Climate Change at UCLA
UCLA is one of the worlds leading centers of research, education, and outreach into climate change. UCLA's breadth of climate change expertise spans the disciplines, with experts from economics to energy, policy to public health, ecology to engineering, business to biodiversity, atmospheric science to architecture.
UCLA continues to lead the world with the strength of its research and education, and is committed to working with our community – locally and globally – in responding to climate change. UCLA's excellence and commitment stem from these key principles:
1) UCLA’s Commitment to Excellence
- UCLA’s faculty, staff, and students have a long tradition of undertaking path-breaking research and outreach activities. This entrepreneurial ethic is reflective of both the California spirit as well as the youthful character of the UCLA community.
- UCLA’s excellence is a direct result of a relentless focus on ambitious goals and novel approaches to the problems and opportunities of a rapidly changing world.
2) UCLA’s Excellence in a Breadth of Disciplines
- Responding to the challenges of climate change requires expertise in a tremendous diversity of fields. Excellence in only some areas is not sufficient for engendering a coordinated suite of solutions to these challenges. UCLA is among only a handful of universities worldwide that excels in almost all academic disciplines.
- UCLA is among the top research institutions world-wide and its research into climate change is among the largest endeavors anywhere.
- UCLA includes numerous top-ranked disciplines that are critical to climate change:
- Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences
- Urban Planning
- Environmental Sciences
- Business
- Law
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Engineering
- Public Health
- Public Affairs
- Economics
- Political Science
- Biological Sciences
- Earth Sciences
- Architecture & Design
- Film & Television
3) UCLA’s Commitment to Integrative Research and Education
- Resolving the challenges of climate change requires expertise in environmental fields as diverse as public health, atmospheric sciences, energy technology, international finance, environmental justice, law and policy, biodiversity, hydrology, and many other fields. UCLA is a leader in integrative programs that address climate change issues from an expressly interdisciplinary perspective.
- Dozens of research labs, centers, and programs focus on critical climate change research.
- The UCLA Climate Change Consortium is committed to bringing together experts from across campus to pursue collaborative research.
- UCLA's educatinoal activities include the interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences major, the graduate-level Leaders in Sustainability certificate program, the doctoral-level Environmental Science and Engineering program, and several NSF-funded Integrative Graduate Education, Research, and Training (IGERT) grants.
4) UCLA’s Commitment to the Community
- UCLA is a founder and active leader in Clean Tech LA – an organization committed to making Los Angeles the global leader in clean technology.
- UCLA is a founding member and active leader in the Los Angeles Rgional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability – an organization dedicated to improving regional governance in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and responding to the impacts of climate change.
- In addition to the outreach work of dozens of UCLA centers, UCLA’s commitment to the community that is embodied by the tremendous work of the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships. Through active collaborations, UCLA and community organizations address issues facing the Southern California.
- UCLA, through the UCLA in LA program, is an active partner with approximately 100 local community organizations throughout Southern California.
- Other relevant programs at UCLA include the Luskin Center for Innovation, the Center for Community Learning, the Institute for Social Science Research, the United Way - UCLA Campaign, the Center for Health Policy Research, Health Enrichment Programs, the Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve, the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, and the Environmental Science and Engineering doctoral studies program.
- Chancellor Gene Block: "We can and must do much more, at the leadership level, to engage in the community, to improve the quality of life around us. Our engagement has to be focused and sustained. We will build upon the progress of previous programs and expand our commitments. UCLA should serve as the model for great public research universities in the 21st century. We should lead the way in combining superior teaching, research and civic engagement."
5) UCLA's Pride in its Home of Los Angeles
- The greater Los Angeles metropolitan area is faced with almost every major climate change challenge:
- Water supply and quality
- Climatic changes
- Ocean health
- Fires
- Floods
- Food production
- Air quality
- Transportation
- Public health
- Ecosystem health
- Open space
- Energy
- Population pressures
- Green jobs and technology
- Responding to the challenges of climate change in this metropolis can serve as a workable example for municipalities around the world.
- The diversity of communities and governmental entities in Southern California necessitates numerous redundant and specially tailored solutions to myriad problems. This redundancy and diversity means that Southern California can experiment with solutions in a way that few other metropolises can. And the solutions discovered can then be implemented around the world as they suit each particular jurisdiction.
- Los Angeles is a global leader in business, entertainment, the arts, manufacturing, and trade. Acting in this rich environment provides unparalleled opportunities to solve some of the most pressing challenges that communities face as a result of climate change. UCLA is proud to be a citizen and partner in this great region.
