Climate Break

Background and Context For roughly 15 years, Climate.gov was the federal government’s public face for climate science. Launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2010, the site translated NOAA’s climate research into expert blogs, data visualizations, and curriculum resources for educators.  But in 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut hundred...

Heat Pumps Traditional heating and cooling systems are the largest sources of emissions in a home. Heat pumps have lower carbon emissions than any other home heating system and can even be carbon neutral when run by renewable energy sources, like solar panels. They are also safer, more efficient, and cheaper in the long run. What keeps many homeowners from installing them, despite the benefits, is...

Perovskite Solar Cells Conventional solar panels are usually heavy and expensive to install. Perovskites are a class of materials that have the potential to create lighter weight and cheaper solar cells that still convert the sun to electricity at a high efficiency. Perovskite solar cells could potentially make solar energy more affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly. What Are Perovs...

Cellular Agriculture  Livestock farming is a major driver of global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water consumption, yet global demand for meat continues to rise. Cellular agriculture offers an alternative by cultivating meat from animal cells in a bioreactor. This could significantly reduce the climate and environmental impacts of meat production while delivering the same qual...

What is the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan? Golden State Clean Energy aims to turn a large swath of struggling farmland in western Fresno County into a large solar panel installation. The Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan (VCIP) would repurpose up to 136,000 acres of salty, waterlogged agricultural land into more than 20,000 megawatts of solar energy, capable of producing enough electricity to me...

Disabilities During Disasters  Extreme weather events are increasingly frequent and severe , yet emergency response systems often fail to protect disabled people. The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (PIDS) is a non-profit working to reform emergency management in the United States by centering disability rights, equity, and accessibility before, during, and after climate-induced...

What is Solar Grazing? The deployment of utility scale solar has often required clearing vegetation and then using fossil-fuel-powered mowers or toxic herbicides to prevent overgrowth. To reduce these harms, solar grazing is a dual land use approach where livestock is taken to solar farms to manage the vegetation that can grow and interfere with the panels. Solar grazing reduces maintenance emissi...

Why Sodium? The global transition to renewable energy has accelerated the global development of lithium-ion batteries, but the mining and processing of its materials can be harmful to workers, local communities, and the environment. Sodium has a recently emerged as a potentially cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative that could revolutionize battery storage systems. Dr. Shirley Meng...

Introduction Mozzarella accounts for over 30% of all cheese produced in the U.S. , more than any other variety. So when New Culture, a San Francisco-based food technology company, set out to remake vegan cheese, they started with the pizza topping millions of Americans know and love. New Culture, co-founded by guest Matt Gibson, relies on fermentation to make animal-free cheese that melts, stretch...

Introduction As California works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, the transition to energy-efficient homes is an important opportunity for climate careers. The Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, a California-based nonprofit managed by Julia Hatton, helps address challenges faced by those in underserved communities when it comes to job training. Through hands-on programs, particip...

The Global Transition As the global transition to clean energy accelerates, scaling solar infrastructure has emerged as one of the most critical pathways to achieving a net-zero future. However, this rapid buildout could bring an increasingly large amount of waste as solar panels reach their end of life. To avoid this, recycling offers a dual climate solution: it significantly reduces the greenhou...

What is TEK? As climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, traditional land and water management approaches are proving insufficient to protect ecosystems and communities. Restoring tribal stewardship by re-establishing Indigenous leadership, returning ancestral lands, and applying Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) offers a holistic climate solution. By wor...

Introduction to Green Tech Hubs Small green tech startups often possess groundbreaking ideas to combat climate issues, but lack the market resources, capital, and visibility to make large-scale impact. However, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) Green Tech Hub is taking initiative for a change. By creating connected workspaces and acting as a launchpad for startups, the...

A Clean Energy Campus In July 2025, the University of California Board of Regents approved a plan to modernize UC Berkeley’s energy infrastructure by replacing its aged steam system with efficient, all-electric heating and cooling systems.  Today, 90% of Berkeley’s power comes from the combustion of natural gas at UC Berkeley’s costly and outdated fossil gas cogeneration plant. However, the p...

Impacts of Heat Waves on Human Health Across the United States, climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves. A heat wave is defined as a persistent period of high temperature days. Although unusually hot days are a natural part of day-to-day variations in weather, heat waves are becoming more common alongside the rapidly accelerating climate crisis. In major cities acros...

What is Climate Cabinet? Most climate advocates focus their energy on Washington– but often, real change happens closer to home. Climate Cabinet , founded by Caroline Spears, is dedicated to backing and electing climate champions at the state and local level, where the work of cutting emissions, lowering energy costs, and building clean transportation largely gets done. Focusing Locally  While pre...

Introduction California Attorney General Rob Bonta has established himself to be one of California’s leading legal advocates for climate accountability. Through lawsuits against big fossil fuel companies, including ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips, Bonta alleges that the industry misled the public about the climate impacts of their products. As federal environmental protections f...

Introduction to the Solution Keeping buildings cool is becoming one of our fastest growing and energy-intensive challenges. A startup based in Hong Kong pioneers for an answer already existing in nature– the outer layer of a tiny ant that survives one of the hottest places on Earth. Dr. Martin Zhu and his co-founder mimicked the heat-repelling biology of the Saharan silver ant to develop cooling t...

Introduction Across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, two-wheeled vehicles are the backbone of everyday transportation. With roughly one billion two-wheelers on the road globally, their collective carbon footprint is enormous. Briz, a brand developed by Hong Kong-based One Energy (HK) Limited, is tackling this head-on with affordable electric two-wheelers paired with a rapid battery-swapping servic...

Impacts of Air Transportation on Climate Change Air transportation is a major contributor to the fossil fuel economy: studies have shown that aviation is responsible for 3.5 percent of all drivers of climate change from human activities. Planes use immense amounts of kerosene—a flammable liquid used as fuel—in order to travel. When kerosene burns, it releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide a...

Introduction to the Solution UC Davis researchers are examining a novel approach to combating climate change: turning our buildings into carbon sinks. The solution is based on incorporating biochar, a carbon-rich material obtained from plant material, into common construction materials like concrete, brick, and asphalt. By embedding carbon directly into long-lasting infrastructure, this approach r...

What does a zero-emission vehicle really mean? Clean transportation policies promoting sustainability have progressed over the years and have become even more important, both because transportation represents the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions and because climate change has been accelerating at unprecedented rates. The public is likely more familiar with zero-emission cars, but zero-e...

About the Air Filters Aurabeat is a medically patented air filter technology that has proven to reduce up to 99.9% of COVID-19 bacteria from the air. This was heavily deployed in some of the most infectious environments akin to COVID-19 hospitals and quarantine facilities, where more than 500 air purifier units were placed. It was also used in over a 100 schools, hospitals, retail outlets, and maj...

What is Forging Resilience? The Forging Resilience project from UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment seeks to “ bridge the gap between climate solutions posed by experts and the on-the-ground obstacles that prevent individuals and communities from adopting those solutions.” Predicated on the idea that libraries and museums maintain a high level of trust from their...

Introduction to solution Green banks “provide financing and technical assistance for clean energy and climate solutions” while driving “economic, health, and environmental benefits for communities across the country” (US Green Bank 50). They attempt to spend, save, and invest people’s money conscientiously so they “can grow [their] money while making the world a better place” (GreenFi).  Backgroun...