Sustainability & environment

Community members from Bolinas, California, play an evacuation-simulation board game

Researchers to help reduce wildfire risk with dynamic modeling, serious games

12/20/22 — CITRIS: With a $2.5 million NSF grant, an interdisciplinary UC team led by civil engineering professor Kenichi Soga is partnering with Bay Area communities to help residents respond to natural disasters more quickly — and more safely.

Photo illustration of the process for converting carbon dioxide into solar fuels

To battle climate change, scientists tap into carbon-hungry microorganisms for clues

11/30/22 — Berkeley Lab: Scientists led by Peidong Yang have developed a nature-inspired technique for converting carbon dioxide into solar fuels

A DANNAR remote-controlled electric utility vehicle and energy platform is tested for use during wildfires.

Fired up for the future

11/07/22 — FIRE Foundry trains young adults from underrepresented communities on cutting-edge firefighting technologies.

Artist’s rendering of a human base on a new planet, aerial view.

Taking up space

11/07/22 — Professor Adam Arkin and CUBES researchers are using synthetic biology to find solutions for living on Mars — and a rapidly changing Earth.

Ph.D. student researcher Junpyo (Patrick) Kwon demonstrates a biodegradable printed circuit

Waste not

11/07/22 — Researchers have developed a fully recyclable and biodegradable printed circuit.

Berkeley climate-tech startup brings Clarity to clean air monitoring

10/12/22 — Clarity Movement Co., co-founded at Berkeley by CEO David Lu, is bringing real-time air quality sensing to cities around the globe, including a new network in Perth, Australia

Berkeley researcher checks new arsenic treatment technology with Dennis Hutson looking on.

Bringing arsenic-safe drinking water to rural California

09/21/22 — Berkeley engineers have created a simple, low-cost arsenic treatment system to help low-income communities access safer water (With video)

Ting Xu holding two vials. On the right is the Falling Walls Foundation line, "I am a Falling Walls Breakthrough."

Berkeley’s Ting Xu wins Science Breakthrough of the Year award from Falling Walls Foundation

09/16/22 — Xu's work on plastic degradation wins recognition in the Engineering and Technology category

FIRE Foundry crew take a break from training at a Wildland Academy event

Fired up for the future

07/19/22 — FIRE Foundry aims to increase diversity among fire crews and accelerate the adoption of advanced firefighting technologies

Climate activists attend a protest in New York

Commentary: Failing to act on climate change is robbing future generations of choices

07/12/22 — Chicago Tribune: CEE professor Ashok Gadgil and other frustrated scientists call for a reorientation of climate research to drive effective action and transformative change

New study evaluates NOAA’s wildfire smoke forecasting model

07/05/22 — Using data from the 2018 Camp Fire, civil engineering researchers identify ways to improve experimental smoke prediction tool

Using AI research to solve climate problems

06/02/22 — CDSS: The BAIR Climate Initiative aims to build partnerships and conduct groundbreaking artificial intelligence research to combat climate change

Old-style drawings of fish, cow and chicken above stylized petri dishes

The future of meat

04/15/22 — The Alt: Meat Lab pairs scientific innovation with entrepreneurship to bring plant-based proteins from the classroom to the market.

Aerial photo of smoke from wildfires, with California county map superimposed

Tracking smoke

04/15/22 — Tests on a smoke forecasting model from the NOAA has allowed researchers to pinpoint areas for improvement.

Students check data on a laptop during field research on biodiversity

New center will apply data science to solving environmental challenges

03/23/22 — Open science and collaboration with communities is at the heart of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science and Environment

Chevron refinery in Richmond, California, seen from the adjacent residential Point Richmond neighborhood.

Study shows more air pollution in areas of historical redlining

03/09/22 — Public Health: Research led by Berkeley civil engineers finds racism from the 1930s is still influencing environmental inequality today

CHart showing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater in Contra Costa County

Bay Area wastewater data suggests COVID hasn’t peaked everywhere

01/27/22 — SFGate: While indicators suggest COVID-19 cases are on the decline across the Bay Area, wastewater analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 at Berkeley Engineering professor Kara Nelson's lab suggests that three areas of the region may have yet to peak.

Illustration of water recycling, showing insects, wetland plants and glass of potable water

How building wetlands could recycle the world’s water

01/21/22 — Kicking off Season 2 of the Berkeley Voices podcast, water engineer David Sedlak explains how ever-thirstier California can fight back against climate change by learning to recycle the water we use

Cesunica Ivey to lead EPA project to reduce wildfire smoke exposure

12/20/21 — EPA: Award to support engagement and better communication of health risks of underserved and marginalized groups in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.

Illustration of hourglass, containing plastic transforming into compost

Back down to earth

11/15/21 — Materials science professor Ting Xu is re-engineering plastics for the age of sustainability.