UCLA Environment
@uclaioes.bsky.social
UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability
Moving science to action ↓ ↓ ioes.ucla.edu
Moving science to action ↓ ↓ ioes.ucla.edu
Can caterpillars help fight wildfire?
UCLA White Mountain Research Center’s Jeff Holmquist highlights how traditional “piyuga” trenches—used to harvest Pandora moth caterpillar larvae—clear flammable debris, helping pines survive wildfires.
UCLA White Mountain Research Center’s Jeff Holmquist highlights how traditional “piyuga” trenches—used to harvest Pandora moth caterpillar larvae—clear flammable debris, helping pines survive wildfires.
An Indigenous Foodway Reduces Wildfire Damage In A Western Forest - Natural Reserve System
Traditional methods of harvesting Pandora moth caterpillars can reduce the risk of wildfire in pine forests.
ucnrs.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Can caterpillars help fight wildfire?
UCLA White Mountain Research Center’s Jeff Holmquist highlights how traditional “piyuga” trenches—used to harvest Pandora moth caterpillar larvae—clear flammable debris, helping pines survive wildfires.
UCLA White Mountain Research Center’s Jeff Holmquist highlights how traditional “piyuga” trenches—used to harvest Pandora moth caterpillar larvae—clear flammable debris, helping pines survive wildfires.
Reposted by UCLA Environment
Thanks to @blancabegert.bsky.social for covering this important topic and a bunch of work by my colleagues @uclalawemmett.bsky.social, @uclaioes.bsky.social looking at the LADWP/SoCal Edison comparison +
insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...
Why Are Rates Rising Faster at Investor-Owned Utilities Than at Public Utilities? - Inside Climate News
Case studies from California offer a look into the pros and cons of public and private utilities.
insideclimatenews.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Thanks to @blancabegert.bsky.social for covering this important topic and a bunch of work by my colleagues @uclalawemmett.bsky.social, @uclaioes.bsky.social looking at the LADWP/SoCal Edison comparison +
insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/0511202...
Reposted by UCLA Environment
Our big fire innovation report with LADWP and ~100 external experts, convened and synthesized by @luskininnovation.bsky.social, @uclasustainablela.bsky.social , @uclaioes.bsky.social and a much broader UCLA team of experts is out.
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/10/07/b...
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/10/07/b...
Building resilient utilities: UCLA issues report on key water and power infrastructure needs | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Smart meters and undergrounding power lines are among promising innovations in addressing climate and fire risks.
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu
October 7, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Our big fire innovation report with LADWP and ~100 external experts, convened and synthesized by @luskininnovation.bsky.social, @uclasustainablela.bsky.social , @uclaioes.bsky.social and a much broader UCLA team of experts is out.
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/10/07/b...
innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/10/07/b...
In Los Angeles, Tony Pritzker applies an engineer’s discipline to environmental philanthropy—from stormwater systems keeping runoff out of Santa Monica Bay to a global prize at UCLA supporting emerging innovators.
“Science is science—and it’s fact-based,” he told @Mongabay.com 🧬🧪 ucla.in/4pZ8sQh
“Science is science—and it’s fact-based,” he told @Mongabay.com 🧬🧪 ucla.in/4pZ8sQh
October 6, 2025 at 11:30 PM
In Los Angeles, Tony Pritzker applies an engineer’s discipline to environmental philanthropy—from stormwater systems keeping runoff out of Santa Monica Bay to a global prize at UCLA supporting emerging innovators.
