasing human uses are altering marine ecosystems and their ability to continue to provide this wealth of essential services. Off the coast of California, we are lucky to have one of the worlds longest-running marine observation programs, the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI), which has continuously and comprehensively sampled the marine environment off the...

Dr. Serena M. Auñón recently served as Flight Engineer on the International Space Station for Expeditions 56 and 57. She discusses her her time on orbit, where the crews contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the International Space Station. Investigations were led into new cancer treatment methods and algae growth in space. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 36868]

As the climate warms across the globe, California is faced with adapting to a range of climate-related challenges - from drought to increased wildfire activity, to more extreme rain events. Many of these climate change phenomena work in concert to trigger catastrophic events such as post-wildfire debris flows like the one that devastated Montecito, California in January 2018. Join Scripps meteorologist Nina Oakley to learn how research is helping us understand, anticipate, and prepare for...

Local fishermen, surfers, and beachgoers know that ocean temperatures off California's coast vary, often expectedly, but sometimes unexpectedly. Join Scripps oceanographer Katherine Zaba to learn how scientists deploy innovative ocean technology to monitor and understand ocean warming phenomena, like marine heatwaves and El Niño events, that affect California's coastline.  Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 36728]

This presentation examines how the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries have created climate emergencies that have threatened global food production, human health, and soil health. Experts explore the ubiquitous presence of chemicals in our food supply and the significant, cumulative impacts of extreme heat, pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs on agricultural communities, as well as the promise of regenerative agriculture. Series: "Mini Medical School for the Public" [Health and Medicine]...