EVs Are Lowering Bay Area’s Carbon Footprint

An extensive CO2 monitoring network set up around the San Francisco Bay Area by a Berkeley professor has recorded the first evidence that the adoption of electric vehicles is measurably lowering the area's carbon emissions.

With Rapidly Increasing Heat and Drought, Can Plants Adapt?

Researcher Isaac Lichter-Marck is the first to provide evidence to resolve a long-standing evolutionary debate: Did iconic desert plants adapt to arid conditions only after they invaded deserts? Or did they come preadapted to the stresses of desert living?

How Old is Yosemite Valley?

Visitors to Yosemite Valley gape in awe at El Capitan and the Half Dome, aware, perhaps vaguely, that rain and glaciers took a long time to sculpt the landscape.

Why Some Countries Are Leading the Shift to Green Energy

Oil and gas prices skyrocketed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in spring 2022, creating a global energy crisis similar to the oil crisis of the 1970s. While some countries used the price shock to accelerate the transition to cleaner sources of energy, such as wind, solar and geothermal, others have responded by expanding the production of fossil fuels.

New Study Examines Drivers of Government Investment in Energy Innovation

New analysis led by researchers from Rausser College of Natural Resources and the University of Cambridge offers insight into the trajectory of energy research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that may help policymakers recalibrate their strategy to drive innovation. Published September 12 in the journal Nature Energy, the findings show that participating in Mission Innovation, a new form of international cooperation, and intensifying technology competition from China are the strongest drivers of funding for new clean energy RD&D.

Social Cost of Carbon Is More Than Triple the Federal Estimate

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the nonprofit Resources for the Future (RFF) estimates that the social cost of carbon — a key metric for evaluating the future cost of climate change — is more than three times the value currently used by the U.S. federal government.

Scientists Grow Lead-Free Solar Material With a Built-In Switch

Solar panels, also known as photovoltaics, rely on semiconductor devices, or solar cells, to convert energy from the sun into electricity. Manufacturers typically dope the solar cell with chemicals so that one layer of the device bears a positive charge and another layer a negative charge. But chemical doping and layered synthesis also add extra costly steps in solar cell manufacturing.

The Inflation Reduction Act Charts a Pro-Climate, Pro-Worker Path

After decades of inaction and failed attempts, the U.S. has finally passed federal legislation addressing climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is groundbreaking not only in its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also in how it demonstrates that we don’t have to choose between good jobs and action on the climate.

Today’s Heat Waves Feel a Lot Hotter Than Heat Index Implies

An analysis by climate scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, finds that the apparent temperature, or heat index, calculated by meteorologists and the National Weather Service (NWS) to indicate how hot it feels — taking into account the humidity — underestimates the perceived temperature for the most sweltering days we’re now experiencing, sometimes by more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

New Study Evaluates NOAA’s Wildfire Smoke Forecasting Model

As wildfires become more frequent and severe due to climate change, it’s increasingly important to determine how and when the resultant smoke will move toward communities. To assist with predictions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) turned to Tina Katopodes Chow, UC Berkeley professor of civil and environmental engineering, and her students.
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