“Science is science—and it’s fact-based,” he told @Mongabay.com 🧬🧪 ucla.in/4pZ8sQh
“Science is science—and it’s fact-based,” he told @Mongabay.com 🧬🧪 ucla.in/4pZ8sQh
Reposted by UCLA Environment
🔥 New Paper Alert 🔥 -- from the incomparable @ioes.ucla.edu Senior Practicum in Environmental Science with the paper led by new alums Sammy Fruman and Bethany Woo --> anonymized smartphone data show park use in extreme heat 1/ #heat #hazards #mobility #cities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Smartphone location data show park use patterns in extreme heat (Los Angeles, California, USA)
Climate change, combined with the Urban Heat Island effect, will generate more frequent, intense extreme heat events. These events can induce heat str…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:48 AM
🔥 New Paper Alert 🔥 -- from the incomparable @ioes.ucla.edu Senior Practicum in Environmental Science with the paper led by new alums Sammy Fruman and Bethany Woo --> anonymized smartphone data show park use in extreme heat 1/ #heat #hazards #mobility #cities www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by UCLA Environment
🆕 How extreme heat determines diets in rural India
Today on VoxDev, Paul Stainier (@upenn.edu), Manisha Shah (@goldmanschool.bsky.social) & @alanbarreca.bsky.social (@ioes.ucla.edu) discuss how extreme heat affects health and nutrition in India: voxdev.org/topic/health...
Today on VoxDev, Paul Stainier (@upenn.edu), Manisha Shah (@goldmanschool.bsky.social) & @alanbarreca.bsky.social (@ioes.ucla.edu) discuss how extreme heat affects health and nutrition in India: voxdev.org/topic/health...
How extreme heat determines diets in rural India
Extreme heat damages crops and increases the number of strongly undernourished households in terms of calories, iron, and other nutrients. While some households cope by buying food grown elsewhere, th...
voxdev.org
September 18, 2025 at 8:59 AM
🆕 How extreme heat determines diets in rural India
Today on VoxDev, Paul Stainier (@upenn.edu), Manisha Shah (@goldmanschool.bsky.social) & @alanbarreca.bsky.social (@ioes.ucla.edu) discuss how extreme heat affects health and nutrition in India: voxdev.org/topic/health...
Today on VoxDev, Paul Stainier (@upenn.edu), Manisha Shah (@goldmanschool.bsky.social) & @alanbarreca.bsky.social (@ioes.ucla.edu) discuss how extreme heat affects health and nutrition in India: voxdev.org/topic/health...
🐘🌱🔊 From decoding software to decoding elephants: 2025 Pritzker finalist Seema Lokhandwala leads the Elephant Acoustics Project, creating early-warning systems that save lives and draw on community wisdom. "Coexistence in India is not led by ecologists and scientists alone." ucla.in/4plAlBW
September 10, 2025 at 2:39 AM
🐘🌱🔊 From decoding software to decoding elephants: 2025 Pritzker finalist Seema Lokhandwala leads the Elephant Acoustics Project, creating early-warning systems that save lives and draw on community wisdom. "Coexistence in India is not led by ecologists and scientists alone." ucla.in/4plAlBW
As chytrid fungus wipes out frogs — 90 species lost and counting — 2025 Pritzker finalist Anthony Waddle of Macquarie University is testing ways to tip the balance back toward survival. “Many in the field have given up, viewing the problem as hopeless, but I see it differently.” ucla.in/3JP1lJz
September 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM
As chytrid fungus wipes out frogs — 90 species lost and counting — 2025 Pritzker finalist Anthony Waddle of Macquarie University is testing ways to tip the balance back toward survival. “Many in the field have given up, viewing the problem as hopeless, but I see it differently.” ucla.in/3JP1lJz
A new #UCLA study shows how African elephant poop helps ebony trees grow, the slow-growing source of wood used for guitars and pianos 🎸 In areas where elephants are poached, researchers found nearly 70% fewer ebony saplings.
ucla.in/47NATtO
ucla.in/47NATtO
August 28, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A new #UCLA study shows how African elephant poop helps ebony trees grow, the slow-growing source of wood used for guitars and pianos 🎸 In areas where elephants are poached, researchers found nearly 70% fewer ebony saplings.
