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

Forest in Cameroon

Story

The Promise of Cameroon

John Harlow

UCLA’s Congo Basin Institute is out to definitively map the African rainforests, a mission that could revolutionize climate science — and just maybe save the planet.

In the News

Headline

Jon Christensen for Smithsonian Magazine—How the Arrival of an Endangered Bird Indicates What’s Possible for the L.A. River

UCLA IoES Professor Jon Christensen discusses the restoration of the Los Angeles River for Smithsonian Magazine, sharing how efforts to ‘rewild’ the Taylor Yard area have led to the return…

A view of the soft-bottomed Los Angeles River below the 400-foot-long Taylor Yard Bridge in Elysian Valley. The newest Taylor Yard parcel, currently fenced off as it undergoes toxic remediation, can be seen on the far right.

Headline

Rebecca Shipe for LA Times—Southern California’s bioluminescent waves are back. It may not be too late to see the electric blue nights

UCLA IoES professor Rebecca Shipe discusses the recent bioluminescent waves along Southern California’s coast for Los Angeles Times, sharing how a massive algae bloom has created dazzling displays of electric…

Beachgoers watch and record images of bioluminescent waves breaking in Huntington Beach on Jan. 2, 2024. Bioluminescence is light emitted by living things through chemical reactions in their bodies. 

Headline

Dr. Anne Rimoin discusses California Covid surge—KTLA

UCLA epidemiologist Dr. Anne Rimoin joined KTLA News to discuss California’s strong and persistent COVID spike this summer in a new video. She shared what we need to know, along…


Headline

Daniel Swain for The Associated Press—Fires in the West are becoming ever bigger, consuming. Why and what can be done?

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain spoke with The Associated Press about how decades of fire suppression and climate change have led to increasingly severe wildfires in the western U.S. and…

A firefighter sprays water on the Park Fire burning near Forest Ranch, Calif., Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Headline

Daniel Swain for New York Times — In Southern California, a Wildfire That May Foreshadow a Hazardous Summer

The Post Fire in Los Angeles County burns over 15,000 acres, raising alarm for dangerous fire season in the West. Experts warn of overgrown vegetation after wet winters. “This is…

Wildfire Burns Across Southern California, firefighters try to mitigate wildfire

Videos

Climate chaos with climatologist Daniel Swain

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain joined EarthSky’s Dave Adalian for a live discussion on the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events caused by climate change. Swain, known for…

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…

Publications