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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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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In January, President Joe Biden made an important conservation pledge to conserve 30% of United States lands and waters by 2030. A new study, led by Peter Kareiva (UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability), suggests that utilizing private property through conservation easements could be the most successful and feasible approach to achieving this goal.
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The biosolid byproducts of wastewater treatment serve as lower-cost alternatives to traditional fertilizers, making them popular for use in agriculture. A new UCLA study, co-authored by Eric Hoek (UCLA Civil and Environmental Engineering and director of the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge) and Sanjay Mohanty (UCLA Civil and Environmental Engineering, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability), shows that the microplastic content of these biosolids could be higher than originally anticipated. This could have serious implications for public health and pollution control.
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