UCLA Environment

Want to learn more about the marvel of marmots this Groundhog Day? UCLA ecology and evolutionary biology professor Daniel Blumstein was recently featured on "Ologies," a comedic science podcast named one of Time Magazine’s top 50 podcasts, hosted by Emmy Award-winning CBS science correspondent Alie Ward. Together, Blumstein and Ward covered a wide range of topics, from what makes a marmot a marmot to how they parent and even inspire the traditions behind Groundhog Day. Click the link in our bio and tune into the episode. 🎧 | #Groundhogs #Marmots #GroundhogDay #Science | From left to right, 📸: Alie Ward and Ologie / eee2512

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Benedict Schwegler, @WaltDisneyImagineering ’s longtime Chief Scientist and a distinguished alumnus of @UCLA Environmental Science and Engineering. For 37 years, Schwegler proved that the ‘happiest place on earth’ could also be the most resource-efficient. His mission was simple: “Make it safe to have fun” — not just for guests, but for the environment. From inventing “smokeless” fireworks to founding Disney’s first research lab in China, “Ben’s career was a testament to the core mission of our doctoral program,” said Travis Longcore, co-chair of UCLA Environmental Science and Engineering. Read more about Ben’s impact and legacy at the link in bio. @uclaalumni @uclacollege @uclaphyssci

As we step into the new year, we’re opening space for the conversations that matter most. Through the @vital.impacts online environmental speaker series, we gather each month to listen, learn, and connect with voices shaping a more just and resilient future. Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, January 7 at 11 AM EST, for a powerful conversation with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. (@hindououmar ) In her TED Talk, Hindou opens with a simple question: “What is your best weather app?” Her answer is unforgettable: “Mine is my grandmother.” Join us as Hindou shares powerful stories about the importance of community and why meaningful climate solutions must merge science with traditional Indigenous environmental knowledge. As President of the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT), her work around Lake Chad, especially community-led participatory mapping, has helped reduce conflict, strengthen resilience, and empower communities living on the front lines of the climate crisis.   Hindou’s leadership has been recognized globally. She was named a @Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate, a program that supports exceptional individuals taking on major challenges with innovative solutions that make the world better, through both funding and visibility. She is also a recipient of the Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, presented annually by the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. (@uclaioes ) This prize, which carries a $100,000 award, honors leaders whose work combines rigorous innovation with a deep commitment to solving environmental challenges.  I was personally deeply honored to nominate her for the Pritzker Prize, which she went on to win, no surprise to anyone who knows her impact! Her influence also reaches our own community. We were proud to name one of our @Vital.Impacts grants after Hindou, in recognition of her visionary leadership and her tireless advocacy for environmental justice and Indigenous knowledge systems. This is truly a talk you do not want to miss. We hope you’ll join us to begin the year in conversation, reflection, and shared purpose. Sign up via the link in our profile. 📷: @amivitale

Cities pay, farms get it for free — and Californians suffer the highest costs. Published today, a new @ucla + @nrdc_org report shows massive pricing disparities in who pays what for water from the Colorado River Basin. “In the middle of a historic drought, the biggest water users in the West pay next to nothing while our water resources disappear at alarming rates,” says author Noah Garrison, a water researcher at @uclaioes . Some California urban water agencies shell out more than $2,500 per acre-foot of surface water, while some irrigation districts pay $0 — for the exact same water. Experts say it’s the fallout of century-old water deals, when the federal government had an ambitious goal: to make farming possible in the Western desert. “When water supplies are essentially free, there are few incentives to use water sustainably,” said co-author Mark Gold. Tap the link in bio to read the full article.

On the ancestral lands of the Chumash and Tongva peoples, UCLA’s Stunt Ranch Reserve continues a legacy of stewardship through research, conservation, education, and public programming, echoing the spirit of Native American Heritage Month. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

👏 Alex Hall, director of @uclaioes and professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, has been named among the world’s most influential researchers—a distinction reserved for only one out of every 1,000 scholars. Hall is one of 39 @UCLA faculty members recognized this year, including IoES affiliate faculty Beate Ritz and IoES associate faculty Lawren Sack. The annual #HighlyCitedResearchers list—compiled by the global analytics firm Clarivate—identifies scientists whose publications rank among the top 1% of citations worldwide. This recognition reflects Hall’s significant contributions to our understanding of how global warming affects weather extremes, water supply and wildfire behavior—work that has become some of the most frequently cited in global science. “Honorees demonstrate influence that extends across borders, disciplines and time,” said David Pendlebury, head of research analysis at Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information. 🔗 🌎 Tap the link in bio to learn more.

