On the Left Coast, CALmatters issued its package on California climate change policies July 19. The material was published in four dozen newspapers, from the Los Angles Times to the Times-Standard in Euerka, and the audio version was aired by numerous public radio outlets throughout the state.
Posted inEnvironment
Manure for some, dollars for others
Not far from the Amish farms of Central Pennsylvania, in the rolling hills southwest of coal mining country, Dennis Brubaker raises 30,000 pigs a year for slaughter. In four enclosed barns, the hogs gain two pounds a day away from predators. That is, until they are shipped away to be processed for supermarkets. Methane Digesters on California Dairy […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Can California cut gasoline use in half in 15 years? Probably not
One sunny Saturday in Stockton, Mary Serrano climbed into the driver’s seat of a bright-red, all-electric Chevrolet Spark. A retiree who normally drives a 20-year-old Toyota Camry, she was curious about the new technology on display at the local fairground. “I feel like I’m going to outer space,” she said giddily, as a company representative […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cap and trade in two and a half minutes
California’s carbon marketplace is one of the tools the state is using to work toward its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions goal. Large industries under the cap have choices about how they comply, including paying for permissions to pollute. But how does it all work? We explain (in a little longer than two and a half […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
A little town in Arkansas and its California connection
EL DORADO, Arkansas – On the east side of this small town, tucked away not far from the Louisiana border, sit two massive incinerators with a surprising link to a landmark environmental law in California. It’s a place where old paint, leftover pesticides, seized cocaine, recalled hairspray, expired pharmaceuticals and many other hazardous chemicals come […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Sen. Fran Pavley: A quiet force in the climate storm
In a small hearing room decorated with paintings of birds and flowers, Sen. Fran Pavley – the great-granddaughter of a three-time presidential candidate – sat down to present the bill that will likely cement her legacy as the California Legislature’s most accomplished environmentalist. As usual, her tone was understated, and her style more patient schoolmarm […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Cap and trade: Is California a leader or a loner?
It was mid-morning one day in May and somewhere deep inside a 25-story tower in Sacramento, an auction, cloaked in secrecy, was about to begin. Why this matters Cap and trade is among the most pioneering – yet controversial – elements of California’s multi-layered approach to combating climate change. But the national reach of the program […]
Posted inClimate Change
Opinion: Is the future of electricity generation really distributed?
Renewable energy technologies have made outstanding progress in the last decade. Solar panels and wind turbines have become massively more efficient. In many locations, some forms of renewable energy are cost competitive. And yet…just as these exciting changes are taking place, many advocates are shifting their focus to an issue disconnected from the fundamental environmental […]
Posted inClimate Change, Environment
Opinion: Are we losing our top talents in Central California due to extreme weather?
Ever since I moved from Central Pennsylvania, where my car would be buried in the snow for the better part of the winter, to Central California with summer heat waves, the question I’ve been asked most often is “did the weather influence your decision to relocate to Fresno?” Having studied how climate change impacts residential […]
Posted inEnvironment
Steyer and de León: Climate soulmates
The friendship between two men from vastly different backgrounds may shape the future of California.