Wildfire experts lay out causes and solutions for California’s worsening blazes
Academic and government experts offered insight at an event co-produced by The Nature Conservancy and UCLA
Topical Tag: Public Health
The Magazine
Climate change is making it harder for couples to conceive
UCLA research finds warming temperatures have a negative effect on fertility, birth rates
L.A.’s dry air is a seldom-discussed threat to public health
You’d be wrong. I moved to L.A. from New Orleans in August. There are plenty of differences between the two places, from food to politics. And people in New Orleans have a special glow about them. Some might suggest it’s their legendary zest for life, but it probably has more to do with the humidity—they...
Events
Special Event
Charting California’s Course on the Environment from Brown to Newsom and Beyond
Sponsored by the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law
6.6.2019
Over the period spanning Governor Brown’s four terms in office, California cemented its identity as a pioneer of forward-thinking environmental law. California’s stance on climate and energy policy has marked the state as a national, and even global, force. At home, however, California continues to face entrenched environmental issues: the use and movement of water,...
Special Event
LA’s New Abnormal: Mega-Wildfires
Reception and Discussion
2.6.2019
The Nature Conservancy and UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) invite you to LA’s New Abnormal: Mega-Wildfires Reception and Discussion Seemingly every year, California breaks some record for devastation with a new wildfire. The Woolsey fire was the worst the Malibu area has ever seen, and it has been 100 years since...
Special Event
99% Preservation and 1% Densification
A Case for Urban Density along the Wilshire Corridor
6.27.2018
The plan accommodates the city’s anticipated population increase—1.5 million people by 2050—by densifying less than one percent of its land. Comparing Wilshire Boulevard to major streets in other global metropolises, including Barcelona’s Avenida Diagonal and New York’s Broadway, they model real-world responses to growth and transformation that offer more sustainable strategies for Los Angeles. Moderated...
People
Asma Mahdi
Guest writer & communications manager for Sustainable L.A. Grand Challenge
Sustainable L.A. Grand Challenge
Projects
Antibiotic resistance in Southern California surfers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year in the U.S., at least 2 million people get an antibiotic-resistant infection, and at least 23,000 people die” (2018). Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of certain antibiotics; primarily as a result of overuse or misuse of the antibioticsA...
Diesel truck emissions in Port of Los Angeles
Communities living in proximity to diesel hotspots — such as ports, rail yards, distribution centers and freight roadways — disproportionately bear the negative health impacts associated with diesel exhaust. They are also usually low-income communities populated by historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. Exhaust from diesel engines releases harmful air pollutants and other toxic chemicals. Exposure...
Zero-Waste at Young Research Library: Effectiveness of Educational and Outreach Methods at Increasing Waste Diversion
Pictured above, left to right: Gustav Fiere, Elizabeth Tanner, Natasha Oviedo (Team Leader), Kate Zeile, and Malcolm Au (Team Leader) SAR Zero Waste Team: Zero-Waste at Young Research Library: Effectiveness of Educational and Outreach Methods at Increasing Waste Diversion Project Description: The Zero-Waste SAR team will be conducting a research project on the use of...
Publications
Pilot-testing of electrolysis for bromide removal from drinking water
Kimbrough, David Eugene, Lina Boulos, Sirikarn Surawanvijit, Adam Zacheis, Yoram Cohen
Published Work | 2016 | American Water Works Association
Cities as Novel Biomes: Recognizing Urban Ecosystem Services as Anthropogenic
Pincetl S.
Published Work | 2015 | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
In the News
Headline
3.22.2019
Timothy Malloy in California Health Report: Counties Fail to Fully Protect People From Pesticide Exposure, Report Finds
California’s county agricultural commissioners are failing to implement state laws designed to protect farmworkers and people living and working near agricultural areas from exposure to toxic pesticides, a new report by UCLA concludes. “These requirements serve really important public health and environmental concerns,” said Timothy Malloy, a UCLA law and environmental health professor, who led the...
Headline
11.16.2018
For Those Grappling With California Wildfires, Dangerous Air Quality Is a New Risk
“The main pollutant that comes from the fire is called particular matter, or PM. The most health-relevant particles are in sizes smaller than 2.5 microns—they’re pretty tiny particles,” says Yifang Zhu, Ph.D., professor of environmental health sciences and acting dean of UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. Zhu goes on to explain that the national...
11.7.2018
My Journey to Create the Future of Plastic Recycling
Plastic pollution is a global crisis that results in wildlife entrapment, water and food contamination, and human health problems. Globally, only 9% of plastics produced are recycled; the rest is incinerated, landfilled, or exported to developing nations where they often enter marine habitats. At the current accumulation rate, the scientific community predicts there will be...
Video
How Climate Change Will Impact California, Interview with Dr. Alan Barreca
Interview on The Young Turks ScIQ with UCLA environmental economist Alan Barreca by Jayde Lovell about climate change effects on public health, vulnerable communities, and the state of California. They also discuss the actions California can take the adapt to the rising environmental threats.