Air, Food & Water

From field to fork, city to town, people need safe air to breathe, clean water to drink and nutritious food to eat. Our research looks at the various aspects of these vital resources to understand how 7.7 billion people can get what we need to live while preserving the natural systems we depend on.

Magazine

In the News

Headline

Elsa Ordway for Down to Earth — ‘The Congo more climate-resilient than Amazonia? Jury is still out’

Elsa Ordway, co-director of the Congo Basin Institute and Center for Tropical Research, recently collaborated with global experts in Cameroon to strategize a 10-year study on tropical forest ecology. The project,…

Photograph of the Yaoundé workshop shared by Elsa Ordway

Headline

Daniel Swain for New York Times —Storm-Battered Los Angeles Faces Another Day of Heavy Rainfall

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the ongoing storm’s impact on Los Angeles for NY Times, sharing how the atmospheric river is causing widespread mudslides and severe flooding. “The major…

A man walking his dog on the edge of the Los Angeles River in the city on Sunday.Credit...Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

Headline

Daniel Swain for New York Times — When the Storm Online Is Worse Than the One Outside

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the challenges of combating misinformation about extreme weather events for the New York Times, emphasizing the difficulties meteorologists and climate scientists face in the…

The storm is based on weather patterns from the state’s “Great Flood of 1862.” GETTY IMAGES

Headline

Daniel Swain for New York Times — Atmospheric River Drenches California, With More Storms on the Way

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the current atmospheric river storm in California for the New York Times, sharing his concerns about the potential for a major regional flood event.…

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for part of Los Angeles County

Headline

Daniel Swain for Forbes — What Is An ARkStorm? Here’s Why California Officials Have Prepared For A ‘Megastorm’ Scenario

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain discusses the ARkStorm scenario for Forbes, shedding light on its potential implications for California. The ARkStorm, conceptualized as a “megastorm,” draws inspiration from the state’s…

The storm is based on weather patterns from the state’s “Great Flood of 1862.” GETTY IMAGES

Videos

From Farms to Cities: Percolating New Ideas for Water Security

Sustainable Conservation a non-profit and IoES practicum client partner produced this video from an event held Sept 6, 2017 Following winter rains that pummeled the state, it’s easy for California’s…

Why Marine Biology Matters to You in a High CO2 World

Robert Eagle Tripati, Assistant Professor, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Publications