Author: Isaac Gendler

Why WUI Maps Need to Take Into Account Wind Effects

Why WUI Maps Need to Take Into Account Wind Effects

Why WUI Maps Need to Take Into Account Wind Effects

04/08/20

“Why do wildfire maps need to take into account the effects of wind?”

 

Wildland-urban interface maps are pivotal for community planners, emergency managers, and policymakers to understand their community’s vulnerability to wildfire. However, seldom do these take into account wind, which holds the potential to spread fires beyond the natural wildland-urban interface. This can be a critical factor and needs to be taken into account. This is Why WUI Maps Need to Take Into Account Wind Effects.

Image credit media.wired.com

Hospital Surge Plans

Hospital Surge Plans

Hospital Surge Plans

04/07/20

“How can hospitals plan for a sudden surge of patients?”

 

Hospitals during emergencies (such as during the COVID epidemic) can expect a sudden surge of patients. To prepare for this, these facilities will need a Hospital Surge Plan. These can include rapidly recruiting medical workers, procuring a massive amount of hospital beds to increase hospital capacity, and establishing communication protocols.

Image credit cdn.vox-cdn.com

Migration as Adaptation

Migration as Adaptation

Migration as Adaptation

04/06/20

“How can adaptation come in the form of migration?”

 

With the advent of climate change, certain regions of the world are going to become less habitable and certain regions will become more. This new imbalance will mean that people may have to migrate to a new area to be safer from climate change. One illustration of this can be found in Indigenous Alaskan village relocation, where villagers are moving their entire community to new land to escape sea-level rise. This is why Migration as Adaptation is a very useful concept.

Image credit worldatlas.com

Hospital Capacity

Hospital Capacity

Hospital Capacity

04/05/20

“What are the limits to hospital capacity?”

 

Hospitals, like all pieces of physical infrastructure, have a certain capacity associated with them. Holding a limited number of beds and critical care infrastructure, if too many patients arrive at the same time then a surge plan might be enacted or patients might be diverted to other hospitals. This is why Hospital Capacity is so important.

Why the Air Is Cleaner Because of the COVID Epidemic

Why the Air Is Cleaner Because of the COVID Epidemic

Why the Air Is Cleaner Because of the COVID Pandemic

04/04/20

“Why is the air much more breathable due to the COVID pandemic?”

 

With the advent of the COVID pandemic, emissions are down, driving trips are down, and resource use in general is down. This means that there are fewer activities that release particulate matter into the atmosphere, lowering air pollution levels. This is Why the Air Is Cleaner Because of the COVID Pandemic.

Why Energy Resilience is Vital for Hospitals

Why Energy Resilience is Vital for Hospitals

Why Energy Resilience is Vital for Hospitals

04/03/20

“Why do all hospitals need to think about energy resilience?”

 

Hospitals are the lifeline for a community. Whenever someone becomes seriously ill or is giving birth, they get rushed to one of these facilities. However, if the power goes out and no generators are available, everything will turn to ruin. From ventilators to ICU beds to HVAC systems, every vital piece of hospital infrastructure runs on electricity. To prevent a catastrophe from happening, hospitals will need to make emergency operations plans. This is Why Energy Resilience is Vital for Hospitals.

How Oil Prices Can Go Negative

How Oil Prices Can Go Negative

How Oil Prices Can Go Negative

04/02/20

“How can oil prices become negative?”

 

Oil is thought to be one of the most valuable commodities in the world. However, like all physical materials, it needs a place to be stored. If an oil producer has more oil than it can hold, it may pay others to take its surplus assets. If this happens at a national level, this is How Oil Prices Can Go Negative.

How California’s AB 3153 Would Reduce Carbon Emissions

How California’s AB 3153 Would Reduce Carbon Emissions

How California’s AB 3153 Would Reduce Carbon Emissions

04/01/20

“How would AB 3153 by California Assemblymember Robert Rivas reduce carbon emissions?”

 

The more parking lots a city builds, the more likely it will focus its urban design on cars. If it builds more bicycle lanes, it will become more transit-oriented. California bill AB 3153 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas of Hollister would allow for housing developers to forgo parking lot construction in favor of bike parking. This would make cities be designed to accommodate bikes instead of cars, reducing urban sprawl and therefore climate emissions. This is How California’s AB 3153 Would Reduce Carbon Emissions.

How California’s AB 2895 Would Increase Climate Resilience for Some of Its Most Vulnerable Residents

How California’s AB 2895 Would Increase Climate Resilience for Some of Its Most Vulnerable Residents

How California’s AB 2895 Would Increase Climate Resilience for Some of Its Most Vulnerable Residents

03/31/20

“How would AB 2895 by California Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva build climate resilience for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents?”

 

The housing crisis is forcing a wave of Californians out of their homes and into mobile trailers. Things are now getting so bad that mobile park owners are increasing rent and threatening to force people out, leaving them more exposed when disaster strikes. However, AB 2895 by California Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva may have a fix to this. If implemented, AB 2895 would stabilize rent increases on mobile home parks that are at least 15 years old, enabling greater inertia and stability. This would help keep people in homes and less exposed to the elements. This is How California’s AB 2895 Would Increase Climate Resilience for Some of Its Most Vulnerable Residents.

 

Image credit http://www.wamc.org