window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"science_1977081": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1977081",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1977081",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1977079,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1281
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-1020x681.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 681
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1025
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-800x534.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51827_GettyImages-1235322840-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1633716006,
"modified": 1633716076,
"caption": "Giant sequoia trees stand among smoke filled skies in the \"Lost Grove\" along Generals Highway north of Red Fir during a media tour of the KNP Complex fire in the Sequoia National Park in California on September 17, 2021. ",
"description": null,
"title": "US-CLIMATE-FIRE-CALIFORNIA-SEQUOIA",
"credit": "PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Giant sequoia trees stand among smoke filled skies.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1977047": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1977047",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1977047",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1977037,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1278
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1020x679.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 679
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1536x1022.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1022
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 511
}
},
"publishDate": 1633451084,
"modified": 1633451134,
"caption": "A Storey County Fire District crew battles the Caldor Fire off of Highway 50 near Chiapa Drive on Aug. 31, 2021.",
"description": null,
"title": "RS51246_006_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut",
"credit": "Beth LaBerge/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A Storey County Fire District crew battles the Caldor Fire.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1977032": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1977032",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1977032",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976952,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 120
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-scaled.jpg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1920
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-2048x1536.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1536
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-1020x765.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 765
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-1536x1152.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1152
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-1920x1440.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1440
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 600
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Grapes-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
}
},
"publishDate": 1633113711,
"modified": 1633113780,
"caption": "The drought is forcing wine grape farmers in Northern California to adapt to grow vineyards with less water.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "Grapes",
"credit": "Ezra David Romero/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "A grapevine in Sonoma County. The grapes are grown without any irrigation water.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976898": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976898",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976898",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976890,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-160x100.png",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 100
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance.png",
"width": 1908,
"height": 1192
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-1020x637.png",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 637
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-1536x960.png",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 960
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-800x500.png",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 500
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/BTS-Dance-768x480.png",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/png",
"height": 480
}
},
"publishDate": 1632528384,
"modified": 1632798473,
"caption": "BTS performs \"Permission to Dance\" outside the United Nations' headquarters in New York City on Sept. 20, 2021.",
"description": "BTS perform 'Permission to Dance' outside New York City's United Nations headquarters.",
"title": "BTS perform 'Permission to Dance' outside New York City's United Nations headquarters, September 20, 2021.",
"credit": "YouTube",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976885": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976885",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976885",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976863,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-160x111.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 111
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1330
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-1020x707.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 707
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-1536x1064.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1064
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-800x554.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 554
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51648_GettyImages-85597049-qut-768x532.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 532
}
},
"publishDate": 1632505493,
"modified": 1632505566,
"caption": "A sold sign is taped to the door of a refrigerator at Cherin's Appliances in San Francisco, California. ",
"description": null,
"title": "Sales Of Durable Goods Unexpectedly Rise In February",
"credit": "Justin Sullivan/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976871": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976871",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976871",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976869,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/RS51646_GettyImages-1235453439-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1632431823,
"modified": 1632439866,
"caption": "Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses California's wildfires, before signing a $15 billion climate package, during a ceremony at Sequoia National Park near Three Rivers, on Sept. 23, 2021. ",
"description": null,
"title": "US-environment-climate-fire-California-sequoia",
"credit": "Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a podium in a cloud of wildfire smoke.",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976812": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976812",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976812",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976811,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-160x90.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1.jpeg",
"width": 1600,
"height": 900
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-1020x574.jpeg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-1536x864.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-800x450.jpeg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900-1-768x432.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1631728150,
"modified": 1631728204,
"caption": "A vial of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.\n",
"description": null,
"title": "GettyImages-1234838236-1600x900",
"credit": "Robyn Beck/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976799": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976799",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976799",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976798,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 120
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4.jpg",
"width": 1113,
"height": 834
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-1020x764.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 764
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-800x599.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 599
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/gettyimages-1282167602-2-a98e931b04ffe87e5c3b2592d41bc086d9d3efb4-768x575.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 575
