Sustainability: Human Factors

The new funding will expand USC Dornsife’s soil testing campaign in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires — screening for a wider range of contaminants, speeding up lab results and increasing community outreach.

New research shows how a shipboard system using limestone and seawater could cut maritime CO2 emissions by 50%.

The latest USC Dornsife LABarometer survey finds Angelenos grappling with climate stress, doubting transit readiness for the Olympics and losing interest in electric vehicles.

While gold mining’s environmental toll is well known, a team led by USC Dornsife researchers has uncovered a hidden culprit behind the Amazon rainforest’s slow recovery: water loss caused by reshaped terrain.

A new study finds that even storms below hurricane strength significantly increase infant deaths in low- and middle-income countries, and not just for the reasons experts expected.

The USC Sea Grant director brings more than 25 years of experience as a scientist, educator and leader in ocean research, education, policy and public engagement.

As the medical director of sustainability at Keck Medicine of USC, Associate Professor Arash Motamed, a Dornsife alumnus, is working to reduce the harmful effects of clinical operations on the environment.

An expert on how societies prepare for and respond to emergencies — from pandemics to climate change — USC’s Andrew Lakoff explores how our well-being depends on the health of Earth’s ecosystems.

Megan Fieser, the Gabilan Assistant Professor of Chemistry at USC Dornsife, is working to resolve the vexing problem of plastic accumulating in our environment.

From displacement to respiratory illness, Angelenos without stable housing suffered disproportionately — and most residents support smarter rebuilding.

The USC Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute will use endowment funds established by chemists and entrepreneurs Massoud Arvanaghi ’82 and Ferial K. Arvanaghi to drive research aimed at building a more sustainable future and a healthier environment.

Organized by USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange, the USC-led California Solar Canal Initiative could transform major portions of the state’s 4,000 miles of canals into a powerful source of clean energy and water conservation.

A new USC Dornsife study finds that outdated guidelines are limiting tree growth — especially in lower-income neighborhoods — and offers a path forward.

Anyone affected by the L.A. fires can drop off or mail in soil samples for testing as part of Public Exchange’s community-focused project to assess post-fire lead contamination.

As climate change intensifies across the planet, attention is turning toward technologies that offer novel ways to decarbonize our economy and our atmosphere. Yet, these solutions are not without their critics, who warn about unforeseen environmental and social repercussions.

As Earth’s temperature rises due to the effects of climate change, cooling the air in our lived environments is increasingly crucial. So, how do we meet the growing demand for cooling in a manner that is sustainable, energy-efficient, and accessible to all?

A growing number of political leaders and environmentalists support a renewed investment in nuclear power. Should it be a part of the clean energy strategy?

What lessons can we learn from more than 100 years ago, when L.A.’s water was an even more hotly contested commodity than it is today?

Learn how remote work is likely to affect workers’ quality of life, the profitability of firms, and the economic geography of cities and suburbs.

Understand the history of fire in the West, including Indigenous fire practices and fire’s many environmental legacies, which is crucial to determining a more sustainable path forward.