Mark Lubell
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envpolicycenter.bsky.social
Mark Lubell
@envpolicycenter.bsky.social

Professor Mark Lubell co-directs the UC Davis Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior. Water, agriculture, climate, conservation, social science. Thinkology. Advocate for truth and evidence. https://environmentalpolicy.ucdavis.edu/ .. more

Environmental science 31%
Political science 17%

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Volatile weather mix for Southern California this Christmas Eve.

My discussion

www.forbes.com/sites/marsha...

Reposted by Mark Lubell

The melting arctic is spilling iron into rivers, “rusting” them orange. A mega-glacier melts toward collapse, threatening coastlines worldwide. And yet—so many people are abandoning any effort to slash carbon
at speed and scale.

I see you. And I see those still fighting every day to protect life.

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Great new post from @revkin.bsky.social linking climate & immigration to "authoritarian drift" -- breaking down democratic institutions, while simultaneously widening the gap between executive action and public opinion

revkin.substack.com/p/a-fox-poll...

(and thanks for the h/t!)
A Fox Poll Shows Americans are Very Concerned about Climate Change and ICE Migrant Assaults, Yet Trump Continues Targeting Migrants and Gutting Climate Science
Democracy alarm bells ring when an "imperial leader" doesn't give a hoot about the public
revkin.substack.com
Replacing all wild-caught fish with agriculture production would require converting land area bigger than the Amazon rainforest into crops.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Biodiversity Consequences of Replacing Animal Protein From Capture Fisheries With Animal Protein From Agriculture
Replacing animal protein sourced from marine capture fisheries with animal protein from agriculture will likely increase the threats to biodiversity given current human diets. Approximately half th...
www.tandfonline.com
Trump comes for the oysters. NOAA slashes existing grant in half for @umces.bsky.social Horn Point hatchery responsible for astounding success of world largest oyster restoration here in Chesapeake Bay. Another assault on science, reason & environment.
www.thebanner.com/community/cl...
Trump cuts to Eastern Shore oyster hatchery could endanger Chesapeake Bay progress
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently slashed support for an Eastern Shore lab that has helped to seed an oyster resurgence in the bay.
www.thebanner.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

"Left-wing climate lunacy" is not what's making property insurance unavailable or unaffordable. A warming planet is causing that. Regardless of your politics, you should want to live in a country whose government isn't blind to future risks and realities.
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Trump’s dismantling of climate research center is a ‘destruction of knowledge,’ critics say
The White House says it’s targeting the “premier research stronghold for left-wing climate lunacy.”
www.politico.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Reposted by Mark Lubell

I suspect we will see property insurance companies increasingly targeted by politicians on both sides of the aisle. Climate change & the increasing extreme weather events it causes is inextricably linked to growing cost & scarcity of property insurance:
www.eenews.net/articles/okl...
Oklahoma AG runs for governor with attack on State Farm
Property insurance price hikes and claims denials emerge as a political issue. "Being overcharged and cheated ... is a nonpartisan sentiment," Republican
www.eenews.net

Reposted by Mark Lubell

The utter madness of sacking climate scientists.
view.mc.austcommunitymedia.com.au?qs=8dd71d358...

Collaboration (instigated by litigation,,,) has a big payoff in terms of salmon returns to our local Putah Creek! www.davisenterprise.com/news/putah-c...
Putah Creek sees record salmon return
WINTERS — A record 2,150 king salmon (or Chinook salmon) returned to spawn in Putah Creek this fall. Timely water releases, habitat creation and regional collaboration among various public and
www.davisenterprise.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

What Iran learned from the West about hydro-engineering has essentially destroyed its capacity to manage water, and thus its resilience in a changing climate. A tragedy after 3000 years of enlightened civilisation. share.google/i50GieRs4v9M...
After Ruining a Treasured Water Resource, Iran Is Drying Up
Iran is looking to relocate the nation’s capital because of severe water shortages that make Tehran unsustainable. Experts say the crisis was caused by years of ill-conceived dam projects and overpump...
share.google