Caterpillars that help fight fire? That’s one hot take. @uc_wmrc researcher Jeff Holmquist shares how the Nüümü (Paiute) People’s traditional harvest of Pandora moth caterpillar larvae is more than a foodway — it’s a cultural stewardship practice that strengthens wildfire resilience. Working with the @BishopPaiuteTribe , @U.S.ForestService @UC_Natural_Reserve_System , the team found that the harvest process itself — digging “piyuga” trenches to collect larvae beneath pine trees — also clears away fallen needles and flammable debris, creating natural firebreaks that protect the forest. ⚡️ When a lightning-sparked wildfire swept the area, those trees saw less burn damage and higher survival — showing how Indigenous knowledge strengthens forest resilience. 🔗 Full story on the #ucnrs site — link in bio. 📸 A male Pandora moth clings to a pine twig. The species has a two-year life cycle linked closely to dry, high-elevation pine forests. / Jeff Holmquist (@ucwmrc / @uclaioes )

Bats are beautiful, babes! 🦇 But which @uofcalifornia campus cutie is your fave? #HappyHalloween to all from your UCLA College bat-besties! #bats Original 🎶: Roger A. Martinez & Alize Franscheska Roysnai | @labatrescue @uclaeeb @ucla_stuntranchreserve @uclalifesciences @bruinbirding

@UCLA Institute for the Environment and Sustainability’s Pritzker Award connects and honors the next generation of environmental innovators. This year’s winner, Denica Riadini-Flesch, is rebuilding fashion to restore ecosystems, preserve culture and empower women. @uclacollege @uclaioes Denica's husband accepted the award on her behalf.

Just announced at UCLA — Denica Riadini-Flesch (@denicaflesch ) founder and CEO of @SukkhaCitta , is the 2025 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award laureate. Presented by Tony Pritzker at UCLA’s Hershey Hall, the award honors next-generation innovators tackling the planet’s most urgent challenges. @uclachancellor Julio Frenk and @ucla leadership joined the celebration recognizing her work transforming fashion from the ground up — connecting soil, craft, and community. Full story and ceremony moments coming soon via @uclaioes and @uclacollege . 📸 by @mfimages #PritzkerAward #UCLAEnvironment #UCLA #SukkhaCitta #Sustainability #ClimateAction #RegenerativeFashion

In Los Angeles, Tony Pritzker applies an engineer’s discipline to environmental philanthropy. From stormwater systems that keep millions of gallons of toxic runoff out of Santa Monica Bay, to a global prize at UCLA supporting emerging innovators; “He’s the type of partner that gets involved well beyond financial support,” says Alex Hall, director of IoES. Ahead of tomorrow’s Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award ceremony, @mongabay features Tony Pritzker’s ‘patient strategy for the planet,’ showing how his long-term partnership with @uclaioes turns research into measurable environmental progress. “You have to set very specific goals and work toward them.” Read Pritzker’s ‘patient strategy for the planet’ → link in bio 📷 Pritzker with Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Chadian environmental activist and 2019 Pritzker Award winner 🏆

Seema Lokhandwala once wrote software. Today, she writes a different kind of code: the low-frequency language of elephants 🔊🐘🎶🌱 Now a 2025 Pritzker Award finalist, she leads the @Elephant_Acoustics_Project , decoding elephant communication and building early-warning systems that help both communities and herds coexist. Her work has reduced human and elephant fatalities and reinforced the cultural ethos of coexistence in one of the world’s most difficult conservation frontiers. “Coexistence in India is not led by ecologists and conservation scientists alone. Equally, if not more important, are efforts and cultural beliefs of the silent millions that actually live alongside the magnificent animals.” Read her full narrative, “From awe to action: How I discovered harmony and found purpose in forests” — link in bio 🌳⚖️✨