We built upon data from a 2016 study projecting future “smoke wave” days to better understand where and for whom smoky days will be of increasing concern as climate change pushes wildfires to new extremes. Read more >
From the Tehachapi Pass, you can see the smog collecting in the San Joaquin Valley. Heavy-duty trucks remain the larger contributor to this poor air quality. Lisa Brettschneider (Flickr/flyfarther79)
California Moves Forward to Address Pollution from Heavy-Duty Trucks
Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst
August 20, 2020 3:18 PM EDT
The San Joaquin Valley and Southern California continue to have the worst air quality in country, in terms of both smog and particulate pollution (soot). Next Thursday, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will vote a proposal to reduce smog-forming and soot emissions from heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state over the next decade. This latest proposal is a critical part of cleaning up the trucking sector until that broader transformation takes place. Read more >
mrapplegate/Flickr
Are California’s Rotating Blackouts a Sign of a Broken Grid?
Mark Specht, Energy analyst
August 18, 2020 5:11 PM EDT
This past weekend, California experienced two consecutive days of power outages, and more are possible in the days to come. Prior to this past week, this type of power outage had not happened in the state since the California Electricity Crisis almost two decades ago.
In the midst of a global pandemic and a west-wide heatwave, rolling blackouts—or rotating outages as the experts call them—are exactly the last thing Californians needed right now. For some, a power outage is just a minor inconvenience, but for others, power outages can be deadly.
Without bold action and preparation, climate change threats may bring similar impacts to those of COVID-19 Self-Help Enterprises
Groundwater Sustainability is a Necessity More Than Ever
Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida, Western States Climate Scientist
July 30, 2020 3:26 PM EDT
The current pandemic is a threat to those closest to us today in a way that presages what we will experience on an accelerating basis due to the climate emergency. The low level of preparation communities have experienced around the pandemic, echos what these same communities face for water management on a daily basis and will face with future climate change threats unless fundamental changes are made locally. Read more >
T. Toochinda/Unsplash
Pandemic’s Stay-at-Home Order Shrinks California Energy Demand
Adenike Adeyeye, Western States Energy Manager and Senior Analyst
May 12, 2020 11:56 AM EDT
With many staying home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, energy use in California is changing. Last Tuesday, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) released a report showing reductions in energy demand and energy prices following stay at home orders from some California counties in mid-March and the March 20 statewide stay at home order. California saw more significant reductions in weekday energy use compared to weekend energy use.
