Climate Change

The Urban Land Institute is partnering with cities and a university in California and Nevada in a one-year program to develop policies and programs around extreme heat mitigation and planning.

“Smart cities” were just the start. Now, as technology evolves and new threats — wildfires, hurricanes, cyber attacks — mount, system interoperability is the answer for cities that are resilient, equitable and adaptable.

CalHeatScore, in the works for years, is designed to help officials and residents better anticipate the risks of heat-related illnesses on the hottest days. Maps and other data round out the service.

A new project between the University at Albany's Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and the weather intelligence company Tomorrow.io will use high-performance computing and real-time data from both space and the ground.

A new study from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association predicts a significant rise in electricity demand, driven by the growth of data centers and increased electric vehicle adoption.

The financial advisory firm Curinos tapped the University of Washington and its innovation hub to support early-stage financial tech companies working in predictive decision-making, AI automation and customer experience.

Georgia, the Carolinas and even Alabama have seen intense wildfires spread over the past week. While fires aren't unusual in the South, experts say climate change is likely to lead to more severe threats going forward.

A student group at Denham Springs High School won the national Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition with a project involving sensors to monitor Lake Maurepas and relay data to a public app.

A fledgling push to promote reforestation and climate mitigation relies on interactive maps and tracking tools. The state also hopes to plant more trees into "disadvantaged communities" by 2033.

As fires in Los Angeles County continue to burn, interest is piquing in the app run by a nonprofit in Northern California. Launched in 2021, it aggregates several relevant data streams and had 7.2 million users at year’s end.

California saw some of its steepest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, which has long been the single largest source of climate-warming pollution. Meanwhile, its economy grew.

The 2024 Republican platform could have a ripple effect on climate change research. Two California university researchers say the next four years will be stressful, but technological innovations give them hope.

The California Air Resources Board approved changes to the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, to expand incentives for high-speed electric vehicle charging and advance the use of low-carbon fuels.

A new data-sharing platform at UC San Diego will bring the latest research and technology on wildfire ecology into one place, allowing researchers, government officials and other experts to collaborate on solutions.

Between its new $6.2 million 17-acre solar array to power campus buildings and the electricity it gets from hydropower from the New York Power Authority, Niagara University's carbon footprint is net zero.

Artificial intelligence is poised to become the next big energy hog and data centers stand to challenge sustainability goals. Some processing demands, however, can be shifted to periods when demand is low.

An 826-ton buoy hooked up at the U.S. Navy's Wave Energy Test Site off the coast of Oahu will be connected to the state's electrical grid by an undersea cable, making a small but important move away from fossil fuels.

The university intends to buy all of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve “net-zero” status by 2040 using solar arrays, electric buses, composting, renovations and new construction rules.