As massive fires continue to sweep through Los Angeles, firefighters are relying on local water infrastructure not designed for fires of this size, researchers say. Fires in California have grown more explosive because of climate change, which is largely driven by humans burning oil, gas and coal.
When the call reporting a brush fire in Otay Mesa came out Thursday, fire agencies pounced. Not just San Diego Fire-Rescue, but Chula Vista, National City and Coronado. Officials quickly brought in air resources, hand crews and differing types of fire rigs.
California’s ongoing struggle with water scarcity has spurred significant investment in reservoirs and dam expansion, but a new report from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) highlights why these massive infrastructure projects may worsen the state’s water and environmental crises.
The report, titled “Beneath the Surface,” challenges the notion that reservoirs are a sustainable solution, arguing that their benefits are undermined by environmental and economic costs, especially as climate change intensifies.
Humanity’s heating of the planet, driven by the burning of fossil fuels and unchecked emissions of greenhouse gases, has become the main driver of worsening droughts in California and the American West, according to new research.
A team of UCLA and NOAA scientists found that while droughts in the last century were caused mainly by decreases in precipitation through natural cycles, an entirely different pattern has taken hold as a result of the rising temperatures this century.
Among the many questions on your California ballot this November is whether to approve a $10 billion state bond to invest in climate adaptation. Proposition 4 is one of the largest bonds on the ballot in the country this year.
The money in the bond will be used to make communities more resilient against climate change.
Sweetwater Authority (Authority) recently welcomed fifteen students and faculty from Stanford University’s The Bill Lane Center for the American West. Group members are part of the university’s multidisciplinary course of study on “Coastal Resilience: Problems and Solutions to Extreme Weather Challenges on the West Coast.”
The Bill Lane Center for the American West is dedicated to advancing scholarly and public understanding of the past, present, and future of western North America. The Center supports research, teaching, and reporting about Western land and life in the United States.
The Stanford University group visited the Robert A. Perdue Water Treatment Plant and Sweetwater Reservoir, as well as the Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility in Chula Vista. Photo: Sweetwater Authority
The students and faculty first toured the Robert A. Perdue Water Treatment Plant and Sweetwater Reservoir, where they learned how the Authority secures and treats local water, maintains a historic dam, and manages watershed activities for the beneficial use of agency operations and the protection of environmental resources.
The group then visited the Richard A. Reynolds Groundwater Desalination Facility in Chula Vista. There, the students and Authority representatives discussed challenges facing groundwater supplies due to climate change before touring the award-winning facility.
“It was our honor to host the Stanford group and engage in these important discussions with the next generation of leaders,” said Board Chair Paulina Martinez-Perez. Photo: Sweetwater Authority
“The challenges presented by climate change as it relates to providing a sustainable and drought-proof water supply are great, and we need the brightest minds working to ensure long-term resilience for the western region,” said Authority Board Chair Paulina Martinez-Perez.
In its vision to become a leader in sustainability and the fight against climate change, the Authority’s Governing Board sets objectives within the agency’s Strategic Plan to work toward achieving carbon neutrality.
Current fiscal year objectives include implementing a Green Fleet Plan, installing EV stations at its facilities, and exploring green energy solutions like a proposed floating solar project at Sweetwater Reservoir to reduce costs and offset carbon generated as part of water agency operations. For more information, visit www.sweetwater.org/workplan.
Changing climate conditions are affecting our health, lives and economy. Just consider what San Diegans endured over the last year.
In recent weeks, a prolonged heat wave kept temperatures in the three-digit range, toxic smoke migrating from wildfires up north prompted air quality alerts, and area hillsides thick with dry brush caught fire. In January, nearly 1,200 people were displaced from flooding after 150 billion gallons of rain fell in six hours.
After more than a decade of challenges, local environmental groups are rejoicing after the Board of Supervisors approved a new climate action plan this week that they say will keep the county accountable in slashing emissions.
The climate plan passed Wednesday along party lines will be used as a blueprint for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at county facilities and in unincorporated areas to reach net-zero emissions by 2045.
San Diego County is home to more than 214,000 acres of agricultural land. Avocados, lemons, oranges and a variety of vegetables are grown in the county.
This week, during NPR’s Climate Solutions Week, we look at how San Diego County farmers are adapting to climate change with local growers Daniel and Paula Coxe, who grow avocados in Fallbrook, along with Amy Quandt, a San Diego State University professor who has surveyed farmers on the subject.