}
},
"publishDate": 1631656287,
"modified": 1640200324,
"caption": null,
"description": null,
"title": null,
"credit": "FG Trade/Getty Images",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "The hands of several children hold up a handmade sign with a painting of Earth and copy that reads \"There's No Planet B.\"",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976756": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976756",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976756",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976673,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-160x90.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 90
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1080
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-1020x574.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 574
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-1536x864.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 864
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-800x450.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 450
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED-768x432.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 432
}
},
"publishDate": 1631313110,
"modified": 1631315013,
"caption": null,
"description": "macro close up image of damselfly insect face, 3 quarter profile, metallic green on white background",
"title": "DL815_These_Rare_Damselflies_Find_Love_With_a_Twist_in_Fog_City_KQED",
"credit": "Mike Seely/KQED",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": "macro close up image of damselfly insect face, 3 quarter profile , metallic green",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1969556": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1969556",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1969556",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1969549,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 680
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1024
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 533
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/09/RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 512
}
},
"publishDate": 1600120850,
"modified": 1600190622,
"caption": "Cars drive along the Golden Gate Bridge under an orange, smoke-filled sky at midday in San Francisco on Sept. 9, 2020. ",
"description": null,
"title": "RS44903_GettyImages-1228428683-qut",
"credit": "Harold Postic/AFP",
"status": "inherit",
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976683": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976683",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976683",
"found": true
},
"parent": 1976679,
"imgSizes": {
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 576
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-160x107.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 107
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 372
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture.jpeg",
"width": 2560,
"height": 1710
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-2048x1368.jpeg",
"width": 2048,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1368
},
"large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-1020x681.jpeg",
"width": 1020,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 681
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-1536x1026.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1026
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-1920x1283.jpeg",
"width": 1920,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 1283
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-800x534.jpeg",
"width": 800,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 534
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/climate-california-agriculture-768x513.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg",
"height": 513
}
},
"publishDate": 1631208253,
"modified": 1631208279,
"caption": "Farmworkers harvest cucumbers at Full Belly Farm in Guinda, California.",
"description": null,
"title": "climate-california-agriculture",
"credit": "Liza Gross",
"status": "inherit",
"altTag": null,
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"science_1976585": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "science_1976585",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976585",
"found": true
},
"title": "winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f",
"publishDate": 1630434423,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 1976584,
"modified": 1749764612,
"caption": "Prescribed burns, like this one in Humboldt County, California, reduce the underbrush without destroying trees.",
"credit": "Lenya Quinn-Davidson/NPR",
"altTag": "A firefighter lights a prescribed burn in Humboldt County to reduce the underbrush without killing trees.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-800x600.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-1020x765.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 765,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-160x120.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 120,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-768x576.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-1536x1152.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1152,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f-1920x1440.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1440,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/winter-oak-woodland-burning-2b67dc9298069f3e95da35a79dcd1b2aa432876f.jpg",
"width": 1998,
"height": 1499
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"byline_science_1977079": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1977079",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1977079",
"name": " Robert Jablon \u003cbr />AP\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1977037": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1977037",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1977037",
"name": "Ezra David Romero, Danielle Venton, Emily Zentner, and Raquel Maria Dillon",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1976863": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976863",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976863",
"name": "Matthew Daly \u003cbr />AP\u003cbr> ",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1976811": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976811",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976811",
"name": "Matthew Herper and Helen Branswell \u003cbr />STAT\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1976798": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976798",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976798",
"name": "Sharon Pruitt-Young \u003cbr> NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1976679": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976679",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976679",
"name": "Liza Gross, Inside Climate News",
"isLoading": false
},
"byline_science_1976584": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "byline_science_1976584",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"slug": "byline_science_1976584",
"name": "Lauren Sommer \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"isLoading": false
},
"lklivans": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "8648",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "8648",
"found": true
},
"name": "Laura Klivans",
"firstName": "Laura",
"lastName": "Klivans",
"slug": "lklivans",
"email": "lklivans@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "Reporter",
"bio": "Laura Klivans is an award-winning science reporter for KQED News, where she covers climate change with an eye on both groundbreaking progress and gaps in action. She is the former host of KQED's blockbuster video series about tiny, amazing animals, \u003cem>Deep Look\u003c/em>. Her work reaches national audiences through NPR, \u003cem>Here & Now, \u003c/em>PRI, and other major outlets. \r\n\r\nLaura’s won five Northern California Area Emmy Awards for Deep Look and First Place in the Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards for a podcast exploring how one Oakland neighborhood teamed up to reduce planet-heating pollution.\r\n\r\nBeyond her reporting, she hosts and moderates events. In the past, she taught audio storytelling at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, led international education programs, worked with immigrants and refugees along the Thai-Burmese border, taught high schoolers sex ed, and was an actress. \r\n\r\nShe's a former UC Berkeley Human Rights Fellow, USC Center for Health Journalism's California Fellow and Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. Laura has a master’s in journalism from UC Berkeley, a master’s in education from Harvard, and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.\r\n\r\nShe loves trying to riddle the meaning out of vanity license plates.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/af8e757bb8ce7b7fee6160ba66e37327?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "lauraklivans",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "stateofhealth",