The Delta Science Program has been working to better integrate social scientists. Hundreds of nat scientists work on the Delta but social scientists probably number less than a dozen! And often one social scientist is expected to represent all subfields! deltacouncil.ca.gov/blogs/five-y...
Five Years of Championing Social Science Integration - What Do We Have to Show For It?
deltacouncil.ca.gov
Atmospheric sciences spans from climate scale to microscale - just like the atmosphere itself - and the Trump Administration's plans to dismantle NCAR and somehow protect "vital weather research" shows a complete lack of understanding for how science works. tinyurl.com/3rtpafnx
Trump Administration announces plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research and close its famed Mesa Lab
Shortsighted plan would (in my view) cause irreparable harm to global atmospheric science research
tinyurl.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

"we articulate how catalysing influence amongst wealthy people, associating low-carbon lifestyles with wellbeing, and promoting the adoption of low-carbon technologies can support emissions equity for net-zero."
Climate change and wealth: understanding and improving the carbon capability of the wealthiest people in the UK
Author summary Using survey data and in-depth interviews with wealthy individuals, this research finds that despite their high consumption-based emissions, wealthy people have significant potential to...
journals.plos.org

Reposted by Mark Lubell

The Canal District in San Rafael already fills with saltwater overflowing from the canal during high tides - a problem expected to get worse with climate change.
www.sfchronicle.com/climate/arti...
The Bay Area neighborhood most vulnerable to sea level rise is also sinking: ‘A right now problem’
Thousands of people in this major Bay Area city already face periodic flooding. It’s projected to get much worse.
www.sfchronicle.com

Yeah I guess putting a $ value on risk reduction from infrastructure investment is hard when you want to model it based on expected flooding...but you don't know what will actually happen until the extreme event occurs.

Florida loves to turn sand into gold, until a hurricane makes others pay for their development profits. More good data journalism from Miami Herald, about real estate development on barrier islands (which are supposed to be barriers....not the front line...). www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...
Florida keeps packing people and buildings on barrier islands. It comes at a high cost
Florida barrier islands host 765,000+ residents as development raises hurricane, erosion and insurance risks while taxpayers fund repeated beach restorations.
www.miamiherald.com

I love Walter! And you're exactly right.

Reposted by Mark Lubell

A positive note: The 1980s Coastal Barrier Resources Act made “3.8 million acres of barrier islands ineligible for federal flood insurance, discouraging development. Studies since show that has saved taxpayers close to a billion dollars a year.”

Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/e...

Reposted by Mark Lubell

In Utah, solar power accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid. State Republicans’ hard turn against the energy source mirrors Trump’s hostile approach to the industry.
Utah leaders are hindering efforts to develop solar despite a goal to double the state’s energy supply
In Utah, solar power accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid. State Republicans’ hard turn against the energy source mirrors Trump’s hostile approach to the industry.
www.sltrib.com
How geography and politics shape teachers’ engagement with climate change science standards
Henderson et al
2507-2530 | DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2024.2441198

#NGSS #culturalcognition #geography #politicalideology #SDG4 #SDG13

https://f.mtr.cool/pvmikizddt

Reposted by Mark Lubell

The Environmental Protection Agency has removed information from its website about the human causes of global warming, linked to greenhouse gases. Instead, the EPA now only references natural causes, which is scientifically inaccurate. e360.yale.edu/digest/epa-w...

Reposted by Mark Lubell

CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants program announced it will direct nearly $62.6 million in funding for 84 local wildfire prevention projects across the state – including projects in disadvantaged communities.

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Climate change is reshaping mental health and placing new stress on communities, but there is hope. When people have access to actionable solutions, worry can drive engagement instead of helplessness.

And when people are supported to act, everyone wins.
Three ways climate change affects mental health – and why the story is more hopeful than it might seem
Climate change may be adding to mental health pressures, from trauma to climate distress, but climate action can be a positive way to cope.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

Polar bears are adapting to climate change at a genetic level – and it could help them avoid extinction

theconversation.com/polar-bears-...
Polar bears are adapting to climate change at a genetic level – and it could help them avoid extinction
Polar bears are expected to become extinct but there are some signs their DNA is changing and they are adapting to new temperatures.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Mark Lubell

It’s actually livestock feed before almonds bsky.app/profile/wait...
And even in California the biggest water user is livestock feed (alfalfa + irrigated pasture) although then almonds and pistachios are next in line. pacinst.org/wp-content/u...
“Cities like Los Angeles…use only a small fraction of their states’ water. In California, agriculture accounts for 80% of water used by homes & businesses; in Arizona, it is 74% of all water use total. Across the entire Colorado River Basin, cattle feed alone accounts for nearly half of water use.”

Very important for fire behavior