The University of California is hosting a showcase of projects and research aimed at helping the state in its critical fight against climate change today (Oct. 25) and tomorrow (Oct. 26) in Sacramento.
In a first-of-its-kind partnership between the state and UC Research, recipients of California Climate Action Awards will present their research projects at the new UC Student and Policy Center. The two-day event, which will also feature top officials from Gov. Newsom’s office, the California Senate, Wilton Rancheria, and UC, is aimed at sparking a dialogue among University and local, regional and statewide stakeholders on strategies to meet the state’s critical climate action goals in an era of growing climate-change calamity.
“Events related to climate change, such as the 31 atmospheric rivers that ravaged the state over our last rainy season, and the persistent wildfires that occur each year, are impacting the lives of all Californians,” said Theresa Maldonado, UC vice president of Research & Innovation. “These singular events and tenacious climate signatures also impact local and state economies, thus challenging us to reimagine new innovative financial models and economic development strategies. By strengthening inclusive workforce development programs and nontraditional partnerships across academia, state and local governments, and communities, the University of California is helping to advance climate action solutions across the state and strengthen our resilience against climate disruption.”
To engage on these partnerships, panel discussions on Oct. 26 will include jumpstarting climate action through entrepreneurship and innovation, biodiversity and nature-based solutions, wildfire preparation and coastal flooding resilience.
Today, Maldonado will be joined at the forum by State Senator Ben Allen, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency Wade Crowfoot, UC Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Katherine Newman, Chairman of the Wilton Rancheria Jesus Tarango, and numerous climate action grant principal investigators and community partners.
About the California Climate Action Grants
The University awarded nearly $100 million in climate action grants this year to support California’s climate goals. The UC Climate Action Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards, awarded in March, provided $15 million to 10 UC campuses, UC Health, the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the UC Natural Reserve System, and the UC-affiliated Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. The California Climate Action Seed and Matching Grants, awarded in August, provided a total of $83.1 million to 38 teams. Four of these teams received Matching Grants totaling $26.9 million to support larger projects that could leverage additional funding from non-state sources.
In total, the California Climate Action Awards involve more than 130 community, industry, tribal, and public agencies, as well as 12 UC locations, 11 California State University campuses and two private universities. These grants are part of $185 million allocated by the state for UC climate initiatives advancing progress toward California’s climate goals.
Read about how the grants are helping California respond the climate crisis. For more information, please see UC’s Climate Action website, UC’s announcement of its climate innovation awards and news on the University’s seed and matching grant awards.