Rausser College of Natural Resources

New research from Agricultural & Resources Economics professor Meredith Fowlie discusses the linkages between U.S. climate policy, environmental justice, and local air pollution. Read more about how policy proposals can center on environmental justice: https://haas.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/WP308.pdf

Plant & Microbial Biology, UC Berkeley graduate students Basem Al-Shayeb and Alex Crits-Christopher have used techniques developed in the Banfield lab to sequence the #COVID-19 virus. The research is part of COVID-WEB, a public health coalition started by Energy and Resources Group - ERG alumna Sasha Harris-Lovett and others to test wastewater for the virus. Read more: https://nature.berkeley.edu//uc-berkeley-launches-pop-lab-

TODAY at 1:30PT: Environmental Science, Policy, and Management alumnus Christopher Golden will speak at a Washington Post event about National Geographic's new series "Virus Hunters." Golden will discuss the cultural, medical, and environmental factors which can be studied to prevent future pandemics. Tune in at the link below: https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-//virus-hunters/

As compared to the same period in 2019, the first half of 2020 experienced a decrease in global CO2 emissions by almost nine percent. Professor Dan Kammen was one of the researchers leading a recent study on real-time monitoring of greenhouse gases, to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the climate. Read more: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18922-7

Professor Whendee Silver will appear on PBS Nova in a special titled "Can We Cool the Planet?" Silver is an expert on biogeochemical processes and is currently working on a project with the potential for land-based climate change mitigation. Watch the segment here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/can-we-cool-the-planet/

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, says Energy & Resources Group adjunct professor Margaret Torn. Torn spoke about the subject in an article on the accelerating fire risks in California. Read the story: https://www.scientificamerican.com//californias-mega-fire/

Energy and Resources Group - ERG graduate student Váleri Vasquez contributed to a paper in Nature about the imperative to protect the Antarctic Peninsula. Recently, Vasquez traveled to Antarctica as part of an all-woman delegation to the continent last year, which was the subject of our story in the last issue of Breakthroughs. Read her thoughts: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02939-5

Environmental Science, Policy, & Management (ESPM) - UC Berkeley forth-year student Aileen Lavelle was featured in our recent Student Spotlight. This summer, Lavelle completed a socially-distanced internship in Longboat Key in Florida, where she worked to increase nesting sea turtles' survival rates. Read the story: https://nature.berkeley.edu//student-spotlight-aileen-lave

The Rausser College of Natural Resources is excited to join the California Biodiversity Network, a state-wide initiative that will bring together scientific institutions, conservation organizations, tribal governments, and other experts. The goal of the Network is to preserve the state's biodiversity. Read more about the important initiative: https://nature.berkeley.edu//rausser-college-joins-califor

This 2020 S.J. Hall Lecture in Industrial Forestry will examine the intersection of industrial and indigenous forest management in California and across the United States. Peter Wakeland will moderate, and Tim Hayden, Dawn Blake, and Mike Dockery will discuss the aspects of successful and profitable forest management on Tribal lands. The program will highlight the unique elements of Tribal forest management, explore challenges faced by Tribes managing forestland, and identify industrial forest management practices unique to Tribal forestry that may have applications beyond Tribal forest lands.

As lumber companies in California start selling charred wood, they must also reinvest in reforestation, argues Environmental Science, Policy, & Management (ESPM) - UC Berkeley Cooperative Extension specialist Bill Stewart. Stewart spoke about the challenges such businesses must face following wildfires across the state this year. Read more: https://www.wsj.com//this-small-lumber-company-beat-back-a

For a long time, scientists puzzled over the molecular and genetic underpinnings associated with metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. New research led by Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology professor Anders Näär uncovers a key genetic mechanism that links energy storage to such diseases. The study, including researchers from 12 institutions in the U.S. and Europe and published today in the journal Cell, could have important implications for treatment. Read more: https://nature.berkeley.edu//researchers-discover-link-bet

The 2020 SJ Hall Lecture in Industrial Forestry, "Tribal Forestry: The Intersection of Industrial and Indigenous Forest Management", explores the dynamics of Tribal timber programs - what makes them special, what successes they have seen, and what challenges they face. Panelists will discuss Tribal forest management programs from California (Yurok and Hoopa Valley Tribes) and Wisconsin (Menominee Tribe), highlighting the unique aspects of each of these programs as well as the ways in which elements of each program may see more widespread application. A question and answer session will be held at the end of the panel discussion. Questions can be submitted through the YouTube chat function or via Facebook live.

In the latest episode of the My Climate Journey podcast, Energy and Resources Group - ERG professor Dan Kammen discusses various aspects of the energy economy. The interview deals with such topics as whether nuclear energy can offer a solution to climate change, the feasibility of going to 100 percent renewable energy, carbon pricing, and issues of social justice. Listen below: https://www.myclimatejourney.co/episodes/daniel-kammen