Strengthening Climate Resilience

Sparking Change in Wildfire Research

From ignition to spread, Jeanette Cobian-Iñiguez is using mechanical engineering to explore the science behind wildfire behavior, helping improve wildfire prediction, management and communication, especially in multilingual communities. Now at UC Davis, she’s building collaborations and inspiring the next generation of engineers.

Rooted in Water, Rooted in Change

Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Shamim Ahamed leads a technical assistance and educational effort for the soilless approach to agriculture in the Golden State. The method lets farmers get more out of their water and put less pressure on the state water budget.

Assessing the Real Climate Costs of Manufacturing

Producing materials such as steel, plastics and cement in the United States alone inflicts $79 billion a year in climate-related damage around the world, according to a new study by engineers and economists at the University of California, Davis. Accounting for these costs in market prices could encourage progress toward climate-friendly alternatives.

Pathways to Decarbonize Society's Most Popular Material

Since the largest contributor to emissions is use of fossil fuels, the clearest path to lowering emissions is reducing use of coal, oil, and gas. However, one ubiquitous material, concrete, produces over 7% of anthropogenic CO2, with less than half of these emissions attributable to fuel and, as such, requires other decarbonization strategies.

Beneath the Surface

Oceanographer-slash-computer-scientist Maike Sonnewald discusses using artificial intelligence to build a foundation of knowledge and insight into the ocean’s role in the climate system to better predict long-range weather and help society prepare for climate change.