Climate Change

California’s urban regions had much larger temperature differences between the wealthiest and poorest neighborhoods compared with regions in the rest of the Southwest. The greatest differences were seen in Palm Springs, Bakersfield and Fresno, researchers found. (Getty Images).

Poor Swelter as Urban Areas of U.S. Southwest Get Hotter

Posted by Karen Nikos-Rose on February 19, 2021
Unequal Burden Also for Latino Communities

Acres of asphalt parking lots, unshaded roads, dense apartment complexes and neighborhoods with few parks have taken their toll on the poor. As climate change accelerates, low-income districts in the Southwestern United States are 4 to 7 degrees hotter in Fahrenheit — on average — than wealthy neighborhoods in the same metro regions, University of California, Davis, researchers have found in a new analysis. 

Human & Animal Health
Yellow warblers are found throughout North America and fly to Central and South America for winter. Rachael Bay, assistant professor of evolution and ecology at UC Davis, and colleagues have found that individual birds show preferences for drier or wetter environments throughout the year and that this preference can be predicted from their genetics. (Jonathan Eisen)

Migratory Birds Track Climate Across the Year

Posted by Andy Fell on February 18, 2021

As climate change takes hold across the Americas, some areas will get wetter, and others will get hotter and drier. A new study of the yellow warbler, a widespread migratory songbird, shows that individuals have the same climatic preferences across their migratory range. The work is published Feb. 17 in Ecology Letters.

Environment
Mojave yucca grows near a solar facility in the Mojave Desert. (Steven Grodsky/UC Davis)

Cacti and Other Iconic Desert Plants Threatened by Solar Development

Posted by Kat Kerlin on July 20, 2020
Native Desert Plants Important to Indigenous Cultures Especially Vulnerable

With their tough skins, pointy armor and legendary stamina, cacti are made to defend themselves from whatever nature throws at them. 

But large solar energy facilities are one threat that cacti weren’t built to withstand, according to a study by the University of California, Davis. 

Environment
One car drives across New York’s Brooklyn Bridge during this spring’s shelter-in-place directives. (Getty)

As Americans Shelter in Place, Traffic, Emissions and Fuel-Tax Revenues Decline Dramatically

Posted by Kat Kerlin on May 01, 2020
COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts Could Put U.S. on Track to Meet Paris Climate Accord Goals

Americans drove drastically less, saved millions of metric tons of greenhouse gases, and, in some states, lost millions in fuel-tax revenue since COVID-19 mitigation efforts took effect in early March. That is according to the latest special report from the Road Ecology Center at the University of California, Davis.

Environment
Concrete and cement production are notoriously challenging to decarbonize. A UC Davis study weighs the option for climate and health benefits. (UC Davis)

Concrete Solutions That Lower Both Emissions and Air Pollution

Posted by Kat Kerlin on March 23, 2020
Air Quality and Climate Change Intertwine in Unexpected Ways. A Concrete Example.

 

Sometimes, fixing one problem can create another.

Concrete production contributes 8 percent of global greenhouse gases, and demand continues to rise as populations and incomes grow. Yet some commonly discussed strategies to reduce the sector’s global GHG emissions could, under some scenarios, increase local air pollution and related health damages, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

Environment
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