ucla.in/47NATtO
ucla.in/47NATtO
Reposted by UCLA Environment
Mind-blowing UCLA research shows that ebony trees used in guitar frets, piano keys, and other musical instruments depends on elephants. Specifically: Elephant dung.💩Beautiful article by my colleague @ahewitt.bsky.social also shows importance of continued federal funding. ucla.in/4lPSGUD 🧪
August 27, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Mind-blowing UCLA research shows that ebony trees used in guitar frets, piano keys, and other musical instruments depends on elephants. Specifically: Elephant dung.💩Beautiful article by my colleague @ahewitt.bsky.social also shows importance of continued federal funding. ucla.in/4lPSGUD 🧪
‘It burns my hands, my eyes, my lungs. But what choice do I have?’ For Denica Riadini-Flesch, hearing those words changed everything. Now a 2025 Pritzker Award finalist, she’s proving fashion can restore soil, dignity and women’s futures 🪡🧵🌱 ucla.in/3JxH9ff
August 26, 2025 at 11:05 PM
‘It burns my hands, my eyes, my lungs. But what choice do I have?’ For Denica Riadini-Flesch, hearing those words changed everything. Now a 2025 Pritzker Award finalist, she’s proving fashion can restore soil, dignity and women’s futures 🪡🧵🌱 ucla.in/3JxH9ff
⚡️ UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability is proud to announce the finalists for the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award 🙇♂️🌏✨ All under age 40, their work spans continents and cultures, united by a refusal to treat complex problems as inevitable.
2025 Pritzker Award finalists: Anthony Waddle, Denica Riadini-Flesch, Seema Lokhandwala — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
Three innovators from Australia, Indonesia and India are redefining how to protect wildlife, restore ecosystems and build equitable futures…
ucla.in
August 14, 2025 at 9:44 PM
⚡️ UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability is proud to announce the finalists for the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award 🙇♂️🌏✨ All under age 40, their work spans continents and cultures, united by a refusal to treat complex problems as inevitable.
Reposted by UCLA Environment
My nominee for the Pritzker Environmental Genius Award (@ioes.ucla.edu) is founder of Elephant Acoustics Project, she uses #bioacoustics to understand India's #elephants & reduce conflict w/ ppl
Her goal:
Fewer crop losses & injuries + fewer elephants being relocated, captured or killed on roads:
Her goal:
Fewer crop losses & injuries + fewer elephants being relocated, captured or killed on roads:
Meet the 2025 Pritzker Environmental Genius Award Candidates #6–9 — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
These four nominees are focused on housing, conservation, fashion and public space — tackling environmental issues by redesigning how systems work at the local level…
www.ioes.ucla.edu
August 8, 2025 at 2:37 PM
My nominee for the Pritzker Environmental Genius Award (@ioes.ucla.edu) is founder of Elephant Acoustics Project, she uses #bioacoustics to understand India's #elephants & reduce conflict w/ ppl
Her goal:
Fewer crop losses & injuries + fewer elephants being relocated, captured or killed on roads:
Her goal:
Fewer crop losses & injuries + fewer elephants being relocated, captured or killed on roads:
What does environmental genius look like in 2025? Maybe it’s a frog sauna outside Sydney, a high-tech greenhouse in Appalachia, or a furniture studio bringing back Kenya’s mangroves 🐸 ✨ 🇰🇪
Meet the final set of nominees for the 2025 Pritzker Award 🙇♂️ ucla.in/3J6ZLT5
Meet the final set of nominees for the 2025 Pritzker Award 🙇♂️ ucla.in/3J6ZLT5
August 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM
What does environmental genius look like in 2025? Maybe it’s a frog sauna outside Sydney, a high-tech greenhouse in Appalachia, or a furniture studio bringing back Kenya’s mangroves 🐸 ✨ 🇰🇪
Meet the final set of nominees for the 2025 Pritzker Award 🙇♂️ ucla.in/3J6ZLT5
Meet the final set of nominees for the 2025 Pritzker Award 🙇♂️ ucla.in/3J6ZLT5
Reposted by UCLA Environment
Great work by my colleagues @luskininnovation.bsky.social & CCSC @ioes.ucla.edu, projecting ongoing customer bill impacts of electrifying in LA.
