How UC research is helping the Golden State take charge of its climate future

From natural disasters to rising electricity prices and insurance premiums, the growing impacts of climate change hit close to home for Californians.

The world's fourth-largest economy and the most populous state in the U.S. is tackling this head-on to make California as resilient as possible.

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Research to protect California

In 2022, California invested $100 million in a UC-led climate research initiative, harnessing the state's premier research capabilities to find creative solutions to climate challenges.

Four years later, the projects have touched off a new era of collaboration among research scientists, institutions, community members, tribes, and policymakers across California. In every region of the state, they are showcasing UC's commitment to serving all Californians, said Theresa Maldonado, UC vice president for research and innovation.

"California's innovative approach to investing in climate research is paying off," Maldonado said. "This program has yielded practical solutions for urgent challenges affecting Californians - including wildfires, extreme heat, water management, and coastal change. The Climate Action Initiative shows that when the state invests in research, communities across California see the benefits."

Explore some of these 53 innovative projects below.

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Attendees at a demonstration at the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center watch a camera-enabled robotic harvester that collects field data and recognizes when strawberries are ripe. Credit: Hanif Houston, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Problem: California farmers need new tools to meet changing climate pressures.

Solution: A business incubator within UC's agriculture division is launching new companies, including Scout, an AI tool for vineyard and orchard management and one of Time's Best Inventions of 2025. "Farmers have this natural intuition," Scout CEO Kia Behnia told Time. "Scout doesn't take the artistry away - it scales it."

Problem: California firefighters face significant risks when fighting wildfires, including harmful exposures that elevate cancer risks.

Solution: Researchers are helping reduce cancer risk and raise firefighter awareness about occupational exposure.

Project partners visit a Tribal pinyon stewardship demonstration site in the Eastern Sierra led by Tom Gustie of the Bishop Paiute Tribe. Supporting Tribal stewardship of forests on public lands is an important goal of the Pinyon Community Climate Action Project. Credit: Paul Burow

Problem: In the Sierra Nevada region, a decline in pinyon pine tree production threatens not only ecological health but also tribal food systems, cultural practices, and local economies.

Solution: Researchers have implemented a citizen science monitoring plan to track woodland health and pine nut production. "At the broadest level, the goal is to have meaningful and long-lasting partnerships among the many different groups that value and use these woodlands, and ultimately create more resilient woodlands," said Miranda Redmond, an associate professor of forest ecology in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department at UC Berkeley.

Prototypes of the OtterSampler, a device designed by UC Riverside researchers to test water quality more readily. Credit: William Grover

Problem: One of the state's fastest-growing regions, the Inland Empire, is at the convergence of two crises - the escalating impacts of climate change and rapid industrial expansion.

Solution: To make it easier and more accessible for people to test their drinking water, UC Riverside professors created a device called the OtterSampler. This project is just one that leveraged UC's entrepreneurial infrastructure at UC Riverside to spin off new, concrete solutions to increase climate resilience in this region.

Project participants pictured here removing Chrysanthemum coronarium so native plant seedlings have the space to grow-at the Sweetwater Marsh area of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located on Kumeyaay Lands. Credit: Kara Conner, Climate Science Alliance

Problem: Tribal leaders and Indigenous-led organizations have deep cultural and place-based expertise in land stewardship, but there are gaps and failures in state and research institutions seeking and collaborating on these perspectives.

Solution: This project has created new pathways for collaboration and accelerated climate action through Indigenous stewardship in communities, sustaining resilient landscapes across Southern California.