Policy Content

EPA’s New Auto Emissions Standard Will Speed Transition to Cleaner Cars

Katherine E Kerlin — March 22, 2024 - 9:12am

EPA’s new auto emissions standard will speed the transition to cleaner cars, while also addressing consumer and industry concerns, writes �ٺ��Ƶ transportation researcher Alan Jenn.

�ٺ��Ƶ Experts on Poverty, Economy, Wages

Karen Michele Nikos — November 27, 2023 - 11:33am

University of California, Davis, sources are available for comment on a variety of aspects related to poverty and its effects. Sources listed here can address the economy, including minimum wage and taxes. This list was updated in 2021.

Professor Christine Kreuder Johnson to Serve as U.S. Science Envoy

Katherine E Kerlin — December 06, 2022 - 1:01pm

�ٺ��Ƶ Professor Christine Kreuder Johnson is a newly elected U.S. Science Envoy, the U.S. Department of State announced.

To Save California’s Whales, Put Overlooked Threats Into Policy

Katherine E Kerlin — April 06, 2022 - 10:50am

Whales are threatened by a variety of human activities off the West Coast of the United States, including fishing, ship traffic and pollution. Overlap between these stressors can compound effects on whale populations, but are rarely addressed by current whale-protection policies in California, according to a study from the University of California, Davis.

How Politics, Society and Tech Shape the Path of Climate Change

Katherine E Kerlin — February 16, 2022 - 8:00am

Politics and society largely dictate climate policy ambitions and therefore the trajectory of greenhouse gas emissions, yet climate change models and projections rarely include political and social drivers. A study from the University of California, Davis, simulated 100,000 possible future policy and emissions trajectories to identify relevant variables within the climate-social system that could impact climate change in this century.

People Are Driving Electric Vehicles Less Than Projected

Katherine E Kerlin — February 08, 2021 - 11:13am

New data indicates that electric vehicles may not be an easy future substitute for the gasoline-powered fleet, as EVs are currently being used half as much as conventional cars. That is according to a paper published from the University of Chicago, University of California, Davis, and UC Berkeley.

Natural Capital a Missing Piece in Climate Policy

Katherine E Kerlin — September 28, 2020 - 8:00am

Clean air, clean water and a functioning ecosystem are considered priceless. Yet the economic value of nature remains elusive in cost-benefit analysis of climate policy regulations and greenhouse-gas-reduction efforts.

How to Fund Roads and Ensure Electric Vehicles Pay Their Share

Katherine E Kerlin — January 03, 2019 - 12:00pm

Since electric vehicles use no gasoline, their drivers pay no gasoline tax. And as more people drive EVs, gas-tax revenue for road repairs is dwindling. So how can California and the rest of the country avoid road-funding shortfalls and ensure that EV drivers pay their share of needed repairs?

A research report submitted to the California Legislature this week by the University of California, Davis’ Institute of Transportation Studies proposes an innovative solution: Switch EVs to a mileage fee while continuing to have gasoline-powered cars pay gasoline taxes.

Grasslands More Reliable Carbon Sink Than Trees

Katherine E Kerlin — July 09, 2018 - 2:36pm

Grasslands and rangelands are more resilient carbon sinks than forests in California due to wildfire risks and climate change, a �ٺ��Ƶ study found,. This has implications for the cap-and-trade market.

Disconnected Salmon: Catching a Ride Over Dams

Katherine E Kerlin — September 21, 2017 - 1:32pm

Wild salmon, historically, are born in rivers, swim to sea to live out their adulthoods, and find their way back to their freshwater spawning grounds to reproduce before dying.

But dams and other barriers to spawning grounds have disconnected that natural cycle, requiring fisheries managers to get creative to support salmon populations. It is now fairly common to transport salmon to and from spawning grounds by truck, boat, and even helicopter.