While the 2017 fire season was a perfect storm culminating five years of drought, a heavy rain year and a hot summer, the 2018 fire season has already begun. This year, with the relatively light snowpack, CalFire officials are keeping a close eye on elevations above 6,500 feet that have already begun to dry out.
Don’t call them the weather gods, but this company can actually make it rain. North Dakota-based Weather Modification International uses planes to target clouds and draw out more rain from them. The concept, called cloud seeding, has been around for decades. But there is new urgency due to climate change and a rapidly growing global […]
On June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasn’t approaching — it had already arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was “the opening salvo of the age of climate change.” Thirty years later, it’s clear that […]
California irrigation districts that supply water to farms are required by state law to annually report to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) the amount of water actually delivered to farmers’ fields. However, as of 2017, only 12 percent of the state’s largest irrigation districts had turned in all of the required reports, and […]
West Sacramento’s recent decision to accept greater responsibility for maintaining levees and drainage systems along the Sacramento River has some residents worried that the city could be swamped financially if the area floods. The West Sacramento City Council voted 4-1 last month to begin a process that would convert an independent district in charge of […]
The California budget doesn’t include it, but Gov. Jerry Brown is not done pushing for a new charge on water users, which would fund clean drinking water in rural areas of the state that currently have unsafe tap water. About a dollar a month for most users would help pay for clean tap water for 200,000 Californians in […]
Intense wildfire seasons now normal in California
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /The Union (Nevada County)by Elias FunezWhile the 2017 fire season was a perfect storm culminating five years of drought, a heavy rain year and a hot summer, the 2018 fire season has already begun. This year, with the relatively light snowpack, CalFire officials are keeping a close eye on elevations above 6,500 feet that have already begun to dry out.
Drought woes? This tech can literally make it rain
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Gayle Falkenthal /CNNby Kaya YurieffDon’t call them the weather gods, but this company can actually make it rain. North Dakota-based Weather Modification International uses planes to target clouds and draw out more rain from them. The concept, called cloud seeding, has been around for decades. But there is new urgency due to climate change and a rapidly growing global […]
Warned 30 Years Ago, Global Warming ‘Is In Our Living Room’
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Associated Press by Seth Borenstein and Nicky ForsterOn June 23, 1988, a sultry day in Washington, James Hansen told Congress and the world that global warming wasn’t approaching — it had already arrived. The testimony of the top NASA scientist, said Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley, was “the opening salvo of the age of climate change.” Thirty years later, it’s clear that […]
Data Gone Missing: Farm Water Information Falls Through The Cracks During California Drought
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Natural Resources Defense Council (New York)by Laura WestCalifornia irrigation districts that supply water to farms are required by state law to annually report to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) the amount of water actually delivered to farmers’ fields. However, as of 2017, only 12 percent of the state’s largest irrigation districts had turned in all of the required reports, and […]
Could West Sacramento Be Forced To Pay Up If The River Floods? Mayor And Residents Disagree
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The Sacramento Beeby Kellen BrowningWest Sacramento’s recent decision to accept greater responsibility for maintaining levees and drainage systems along the Sacramento River has some residents worried that the city could be swamped financially if the area floods. The West Sacramento City Council voted 4-1 last month to begin a process that would convert an independent district in charge of […]
‘Water Tax’ Debate Continues After California Budget Passage
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Capital Public Radio (Sacramento)by Ben BradfordThe California budget doesn’t include it, but Gov. Jerry Brown is not done pushing for a new charge on water users, which would fund clean drinking water in rural areas of the state that currently have unsafe tap water. About a dollar a month for most users would help pay for clean tap water for 200,000 Californians in […]