The coal industry in the United States has been in a long, steady decline for decades. But since 2012, with the availability of cheap natural gas and the ramping up of environmental regulations to control emissions from coal-fired power plants, that decline has become a full-scale collapse: coal-mining employment has shrunk from 89,800 to 55,500, a […]
California’s high country is a delight in summer, a cool respite from the heat of the state’s lower elevations. That’s especially true in the Sierra Nevada, where a corridor of shade transports vacationers from Fresno to Yosemite National Park under a dense canopy of cedar trees, firs and pines. But after five years of drought and insect infestation, […]
The Colorado River is a wonderful playground for Yuma County residents, out of state visitors and winter visitors. Unless your river activities take place strictly on the lower river below Imperial Dam, you may not realize that there is an ongoing daily change in the river water level above Imperial Dam. The reason for the […]
The Assembly Committee on Appropriations voted 13-6 Wednesday to approve a measure by Senator Lois Wolk, D-Solano, to promote the protection and management of natural and working lands as part of California’s ongoing efforts to meet its climate change goals. “From farms to rangelands, wetlands to parks, California’s natural and working lands have the potential […]
Water, we are repeatedly told, will be “next oil.” In the United States, climate projections predict increasing drought frequency throughout most of the country. Around the world, political and even military conflicts due to water scarcity are multiplying. Water is a limited and essential resource, and we are becoming more sensitive to the need to […]
Even before the plane left the runway, it was clear the crew of researchers examining the fallout from California’s historic drought would not return with good news.
Can We Help the Losers in Climate Change?
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /MIT Technology Review (Big Sandy, Texas))by Richard MartinThe coal industry in the United States has been in a long, steady decline for decades. But since 2012, with the availability of cheap natural gas and the ramping up of environmental regulations to control emissions from coal-fired power plants, that decline has become a full-scale collapse: coal-mining employment has shrunk from 89,800 to 55,500, a […]
Sierra Forests Turned to Brown
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Julie CartCalifornia’s high country is a delight in summer, a cool respite from the heat of the state’s lower elevations. That’s especially true in the Sierra Nevada, where a corridor of shade transports vacationers from Fresno to Yosemite National Park under a dense canopy of cedar trees, firs and pines. But after five years of drought and insect infestation, […]
Changes in Irrigation Demand Behind Upper River Fluctuations
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Yuma Sun (Yuma, Ariz.)by Bobbi Stevenson-McDermottThe Colorado River is a wonderful playground for Yuma County residents, out of state visitors and winter visitors. Unless your river activities take place strictly on the lower river below Imperial Dam, you may not realize that there is an ongoing daily change in the river water level above Imperial Dam. The reason for the […]
Wolk’s Climate Change Bill Gets Fiscal Approval
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /The Reporter News (Vacaville)The Assembly Committee on Appropriations voted 13-6 Wednesday to approve a measure by Senator Lois Wolk, D-Solano, to promote the protection and management of natural and working lands as part of California’s ongoing efforts to meet its climate change goals. “From farms to rangelands, wetlands to parks, California’s natural and working lands have the potential […]
When Conservation Efforts End Up Using More Water
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /Las Vegas Review-Journalby Paul FerraroWater, we are repeatedly told, will be “next oil.” In the United States, climate projections predict increasing drought frequency throughout most of the country. Around the world, political and even military conflicts due to water scarcity are multiplying. Water is a limited and essential resource, and we are becoming more sensitive to the need to […]
An Eye-Opening Flight Over California’s Dying Forests
/in California and the U.S. /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis AlexanderEven before the plane left the runway, it was clear the crew of researchers examining the fallout from California’s historic drought would not return with good news.