ESPM professor Scott Stephens comments on this editorial article on California's increasingly lengthy and catastrophic fire seasons. Development that doesn’t facilitate disaster can be promoted by getting “the fire service much more involved in land-use decisions,” said Stephens. Given the inevitability of wildfires, Stephens added, the state also should make more systematic efforts to empower citizens to prevent and even fight wildfires.
The Conversation | October 08, 2017
ARE professor Max Auffhammer and associate professor Meredith Fowlie authored this article on Energy Secretary Rick Perry's proposal to federal regulators that will effectively subsidize coal and nuclear power plants, as long as they store 90 days of fuel on site. The authors discuss coal's significant negative externalities and note that the proposed regulation is based on key arguments that contradict the Department of Energy's own expert analysis in the energy grid report.
MIT Technology Review | October 07, 2017
ARE professor David Zilberman comments on new-to-market Arctic apples that have ben genetically altered to suppress browning. Produced by Okanagan Speciality Fruits, these apples, which will be sold as bags of pre-sliced fruit, will not come with any packaging identifying them as GMO's, and will instead have a QR code that links to a web page with detailed information. Zilberman says the apple doesn’t present any health risks and that Okanagan’s decision for discreet labeling is justified.
Nature | October 04, 2017
Gump South Pacific Research Station executive director Neil Davies is highlighted in this article on artificial islands that have the potential to serve as laboratories for testing new technologies and exploring different social structures. Davies, who is advising the seasteaders on site selection and environmentally positive design choices, believes these floating "sea stations" could allow low-cost long-term access to the ocean for research, especially for students in tropical countries "where natural systems are among the most sensititve to human activities."
The Sacramento Bee | October 02, 2017
ESPM CE specialist emeritus Rick Standiford authored this op-ed on the critical need for sustainable forest management in California. Standiford notes that a recent study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that "managemnet techniques, including prescribed fire and mechanical thinning, can help rebuild resilient forests."
Reuters | September 28, 2017
NST associate professor Dan Nomura will head up the newly announced Novartis-Berkeley Center for Proteomics and Chemistry Technologies, which will target "undruggable illnesses" like cancers that have eluded treatments. In enlisting Nomura’s lab, Novartis gets reinforcements to help find elusive hotspots on the surfaces of proteins where drugs can latch on and disrupt their role in fueling disease. “Novartis is opening up their internal resources to us... enabling us to do things on a scale we couldn’t accomplish in an academic setting,” Nomura said in an email, adding students will get an up-close look at the industrial side of research.
President Trump wants protectionist measures against Chinese solar power. That’s going to hurt U.S. firms.
Washington Post | September 25, 2017
ESPM assistant professor Jonas Meckling authored this article for the Washington Post on a recent ruling by the US International Trade Commission that US solar manufacturers are being injured by solar product imports, which gives the federal government an oppportunity to increase duties on imported solar equipment, raising the costs of solar energy for US companies and households. Meckling notes that not only is this protectionist policy based on a basic economic error, it will have major consequences for energy policy and hamper the US's thriving solar industry.
NewsDeeply | September 25, 2017
ERG assistant professor Lara Kueppers is featured in this NewsDeeply interview on a recently published study on Sierra Nevada subalpine meadow encroachment. These meadows play an important role in regulating the flow of water from the Sierra snowpack. Kueppers discusses the study and the potential impacts of mountain meadow disappearance on biodiversity, water supply and flood prevention.
Daily Californian | September 24, 2017
ESPM undergrad Grace Treffinger and assistant CE specialist Jennifer Sowerwine are highlighted in this Daily Californian article on the Student Organic Garden Association (SOGA) and a recent panel featuring Karen Ross, CA Secretary of Food and Agriculture.