California will need widespread consumer adoption of electric vehicles (EV) in order to achieve the state’s environmental and energy goals. But achieving these goals will require a significant boost to EV charging infrastructure, particularly in workplaces, multi-unit dwellings, and fast charge "plazas."

In California, surface water storage has become a hot topic. California's recent drought has fueled the discussion, with a number of agricultural interests forcefully arguing that the state needs to store more water. Their efforts have been successful, and California's water bond, Proposition 1, has earmarked $2.7 billion for the public benefits of storage projects.

On December 9, 2013, two Frank Wells Environmental Law Clinic students, Jaimini Parekh (J.D. 2015) and Thomas Oh (J.D. 2014), traveled to Washington, DC along with Emmett/Frankel Fellow Megan Herzog to speak on a panel at a briefing focused on the topic of plastic marine pollution. "Preventing Marine Plastic Pollution: Legal & Policy Briefing and Workshop," which was sponsored by the UN Environment Programme, U.S.

On April 1, 2016, Megan Herzog, Cara Horowitz, Sarah Duffy, & Ann Carlson of UCLA Law School’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, together with William Boyd of University of Colorado Law School, filed an amici curiae brief on behalf of five electric grid experts: Benjamin F. Hobbs, Brendan Kirby, Kenneth J. Lutz, James D. McCalley, and Brian Parsons in support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s "Clean Power Plan" to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil-fuel-fired electric generating units.

Making existing buildings more energy efficient is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce emissions and save building owners money. Fixes like improved lighting through LED fixtures and more efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning can yield returns relatively quickly, despite higher upfront costs. Yet California's energy efficiency efforts to date have not kept pace with increasing demand, primarily because they rely largely on voluntary, consumer-financed programs.

People are exposed throughout their lifetimes to mixtures of chemicals and other agents; this may result from numerous exposure circumstances, including contaminated drinking water, polluted air, intake of pharmaceuticals, use of cosmetics and consumer products, occupational exposures, proximity to industrial facilities, and pesticide exposures. Conventional agriculture relies heavily on pesticides, often applied as mixtures of products. Each chemical in the mixture targets different soil pests, and co-application saves farmers time and fuel.

The Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is proud to announce the release of its latest publication in collaboration with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School and the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law.

Transportation fuels from fossil sources represent the single largest source of carbon emissions in California. Low-carbon biofuels, which are derived from a variety of agricultural sources (such as corn, sugarcane, and canola), algae, food waste, and forest residue, among other sources, reduces petroleum fuel consumption as a substitute fuel. Yet California is missing opportunities to produce more of this biofuel locally, with attendant environmental and economic benefits.

California is on pace to meet its goal of securing 33 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2020. But energy experts report that the in-state market for renewable energy will lose momentum without new policies to encourage deployment beyond 2020. To help spur growth, this report, written by UCLA Climate Policy Associate Ethan Elkind, recommends a new renewable energy target for 2030 that accounts for greenhouse gas emissions and tracks the state's long-term climate change goal.