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Earth is Outside its ‘Safe Operating Space for Humanity’ on Most Key Measurements, Study Says

/in , , /by /APby Seth Borenstein

Earth is exceeding its “safe operating space for humanity” in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said.

Earth’s climate, biodiversity, land, freshwater, nutrient pollution and “novel” chemicals (human-made compounds like microplastics and nuclear waste) are all out of whack, a group of international scientists said in Wednesday’s journal Science Advances. Only the acidity of the oceans, the health of the air and the ozone layer are within the boundaries considered safe, and both ocean and air pollution are heading in the wrong direction, the study said.

“We are in very bad shape,” said study co-author Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “We show in this analysis that the planet is losing resilience and the patient is sick.”

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Climate Change Making Summer Hotter Despite Mild Season in California

/in , , /by /ABC 10 by Brenden Mincheff

It wasn’t too bad of a summer season here in Northern California and really, when it comes to temperature, the entire state of California had a pretty mild summer.

Perhaps Kaitlyn Trudeau, a meteorologist with Climate Central, summed it up best: “Well, it wasn’t as hot as it’s been in recent years.”

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Pleasanton Residents Protest Water Rate Hikes

/in , /by /The Independent by Fay Yassini

 A petition that has garnered more than 1,800 signatures on change.org is challenging the accuracy of the data that the City of Pleasanton has presented about proposed water rate increases.

The Pleasanton City Council meets next Tuesday to consider raising water rates starting in November. The city says residents would be charged an average of $33 more every two months to start, but rates could go up as much as $75 for that same time period by 2026.

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Water, Sewer Bills in This SLO County City Could Rise by Nearly 20% Due to Deficit

/in , /by /The Tribune by John Lynch

Water and sewer bills in Grover Beach could increase by nearly 20% to make up for a $2 million deficit in revenue, the city announced Wednesday in a news release. At its Sept. 5 meeting, the Grover Beach City Council learned about the findings from a recent utility rate study, heard recommendations and unanimously instructed the city staff to start the Proposition 218 process, a step in notifying the public about proposed rate changes, the release said.

 

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California is Moving to Outlaw Watering Some Grass That’s Purely Decorative

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ian James

Outdoor watering accounts for roughly half of total water use in Southern California’s cities and suburbs, and a large portion of that water is sprayed from sprinklers to keep grass green.

Under a bill passed by state legislators this week, California will soon outlaw using drinking water for some of those vast expanses of grass — the purely decorative patches of green that are mowed but never walked on or used for recreation.

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California Ponies Up $300 Million to Prepare Groundwater Infrastructure for Climate Change

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Service by Natalie Hanson

California will spend about $300 million to prepare a vast groundwater and farming infrastructure system for the growing impacts of climate change.

California Department of Water Resources announced Tuesday that it has awarded $187 million to 32 groundwater sub-basins, which store water for future use that mainly flows from valuable snowmelt, through the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program.

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Reservoir Levels Across California Remain High as the Wet Season Nears

/in , , /by /ABC 10 by Brody Adams

 Reservoirs across the state of California remain elevated as another wet season approaches.

Following the record wet winter, lakes and reservoirs were nearly full to the brim as the melting snowpack made its way into them.

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2023 Has Had More Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters Than Any Other Year on Record

/in , , /by /Huffington Post by Lydia O'Connor

New government data released Monday revealed that the U.S. has already experienced more billion-dollar weather disasters in 2023 than in any other year since authorities started tracking such data 40-plus years ago.

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What Arizona and Other Drought-Ridden States Can Learn From Israel’s Pioneering Water Strategy

/in , , /by /The Conversationby Gabriel Eckstein, Clive Lipchin, Sharon B. Megdal

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., with an economy that offers many opportunities for workers and businesses. But it faces a daunting challenge: a water crisis that could seriously constrain its economic growth and vitality.

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Water Quality Expected to Decline as Extreme Weather Becomes More Common, New Study Says

/in , , /by /Forbesby Mary Whitfill Roeloffs

The increasing frequency of droughts, heatwaves, storms and floods is threatening the availability of water and its quality across the world, a study released Tuesday said, heightening scientist’s existing concerns that climate change poses a severe threat to human health.

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