(Full disclosure, I was involved)
(Full disclosure, I was involved)
💲💡 Can residential electrification support energy affordability? A new @luskininnovation.bsky.social report illustrates potential savings across household types and energy upgrade scenarios.
legal-planet.org/2025/08/06/c...
legal-planet.org/2025/08/06/c...
Can Residential Electrification Support Energy Affordability? - Legal Planet
A new UCLA report illustrates potential savings across household types and energy upgrade scenarios.
legal-planet.org
August 6, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Great work by my colleagues @luskininnovation.bsky.social & CCSC @ioes.ucla.edu, projecting ongoing customer bill impacts of electrifying in LA.
(Full disclosure, I was involved)
(Full disclosure, I was involved)
🐘 The second set of UCLA 2025 Pritzker nominees show what happens when climate work starts with listening — to elephants, to tenants, to cotton farmers, to community.
Their work spans bioacoustics, housing law, regenerative fashion and coalition-building.
Their work spans bioacoustics, housing law, regenerative fashion and coalition-building.
Meet the 2025 Pritzker Environmental Genius Award Candidates #6–9 — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
These four nominees are focused on housing, conservation, fashion and public space — tackling environmental issues by redesigning how systems work at the local level…
ucla.in
August 6, 2025 at 1:50 AM
🐘 The second set of UCLA 2025 Pritzker nominees show what happens when climate work starts with listening — to elephants, to tenants, to cotton farmers, to community.
Their work spans bioacoustics, housing law, regenerative fashion and coalition-building.
Their work spans bioacoustics, housing law, regenerative fashion and coalition-building.
⚡️🌎 Meet the first five candidates for the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award.
They’re working in places where infrastructure is unstable and communities are underserved — across forests, clinics, code camps, and river basins. #UCLA #PritzkerAward ucla.in/4lVBdej
They’re working in places where infrastructure is unstable and communities are underserved — across forests, clinics, code camps, and river basins. #UCLA #PritzkerAward ucla.in/4lVBdej
Meet the 2025 Pritzker Environmental Genius Award candidates #1–5 — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
These five early-career leaders are creating climate solutions in areas and communities often left out of conventional planning…
ucla.in
July 31, 2025 at 10:41 PM
⚡️🌎 Meet the first five candidates for the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award.
They’re working in places where infrastructure is unstable and communities are underserved — across forests, clinics, code camps, and river basins. #UCLA #PritzkerAward ucla.in/4lVBdej
They’re working in places where infrastructure is unstable and communities are underserved — across forests, clinics, code camps, and river basins. #UCLA #PritzkerAward ucla.in/4lVBdej
13 nominees. 5 continents. 1 blueprint 🌎
Announcing the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominees—rising leaders using science, tech, and design to tackle climate challenges. One will receive $100,000 to scale their impact.
Announcing the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominees—rising leaders using science, tech, and design to tackle climate challenges. One will receive $100,000 to scale their impact.
Announcing the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominees — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
Thirteen nominees. Five continents. One common denominator: a new blueprint for environmental leadership.
www.ioes.ucla.edu
July 24, 2025 at 11:45 PM
13 nominees. 5 continents. 1 blueprint 🌎
Announcing the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominees—rising leaders using science, tech, and design to tackle climate challenges. One will receive $100,000 to scale their impact.
Announcing the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award nominees—rising leaders using science, tech, and design to tackle climate challenges. One will receive $100,000 to scale their impact.
Reposted by UCLA Environment
What can whaling records from the 1930s tell us about sea ice extents a century later? A lot, it turns out.
New research by Marcello Vichi (Univ. of Cape Town) & coauthors; input from Marilyn Raphael @ioes.ucla.edu + Ryan Fogt (Ohio Univ.). Story by @shapersyris.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/wha...
