Search Results for: Climate Tech

Courses

All Course Offerings Please note: This is a full list of ERG course offerings; not all courses are offered each term. For current course offerings, please refer to the online ... Continue Reading »

Publications

“Biodiversity Scales from Plots to Biomes With a Universal Species-Area Curve” John Harte, Adam B. Smith, and David Storch“Carbon Cycle Uncertainty Increases Climate Change Risks and Mitigation Challenges” Paul A. ... Continue Reading »

Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)

RAEL is engaged in projects to develop the science, technology, policy needs and to foster engagements that explore the future of energy, specifically the transition to a low-cabon, environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable energy system.

Faculty by Primary Interest

Areas of Interest Climate ChangeEcologyEnergyGovernanceWaterInternational Climate Change ERG CORE David Anthoff David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model ... Continue Reading »

Summer Instructors

The Energy and Resources Group summer instructors understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. All have significant experience teaching and/or professional experience in the subject areas of their courses. ... Continue Reading »

Equity Diversity

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at ERG Equity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission to provide education and research for a sustainable and just society. We aspire ... Continue Reading »

Affiliated Faculty

ERG has a small core faculty but a much larger group of affiliated faculty. Affiliated faculty are based in other departments on campus or at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ... Continue Reading »

Undergraduate Minor in Energy and Resources

The Minor in Energy and Resources offers under­grad­u­ates basic knowl­edge and skills to address issues arising from the inter­ac­tion of social, eco­nomic, polit­i­cal, tech­ni­cal, and envi­ron­men­tal fac­tors shaping our world. ... Continue Reading »

Minor/Certificate in Sustainability — Courses

Summer 2022 Curriculum ERG’s minor and certificate require a minimum of five courses and 15 total units of coursework, completed over one or two summers (or for a UC Berkeley ... Continue Reading »

Awards

Student Awards ERG students have been recognized nationally and internationally for their research. Below, you can find a selection of recent awards received by ERG Masters and PhD students. CAL ... Continue Reading »

Alum Barbara Haya on MIT Technology Review: the Reality of Amazon’s “net zero” emissions

November 12, 2020

In a recent MIT Technology Review article, alumna Barbara Haya raises concerns of Amazon's carbon offset programs, providing research depicting that such programs can significantly overstate carbon reductions. She states that this could potentially result in Amazon exaggerating progress towards its goal of "net zero" emissions. "Under the rules for the reduced harvesting practice, landowners would generally only need to account for a 10% leakage rate in their calculations. This suggests that even if the family forest projects do draw down significant additional carbon, much of the benefit could be wiped out by larger harvests elsewhere, limiting the real-world climate benefits," Haya states.

ERG Almnus Daniel Sanchez Interviewed in “Breakthroughs” on Climate Change Solutions

May 29, 2020

ERG Alumnus Daniel Sanchez was recently featured in Breakthroughs, the magazine of the Rausser College of Natural Resources, for his work as a Cooperative Extension specialist. Along with other featured specialists, the article focuses on their work on "tackling climate change's impacts on Californians."

Dan Kammen Discusses Climate Change Initiative Being Developed by California Universities

August 20, 2017

In a recent Nature article, ERG Professor Dan Kammen comments on the potential establishment of a California-based climate change research institute. The proposal is backed by all University of California ... Continue Reading »

ERG at the Paris Climate Talks

December 1, 2015

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris has begun and will continue until December 11th. Energy and Resources Group faculty, students and alumni will be playing an active role at the conference and the many peripheral activities.

Dr. Holdren Handles House Climate Deniers

September 18, 2014

"If the United States does not [limit carbon emissions], it is unlikely that other major emitters in the world — China, India, Russia, Europe, Japan — will do so either."

Holdren on Climate Change in the USA

May 6, 2014

Watch Dr. John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science & Technology and ERG Co-founder, discuss the newly released National Climate Assessment report.

ERG’s Dan Kammen on How Recent Fusion Breakthroughs Could Pave the Way for Clean Energy

December 14, 2022

A recent breakthrough in fusion energy technology is a landmark achievement in the development of clean energy.

ERG Alum Jamil Farbes Discusses Inflation Reduction Act in NPR Interview

August 23, 2022

ERG alumnus Jamil Farbes (MS ’10), now principal at Evolved Energy Research, was recently featured in an NPR interview explaining climate capture technology. View the full transcript or listen to ... Continue Reading »

Farbes ERG Alums Williams

February 3, 2021

A new article, "Carbon-neutral pathways for the United States," published in the open-access journal AGU Advances by ERG alums Jim Williams, Jamil Farbes, ERG alum and adjunct professor Margaret Torn, and others found that "reaching zero net emissions of carbon dioxide from energy and industry by 2050 can be accomplished.

ERG Adjunct Professor Margaret Torn Conducts Vital Research on Carbon Dioxide Removal

January 26, 2021

ERG adjunct professor Margaret Torn was featured in EurekAlert for her contributed work on a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) primer. The article cites the research as a valuable resource on CDR technologies and policies, and how such strategies can help create a serious plan to address climate change. "Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are already 50% over historic natural levels - 270 ppm (parts per million) in pre-industrial times vs 414 ppm today," Torn stated. "To slow climate change and avoid its worst impacts, climate scientists tell us that we need to restore atmospheric CO2 concentrations to about 350 ppm or less. To do that, we need CDR technologies and policies to remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere."

