Environmental News

A curated set of environmental news stories brought to you by the Gottlieb Native Garden team.

As UN warns of widespread extinction, California is already losing species

A new United Nations report warning of a global extinction crisis identifies three parts of the world in particular danger: South America, Africa and parts of Asia.

Why California Oaks Are Important

Due to competition with non-native ground covers and with pressure from predators (such as gophers, turkeys, deer, and cattle), many types of oaks—like blue oaks in Northern California and Engelmann oaks in Southern California—are not regenerating (creating viable, long-lived oak seedlings) in the wild.

How Last Year’s Massive Woolsey Fire In Southern California Impacted Wildlife

The Woolsey Fire in Southern California destroyed hundreds of human homes and devastated the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area – a critical wildlife habitat.

Economics can help us protect the world’s wildlife

One major challenge today is how to protect biodiversity. Across the world, scientists tell ­­us the diversity and abundance of life on earth is declining. Economics can help us understand why these losses are happening and figure out how to reverse these losses.

A new effort to save birds pinpoints in amazing detail where they fly

For years, as California’s Central Valley grew into the nation’s leading agricultural corridor, the region gradually lost almost all of the wetlands that birds, from the tiny sandpiper to the great blue heron, depend on during their migrations along the West Coast.

The real renewable energy storage solution

Right here at UC Irvine, we’re doing a little science experiment that could make a big difference for countries around the globe as they look for ways to replace fossil fuels and stop climate change. This experiment is focused on how to store extra solar energy.

California restaurants add optional 1 percent surcharge to help combat climate change

Some California restaurant-goers will now have the option to add a 1 percent surcharge to their bill to help farmers combat climate change.

Endangered White Abalone Program Yields Biggest Spawning Success Yet

Millions of Eggs Bring Program 1 Step Closer to Saving Species

Lawsuit Challenges California Development’s Threat to Condors, Tribal Religious Practices

Conservation and tribal groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today for authorizing a Tejon Ranch Company plan to build luxury housing, golf courses and resort hotels on thousands of acres of critical habitat for California condors in Kern County. 

L.A. takes climate change fight to the streets by pouring cooler pavement

The gray sludge poured out of giant plastic buckets like pancake batter. Workers in neon vests and spiky cleats squeegeed it across a parking lot in downtown Los Angeles, smoothing it into a thin layer beneath a cloudless sky.