New research by Marcello Vichi (Univ. of Cape Town) & coauthors; input from Marilyn Raphael @ioes.ucla.edu + Ryan Fogt (Ohio Univ.). Story by @shapersyris.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/wha...
Whaling Records Can Help Improve Estimates of Sea Ice Extent - Eos
The locations of humpback whale catches in the early 20th century indicate that most climate models overestimate the historic extent of sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
eos.org
July 15, 2025 at 1:45 PM
What can whaling records from the 1930s tell us about sea ice extents a century later? A lot, it turns out.
New research by Marcello Vichi (Univ. of Cape Town) & coauthors; input from Marilyn Raphael @ioes.ucla.edu + Ryan Fogt (Ohio Univ.). Story by @shapersyris.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/wha...
New research by Marcello Vichi (Univ. of Cape Town) & coauthors; input from Marilyn Raphael @ioes.ucla.edu + Ryan Fogt (Ohio Univ.). Story by @shapersyris.bsky.social. eos.org/articles/wha...
Featured in L.A. Times: Edith de Guzman, PhD ’23, brings shade inequity—and climate justice—to the spotlight at Descanso Gardens 🎨 ✨ Her exhibition explores who gets cooling shade in a warming L.A. ucla.in/4lvhWQH
Featured in L.A. Times—Edith de Guzman, PhD ’23, reimagines L.A. climate inequities through art at Descanso Gardens — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
Featured in this week’s Los Angeles Times Climate and Environment coverage, Edith de Guzman, PhD ‘23, brings climate and heat inequities to the spotlight. This summer at Descano Gardens…
ucla.in
July 15, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Featured in L.A. Times: Edith de Guzman, PhD ’23, brings shade inequity—and climate justice—to the spotlight at Descanso Gardens 🎨 ✨ Her exhibition explores who gets cooling shade in a warming L.A. ucla.in/4lvhWQH
It’s important that “people get information through channels they trust and see,” UCLA water researcher Greg Pierce tells the Washington Post. He calls for better flood warning systems as U.S. flood deaths rise. “We should invest in that, and we’re not right now.” @gregspierce.bsky.social
Flood deaths are rising in the U.S., fueled by heavier rainfall
In the wake of last week’s Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, a Post analysis found the number of U.S. freshwater flood fatalities has ticked up in recent years.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 8, 2025 at 9:53 PM
It’s important that “people get information through channels they trust and see,” UCLA water researcher Greg Pierce tells the Washington Post. He calls for better flood warning systems as U.S. flood deaths rise. “We should invest in that, and we’re not right now.” @gregspierce.bsky.social
🌎 When research leads, readers follow. IoES Magazine is now ranked the #2 Sustainability Blog in California by Feedspot — selected from thousands of sites for its trusted coverage of science, policy, culture and climate.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
UCLA IoES Magazine Ranked #2 in California for Sustainability Coverage — Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA
UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) Magazine has been ranked #2 on Feedspot’s list of the Top 30 California Sustainability Blogs. The list recognizes the most influential…
www.ioes.ucla.edu
July 2, 2025 at 9:22 PM
🌎 When research leads, readers follow. IoES Magazine is now ranked the #2 Sustainability Blog in California by Feedspot — selected from thousands of sites for its trusted coverage of science, policy, culture and climate.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
Let’s keep the conversation going.
After multiple Waymo vehicles were set on fire during protests, the company pulled service across L.A. and much of S.F. UCLA professor Rajit Gadh told @sfstandard.com if torchings continue, companies may add sensors and cooling systems to protect their vehicles.
Here is where Waymo has suspended service in San Francisco
The robotaxi company has instituted a no-go zone amid of large-scale protests against ICE.
sfstandard.com
June 26, 2025 at 7:14 PM
After multiple Waymo vehicles were set on fire during protests, the company pulled service across L.A. and much of S.F. UCLA professor Rajit Gadh told @sfstandard.com if torchings continue, companies may add sensors and cooling systems to protect their vehicles.