Environment

Hundreds of people lined up today to voice concerns about California’s sweeping new climate strategy at a public hearing. Without massive investments in clean energy, air board officials warned that more fossil fuels will be needed to power electric cars and ensure a reliable power grid.

It’s no quick fix. The scaled-down tunnel — which would bypass the Delta and funnel more water south — still has to clear a gauntlet of reviews, would cost at least $16 billion and could take 20 years.

California needs to make Stockton and San Joaquin Valley flood investments a priority — especially during a drought. Building flood management projects takes years. If we don’t start now, we may not be ready when the next big flood arrives.

Plastics recycling has largely failed us, and the consequences for our environment and health are significant. California leaders are considering ways to curb the use of polluting plastics.

Californians should be aware of the unintended consequences of eliminating pest control tools when state regulators and lawmakers consider a pesticide ban.

The state Fish and Game Commission should list western Joshua trees under the California Endangered Species Act, safeguarding the trees and offering proof of California’s commitment to fighting climate change.

Listing the iconic Joshua tree as a threatened species could make clean energy projects infeasible in California, at precisely the time when we need as much renewable power as possible.

California’s climate change plan fails to provide substantial evidence that capturing carbon will meet ambitious greenhouse gas goals, critics say. The plan “does California a disservice,” one state advisor said.

Who loses and who gains as California cleans up its cars? Nearly 32,000 mechanics would lose jobs by 2040 under the proposed phaseout of new gas-powered cars. Electric companies would be the big winners.

Sacramento Valley growers protected for decades by their water rights are suffering for the first time during this record-breaking drought. Wildlife refuges are struggling, too.