Speaker series on California climate change challenges

BERKELEY — A new speaker series at the University of California, Berkeley, will explore the state's landmark climate control legislation's critical connections to sustainable development and land-use planning. The series, "Growing Sustainability in a Low-Carbon World," is being sponsored by UC Berkeley's Institute for Urban and Regional Development (IURD). It will bring together local, regional and state decision-makers, scholars, researchers, environmentalists, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders from the public sector. The program, free and open to the public, will take place on campus on Tuesdays, starting March 17, before jumping to March 31 and continuing through May 5. The first event will take place from 6-8 p.m. at The Faculty Club; other programs will be held from 5:15 to 7 p.m. in Wurster Hall. Each seminar will be moderated by a UC Berkeley faculty member or research associate. Much of the discussions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state have focused on technologies, clean fuels and green jobs, which have important roles to play, said Robert Cervero, interim director of IURD and a professor of city and regional planning.