Rausser College’s Fall Breakthroughs Magazine Features ERG Professor Isha Ray and PhD Student Valeri Vasquez

December 29, 2020

In the latest fall 2020 issue of Breakthroughs magazine, ERG professor Isha Ray was interviewed on her work in social equity and inclusive activism, and ERG PhD student Valeri Vasquez was featured on her project of using computational models to research how genetic technologies might work as public health interventions. "Equity and inclusion have always motivated me, in both research and teaching, and I’ve served as an equity adviser in my department for many years," Ray states in her interview. "My field research has always focused on social justice, particularly in communities that are neglected and marginalized and with people struggling to be included as full citizens. You would think that, in this century, clean, affordable drinking water wouldn’t be such a huge ask, but apparently it is."

Carbon Pricing ERG’s Dan Kammen Interviewed in MCJ Podcast On Nuclear Energy

October 14, 2020

ERG professor Dan Kammen was featured in the latest episode of the My Climate Journey (MCJ) Podcast. Kammen discussed numerous topics, including the feasibility of carbon pricing in the US, the implications of switching a fossil fuel economy to a renewable economy, and much more. "There's no question that 100% renewables is possible. I've done a lot of research, my lab works on scenarios to get the U.S., China, Mexico, Kenya, Bangladesh, Morocco to 100% renewables. And in many cases where the technology mix is improving enough, the climate favors that you can do that. It's also a case that we are not today ready to think about a solar and wind only world, but solar and wind plus storage, plus geothermal, plus potentially nuclear," Kammen states.

ERG PhD Student Adam Hanbury-Brown Awarded NASA Research Grant

July 3, 2020

ERG PhD Student Adam Hanbury-Brown was recently awarded funding through NASA's Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) program, which is designed to support graduate student-designed and performed research projects that advance NASA's science, technology, and exploration goals.

ERG Alum Evan Mills Cited for Xbox Emissions Research

February 11, 2020

ERG Alumnus Evan Mills' research on the carbon emissions of gaming systems was recently cited on Grist. The article, titled "How the Xbox stands between Microsoft and its climate goals", uses Mills' research to display how gaming consoles like the Xbox have a significant impact on annual emissions.

The Beam features Kammen on the Critical Lack of Clean Cooking

February 5, 2020

ERG professor Dan Kammen recently published a collaborative article on the Beam discussing the challenge of not only providing clean cooking energy services as a basic necessity, but how new technological improvements like the biomass improved cookstove can be more efficiently implemented.

Valeri Vasquez Returns with the All-Women Expedition from Antarctic Voyage

December 19, 2019

Valeri Vasquez, an ERG graduate student, has recently returned with the largest-ever delegation of 100 women from a month long expedition in Antarctica. Their journey to the frozen continent was part of an initiative to bring more women into STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medical fields), fighting climate change and women empowerment.

Energy by Whom? With ERG Alumna Nikky Avila

November 26, 2018

Nikky Avila (PhD ’18) was recently featured on the podcast “Somebody Call a Doctor.” Avila discusses how distributed energy technologies are disrupting conventional electricity planning paradigms and enabling social innovation. She ... Continue Reading »

New ERG Chair Daniel M. Kammen

July 25, 2017

We are pleased to announce the appointment of the new Energy and Resources Group Chair, Professor Daniel M. Kammen. His appointment began July 1, 2017. Daniel Kam­men is a Pro­fes­sor of Energy with ... Continue Reading »

Kammen and Hausfather of ERG Respond to Withdrawal from Paris Agreement

June 22, 2017

ERG Professor Dan Kammen and graduate student Zeke Hausfather respond to President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement

THIMBY House Project Is Well Underway!

June 28, 2016

The Tiny House in My Backyard (THIMBY) is an interdisciplinary team of UC Berkeley graduate and undergraduate students working together to design and build an affordable, off-grid, 100% solar-powered “tiny” ... Continue Reading »

ERG Alum Receives Microsoft Grant for Ugandan Micro-grid Systems

June 27, 2016

New Sun Road is a California technology company directed by ERGie Jalel Sager (MS’11 , PhD’15). They are committed to implementing solutions to climate change and global energy poverty, provide ... Continue Reading »

ERG’s Energy Research Featured in Multiple News Outlets

May 25, 2016

“Research at the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory [ERG Professor Daniel Kammen’s lab] at the University of California Berkeley highlights that while cities currently contribute to global climate change by ... Continue Reading »

ERG Summer Courses Available

February 28, 2016

ERG is offering four of its most popular courses this summer! Enroll Today!

Holdren: What Works at ERG Works

April 13, 2015

John Holdren's "tricks of the trade" presentation plus photos during the ERG Big Event.

A unique moment in history for “sustainable energy for all”

March 26, 2015

ERG team study showing how off-grid power can improve equality in energy access published in Nature Climate Change. Interview with lead author Peter Alstone.

Data: Big disparities in energy use across desert

February 13, 2015

ERG PhD candidate Chris Jones explains household electricity consumption.

Are Obama’s Carbon Rules Enough?

June 3, 2014

The New York Times calls the EPA's emission proposals "modest." Professor Dan Kammen points out the challenge.

Holdren Sets New Course for US Energy

March 20, 2014

President Obama's top science advisor and ERG Co-founder, John Holdren, is confident that America's next energy plan "will make a difference."

50% of U.S. household carbon footprint Suburban sprawl

January 8, 2014

Chris Jones (ERG PhD) and Prof. Dan Kammen point out that U.S. households are responsible for about 20% of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving climate change.

ERG students win United Nations award

November 13, 2013

Jalel Sager (PhD candidate) and Austin Cappon (Minor) head to Nairobi, Kenya to pick up UN prize for a sustainable energy development project in Vietnam.