Climate change is an existential threat. The U.S. will face more frequent and extreme disasters in the coming years due to climate change. How can we harness the power of technology and indigenous knowledge to reduce risks to save lives and property, especially for the most vulnerable communities? This program looks at wildfires, one of California’s biggest climate threats, how to optimize the state for a transition to clean energy, and how we can be good stewards of our natural resources....

The ocean is a critical component of climate solutions. Not only does the ocean have the potential to provide food security, but it can provide critical minerals for the energy transition, species with biopharmaceutical and biotechnology potential, a source of income through sustainable tourism, and innovation of renewable power technologies. Samantha Murray, Executive Director of the Marine Biodiversity and Conservation program at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Amanda Netburn,...

Through the Earth Microbiome Program and complementary efforts, we have sampled a broad range of microbiomes from across the planet. All microbiomes that have been studied are impacted by human activity — the effects of industrialization on the human microbiome are best characterized, but capture of animals in zoos, domestication, modification of soils through agricultural practices, and modification of freshwater and marine microbiomes have also all been well characterized. Indeed, the...

The State of California has been steadfast in battling climate change and has passed several pieces of legislation including the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 which established a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. California is at the forefront of working towards 100-percent renewable energy by 2045. Siva Gunda, the Vice Chair of the California Energy Commission, and Wade Crowfoot, the Secretary of California Natural...

The 2022 Carbon Sequestration Symposium at California State University, Bakersfield, focuses on engaging the community, industry, policymakers, and academia in the topic of carbon sequestration. According to several studies, Kern County has been identified as a prime location for the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Roger Aines, Ph.D., and Kim Mayfield, Ph.D., discuss efforts underway to capture and store carbon dioxide as a viable option to...

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]