News Archive - Climate Change

Public Attention Can Drive Governments to Take Meaningful Environmental Actions

A new study from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy reveals that public outcry can lead to significant environmental action, even when public administrations are openly hostile to environmental priorities.

As Temperatures Rise, Researchers Identify Mechanisms Behind Plant Response to Warming

Plants widen microscopic pores on their leaves in response to heat. But scientists lacked an understanding of the mechanisms behind this “sweating” function. Now, biologists have unlocked the details behind these processes and identified two paths that plants use to handle rising temperatures.

UC San Diego Launches New Graduation Requirement, Bolstering Climate Change Education

Beginning this fall, UC San Diego is implementing the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement (JTCCER), an initiative designed to ensure that undergraduates across all majors on campus are equipped to understand and address climate change. The new graduation requirement is named in honor of the late Jane Teranes, a beloved teaching professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and advocate for climate education at UC San Diego.

UC San Diego to Receive $7 Million to Power Campus and Strengthen State Electricity Grid

The California Energy Commission approved a $7 million award to UC San Diego to replace a decade-old battery with one large enough to power 5,000 homes for four hours. Scheduled to come online in the latter half of 2025, the new system represents an eight-fold increase in capacity and will play a critical role in modernizing UC San Diego’s microgrid while providing reliable and cost-effective energy for the entire campus.

New Study Reveals Food Waste Bans Ineffective in Reducing Landfill Waste, Except in Massachusetts

Of the first five U.S. states to implement food waste bans, only Massachusetts was successful at diverting waste away from landfills and incinerators, according to a new study from the University of California Rady School of Management.

UC San Diego Receives $10 Million for Center on Neurobiology in Changing Environments

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group has selected UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography to receive a four-year, $10 million grant to establish the Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Environments. The center’s goal will be to understand how climate change may impact the nervous systems and behavior of marine animals.

Heat Waves Amplify Existing Inequities. Meet the Researchers Working to Change That.

With record-breaking heat becoming the new norm, the consequences are far from evenly distributed, with communities of color, low-income neighborhoods and medically vulnerable individuals bearing the brunt of extreme heat exposure. At UC San Diego, researchers are not just examining the disparities, but are actively searching for solutions.

Climate Crisis Survey Reveals Scientists’ Willingness to Act – and Barriers to Action

A large-scale survey conducted by a team of international researchers led by investigators at the University of Amsterdam has found that scientists worldwide and across disciplines are extremely concerned about climate change and its cascading effects on every sphere of life.

Oyster Virus Detected in San Diego Bay Likely Worsened by Warmer Waters

New research led by scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography reveals how rising water temperatures influence a deadly herpes virus in juvenile Pacific oysters in San Diego Bay. While the ostreid herpesvirus (OsHV-1) does not pose a threat to humans, it is capable of causing mass mortality events among oysters, potentially hindering oyster aquaculture operations.

3D Models Provide Unprecedented Look at Corals’ Response to Bleaching Events

In a new study, marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Arizona State University are providing a first-of-its-kind glimpse into coral “bleaching” responses to stress, using imaging technology to pinpoint coral survival rates following multiple bleaching events off the island of Maui.