A new study led by UCLA’s R. Jisung Park, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, shows that hot weather significantly increases the risk of both outdoor and indoor workplace accidents and injuries. It is estimated that high temperatures already cause about 15,000 injuries per year in California, and this number is set to increase as climate change raises average high temperatures.
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The California Current supports a mega-ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean. Beyond ecological benefits, this habitat is the basis for $56 billion in annual economic output and over 675,000 jobs. A recent study published in Molecular Ecology Resources, led by UCLA researchers, led to the creation of massive genetic library and made use of a more efficient identification method.
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Members of The Promise Institute for Human Rights, part of the UCLA School of Law, played a large role in developing a new legal definition for ecocide. In part, the new definition includes any, “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused.” Should this definition be accepted by the international community, it could be revolutionary in holding corporate and governmental decision makers personally responsible for damages to the environment.
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As society’s dependence on plastics continues, global production is expected to triple to 1,124 million tons by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum. Robin Frohardt, a New York artist, is highlighting the cost of plastic consumption in a new art installation titled, The Plastic Bag Store. Presented by the UCLA Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA), the installation resembles a normal grocery store, except everything is made of thrown-away plastic collected from the streets or landfills.
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A new study led by Karen McKinnon (UCLA Department of Statistics, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) shows how the intense decreases in humidity experienced by the United States Southwest increases the threat of wildfires. Researchers found that since 1950, humidity in the region dropped an average of 22% on the hottest summer days. California and Nevada saw the most extreme drops, up to 33%.
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