Energy and Resources Group - ERG

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Energy and Resources Group - ERG ERG is an interdisciplinary graduate program whose mission is research and education for a sustainable environment and a just society.

ERG is more formally designated as the Graduate Group in Energy and Resources. Established as an academic degree-granting program at UC Berkeley in 1973, ERG has become a unique interdisciplinary community of graduate students, core faculty, and 200 affiliated faculty and researchers from across the campus and beyond. ERG produces cutting edge research to inform scientific, policy, and business communities. ERG is an intellectual hub for research on clean energy, climate science, ecosystems and biodiversity, energy systems, international development, technology and society, social resource implications, and water policy. Our students and alumni bring experience from drastically different fields and use their experiences to breathe new life into current issues of today. Programs of study in Energy and Resources lead to MA, MS, and PhD degrees, as well as an undergraduate Minor in Energy and Resources and summer Minor/Certificate in Sustainability (open to the public). These programs prepare the next generation of scholars and leaders to confront the challenges of environmental sustainability and equity.

Thinking about getting a graduate degree? Join us Monday, October 5 through Friday, October 9, 2026 for UC Berkeley’s vi...
10/06/2026

Thinking about getting a graduate degree? Join us Monday, October 5 through Friday, October 9, 2026 for UC Berkeley’s virtual Graduate Diversity Admissions Fair. This event is uniquely designed for all prospective students, including those from diverse backgrounds. The fair will consist of sessions offered from over 70 UC Berkeley graduate programs. You can expect one hour sessions and discussion groups. For more on registration and program details, please visit https://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/why-berkeley/graduate-diversity-admissions-fair/?utm_source=marketing+kit&utm_medium=social+media&utm_campaign=2026+Diversity+Admissions+Fair

Bigger and hotter wildfires continue to sweep through forests that have not evolved to survive such high-intensity blaze...
09/11/2026

Bigger and hotter wildfires continue to sweep through forests that have not evolved to survive such high-intensity blazes and a warmer climate. This has created a permanent shift from large beautiful pine trees to an entirely new ecosystem of shrubland in the Western conifer forests. As these burnt areas cause trees to disappear, the areas will become hotter, winter and spring snow will melt faster, and this will affect surrounding wildlife and communities that are already struggling with water shortages.

Dr. Johan Eckdahl, a postdoctoral researcher at Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, conducted research this month along with Dr. Winslow Hansen in the Sierra Nevada to study these effects. On a burned hillside area of 100 feet, they recorded each flowering plant and shrub, filled plastic bags with soil, and used a probe to record the ground moisture and temperature.

To read about about Dr. Eckdahl's and Dr. Hansen's findings throughout their examination of the Western conifer forests, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/climate/wildfire-forest-loss-california-southwest.html

There's still time to sign up for Techno-optimism, Ecomondernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress, a 2 unit online...
06/19/2026

There's still time to sign up for Techno-optimism, Ecomondernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress, a 2 unit online course in UC Berkeley's Summer Session D!

In our ever-changing world, who defines what progress is? In this course, you will examine who benefits from current narratives around technological progress, who bears the cost, and how these narratives shape policy, innovation, and public discourse.

This course is online and seminar-based to facilitate discussion and connection with your instructor and fellow students!

There's still time to sign up for Techno-optimism, Ecomondernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress, a 2 unit online...
06/12/2026

There's still time to sign up for Techno-optimism, Ecomondernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress, a 2 unit online course in UC Berkeley's Summer Session D!

Technology is often at the forefront of discussions around progress—to some, as the singular solution, and to others, as society's downfall. This class examines and critiques these perspectives and asks how they fit into the limits of reality, economically, culturally, and ecologically.

This course is online and seminar-based to facilitate discussion and connection with your intructor and fellow students!

06/10/2026

Interested in Business, Sustainability and Society? Enroll in the Energy and Resources Group summer course today! Dr. Sanchita Saxena teaches the course during summer session D. For more information, please visit https://erg.berkeley.edu/academics/sustainability.

Visual description:
Shot outdoors on UC Berkeley’s campus, instructor Dr. Sanchita Saxena stands against a lush backdrop of trees and early-spring foliage, speaking directly to camera about her ER 192: Business, Sustainability, and Society course. Dressed in a warm burgundy blazer, discusses the course’s grounded approach to sustainability at the intersection of business and society.


Berkeley Summer Sessions

On April 9, the Energy and Resources Group welcomed Professor Isha Ray as the keynote speaker for the 32nd Annual Lectur...
06/09/2026

On April 9, the Energy and Resources Group welcomed Professor Isha Ray as the keynote speaker for the 32nd Annual Lecture on Energy and the Environment. To read more about her lecture on “The Work of Water”, an engaging discussion examining the relationship between labor and safe drinking water in low-income regions, please visit https://erg.berkeley.edu/news/erg-annual-lecture-2026-featuring-isha-ray.

Following the discussion was a congratulatory celebration honoring Professor Ray's retirement from ERG! Isha will be deeply missed, and her research contributions, passion, and influence will continue to shape the way we think about water and sanitation justice for years to come.

To view this year’s annual lecture, please visit https://youtu.be/-MzQF0Q3vl4?si=3FG_AywFYn4fEvvg

06/01/2026

Interested in Ecology and Society? Enroll in the Energy and Resources Group summer course today! Amber Kerr teaches Ecology and Society during summer session D. For more information, please visit https://erg.berkeley.edu/academics/sustainability!

Visual Description:
Shot inside a sun-lit greenhouse, the instructor Amber Kerr, surrounded by rows of plants, speaks to the camera about the Ecology and Society course experiments she conducts with her students throughout the year. She holds up two small potted plants — experiments created by her students — with an easy, enthusiastic energy that emphasizes her hands-on lecturing style.

Berkeley Summer Sessions Amber Catherine Kerr

05/29/2026

Interested in Techno-optimism, Ecomodernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress? Enroll in the summer course today! Dave Rochlin will be instructing during summer session D. To learn more about ERG’s summer sustainability minor courses, please visit https://erg.berkeley.edu/academics/sustainability.

Visual description: This is a promotional video of UC Berkeley's ER 172, a summer session course in "Techno-optimism, Ecomodernism, and Narratives of Growth and Progress," taught by Dave Rochlin. The video opens with the instructor speaking directly to camera, then transitions through three nature B-roll segments — a coastal beach at dusk, a close-up macro shot of a butterfly on a yellow flower, and a misty meadow/wetland at dawn . The Dave Rochlin outlines how to pursue human wellbeing and technological progress without exceeding planetary limits, and how students learn to both embrace and critically examine techno-optimist assumptions.

This is a reminder that the Energy and Resources Group’s Sustainability Minor/Certificate program is now open! The progr...
05/26/2026

This is a reminder that the Energy and Resources Group’s Sustainability Minor/Certificate program is now open! The program offers a practical and relevant interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural issues.

To receive updates and learn more about the Sustainability Minor/Certificate program, please visit https://erg.berkeley.edu/academics/sustainability and sign up for the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) email list.

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Berkeley, CA
94720

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15106421085

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