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Bren School of Environmental Science & Management

data servers center with blue neon lights
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Courtesy

To power AI, data centers need more and more energy

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A large pile of small blue plastic objects rises from a relief map of Manhattan
Photo Credit
Courtesy Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
This image of a blue plastic pile represents the cumulative amount of plastic waste that would be generated between 2010 and 2050 — enough to cover the entire island of Manhattan, and ten times the height of the Empire State Building — under a business-as-usual scenario where no aggressive policy actions are taken.

A ‘Paris Agreement for plastic’ could slash plastic pollution to almost zero
NSF director at the Engineering Sciences Building
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan speaking at the Engineering Sciences Building

Innovation anywhere, opportunities everywhere
Rows of bikes are seen in the foreground, with palm trees and a modern building in the back
Photo Credit
Elena Zhukova

From impact to academics to outcomes, UC Santa Barbara ranks among the nation’s top universities
Palms blow in a storm.
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ChiehCheng via iStock
The El Niño Southern Oscillation influences weather patterns across the world.

El Niño and La Niña multi-year events could become more common
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Professor Kyle Meng will serve as a senior economist in Washington
A scalloped hammerhead prowls a reef in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador.
Photo Credit
Lopazanski et al.
The Galapagos Marine Reserve is one of many marine protected areas around the globe that safeguards biodiversity, cultural heritage and marine resources.

Theory meets practice: Marine protected areas overwhelmingly manage with climate change in mind
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NCEAS's Alexandra Phillips has been awarded the first Legislative Branch Fellowship in Climate Science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Burning hillside at Sedgwick Preserve
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
A flame torched hillside at Sedgwick Reserve is the site of a prescribed burn.

Taming Fire: Controlled burns can be a boon to our landscape
school of bluefin tuna

New research finds that more than 90% of global aquaculture faces substantial risk from environmental change
two students in blue commencement garb
Photo Credit
Matt Perko

‘Stewards of our fragile and precious environment,’ Bren students lauded at Commencement
A fishing boat deploys its nets accompanied by a flock of gulls.
Photo Credit
Split Second Stock
Fishermen and regulatory agencies will need to adapt when marine heatwaves impact the ranges and population levels of targeted species.

Lessons from ‘The Blob’ will help us manage fisheries during future marine heatwaves
A whitebark pine growing on the rock overlooking Big Pine Creek in the Eastern Sierra Nevada.
Photo Credit
Joan Dudney
Whitebark pines growing in cold, high elevation regions grew more during droughts, which lengthened their growing season.

How a drought affects trees depends on what’s been holding them back
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