Climate Change (Audio‪)‬ UCTV

Over the last two winter seasons atmospheric rivers have impacted California and the west with extreme precipitation and the cascading consequences of these events. The meteorology that causes atmospheric rivers is complex, but scientists at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) are working to help better predict them and understand what they mean for rainfall and snowfall across the state. Join CW3E Deputy Director Julie Kalansky to learn how scientists are researching the causes and consequences of these rivers in the sky, and are working to understand the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of these amazing weather phenomena. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 39649]

Join Los Angeles Times environment reporter and author of the new book California Against the Sea Rosanna Xia and Scripps Institution of Oceanography coastal resilience specialist Laura Engeman for a discussion on communicating the science and impacts of sea-level rise and California’s changing relationship with the ocean. Engeman will also discuss how Scripps Oceanography is advancing science and technology to understand sea-level rise across California and beyond. Xia will also do a reading from the book and be on hand afterward to sign copies and meet audience members.   Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 39648]

Southern California’s giant kelp forests are ecosystems that are potentially vulnerable to the region’s warming waters, but unlike terrestrial forests, changes in these underwater ecosystems are largely invisible to most of us. Join biologist Mohammad Sedarat and artist Oriana Poindexter in an exploration of their collaboration on the aquarium’s new art exhibition, Hold Fast, an immersive journey through our local giant kelp forests. Learn how their unique perspectives are combined to provide visitors with insight into climate change through the lens of art. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 39556]

What role do oil companies have in tackling climate change? In this program, Paasha Mahdavi, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Santa Barbara, talks about the challenge of getting big oil to take climate change seriously. Mahdavi's research broadly explores comparative environmental politics and the political consequences of natural resource wealth. He is the author of Power Grab: Political Survival Through Extractive Resource Nationalization (Cambridge University Press, 2020), which shows how dictators maintain their grip on power by seizing control of oil, metals, and minerals production. Additional recent work includes the effects of oil-to-cash transfers on civic engagement; the political economy of fossil fuel subsidy reform; and the efficacy of policies to eliminate natural gas flaring. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 39442]

In the coming decades, individuals around the world must adapt to changing environmental conditions, often driven by climate change. Adaptation requires significant resources, prompting the question of whether existing economic and social inequities may be exacerbated when adaptation become accessible to some, but not others. Kyle Meng, associate professor of economics at UC Santa Barbara, explores what happens when one of the world’s most unequal cities experiences an unprecedented, nearly catastrophic environmental disaster. In 2017, following years of prolonged drought, the city of Cape Town announced an impending "Day Zero", at which point pipes would run dry. Using a variety of data sources, we show how households of different wealth levels adapted to Day Zero and discuss the long term implications of Day Zero for Cape Town's water use and public finances. Series: "GRIT Talks" [Science] [Agriculture] [Show ID: 39334]

Increasingly destructive wildfires are one of the most consequential impacts of our changing climate, often precipitating a cascade of related disasters including landslides, debris flows, dangerous air pollution and degradation of water quality in our rivers, streams and reservoirs. Join geophysiscist Dr. Neal Driscoll as he describes how ALERTCalifornia is working to use camera systems, artificial intelligence and a variety of sophisticated remote sensing techniques to prepare, respond and recover from the ravages of wildfire on the environment. Series: "Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series" [Science] [Show ID: 39250]