"roles": [
"contributor",
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "forum",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Laura Klivans | KQED",
"description": "Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/af8e757bb8ce7b7fee6160ba66e37327?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/af8e757bb8ce7b7fee6160ba66e37327?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lklivans"
},
"mseely": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11095",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11095",
"found": true
},
"name": "Mike Seely",
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"slug": "mseely",
"email": "mseely@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Producer",
"bio": "Mike is a Digital Media Producer for KQED Science and Post Production Coordinator for \u003ca class=\"c-link\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/user/KQEDDeepLook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"slack-kit-tooltip\">Deep Look\u003c/a>. Prior to his work at KQED, he worked independently for 15 years as a director, producer and cinematographer of documentary films about art, science, and social issues, collaborating with independent directors, corporate clients, non-profits, digital and broadcast networks. Previous to filmmaking life, he majored in biology as an undergrad at Oberlin College, and worked as a wildlife biologist on bird and seal population studies in California. He also holds an M.A. in Documentary Film Production from Stanford University.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/53f7588ae9da24f7246d0b20e9015521?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Mike Seely | KQED",
"description": "Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/53f7588ae9da24f7246d0b20e9015521?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/53f7588ae9da24f7246d0b20e9015521?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mseely"
},
"ralexandra": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11242",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11242",
"found": true
},
"name": "Rae Alexandra",
"firstName": "Rae",
"lastName": "Alexandra",
"slug": "ralexandra",
"email": "ralexandra@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Reporter/Producer",
"bio": "Rae Alexandra is a Reporter/Producer for KQED Arts & Culture, and the creator/author of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/program/rebel-girls-from-bay-area-history\">Rebel Girls From Bay Area History\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bizarrebayarea\">Bizarre Bay Area\u003c/a> series. Her debut book, \u003ca href=\"https://citylights.com/politics-current-events-history/unsung-heroines35-women-who-changed/\">Unsung Heroines: 35 Women Who Changed the Bay Area\u003c/a> was published by City Lights in March 2026. In 2023, Rae was awarded an SPJ Excellence in Journalism Award for Arts & Culture. Rae was born and raised in Wales and subsequently — even after two decades in Northern California — still uses phrases that regularly baffle her coworkers.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "pop",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Rae Alexandra | KQED",
"description": "Reporter/Producer",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/edfee8176c80cc0a382b051190f5341997df378a934a5774dcb0977732dfd401?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ralexandra"
},
"kevinstark": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11608",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11608",
"found": true
},
"name": "Kevin Stark",
"firstName": "Kevin",
"lastName": "Stark",
"slug": "kevinstark",
"email": "kstark@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"science"
],
"title": "Senior Editor",
"bio": "Kevin is a senior editor for KQED Science, managing the station's health and climate desks. His journalism career began in the Pacific Northwest, and he later became a lead reporter for the San Francisco Public Press. His work has appeared in Pacific Standard magazine, the Energy News Network, the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal and WBEZ in Chicago. Kevin joined KQED in 2019, and has covered issues related to energy, wildfire, climate change and the environment.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f646bf546a63d638e04ff23b52b0e79?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "starkkev",
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Kevin Stark | KQED",
"description": "Senior Editor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f646bf546a63d638e04ff23b52b0e79?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1f646bf546a63d638e04ff23b52b0e79?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/kevinstark"
},
"eromero": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11746",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11746",
"found": true
},
"name": "Ezra David Romero",
"firstName": "Ezra David",
"lastName": "Romero",
"slug": "eromero",
"email": "eromero@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"news",
"science"
],
"title": "Climate Reporter",
"bio": "Ezra David Romero is a climate reporter for KQED News. He covers the absence and excess of water in the Bay Area — think sea level rise, flooding and drought. For nearly a decade he’s covered how warming temperatures are altering the lives of Californians. He’s reported on farmers worried their pistachio trees aren’t getting enough sleep, families desperate for water, scientists studying dying giant sequoias, and alongside firefighters containing wildfires. His work has appeared on local stations across California and nationally on public radio shows like Morning Edition, Here and Now, All Things Considered and Science Friday. ",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "ezraromero",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "science",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "liveblog",
"roles": [
"author"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Ezra David Romero | KQED",
"description": "Climate Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c76404d287c10ed40224227551ac36e24352c7306f106632caf6fead76f8801f?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/eromero"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"science_category_climate": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_31",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "31",
"score": 11.058992
},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"title": "Climate",
"pageMeta": {
"site": "science",
"WpPageTemplate": "page-topic-editorial",
"currentPage": 35
},
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"layout": "cardArticle2",
"query": "posts/science?category=climate",
"seeMore": false,
"paginated": true,
"page": 35
}
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/ad"
}
]
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"science_1977079": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1977079",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1977079",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1633731727000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1633731727,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Wildfires Burning in California's Giant Sequoia Groves Threaten Hundreds of Ancient Trees",
"headTitle": "Wildfires Burning in California’s Giant Sequoia Groves Threaten Hundreds of Ancient Trees | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Northern California wildfires may have killed hundreds of giant sequoias as they swept through groves of the majestic monarchs in the Sierra Nevada, an official said Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">“It’s heartbreaking,” said Christy Brigham, head of resource management and science for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The lightning-caused KNP Complex that erupted on Sept. 9 has burned into 15 giant sequoia groves in the park, Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">More than 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze in sometimes treacherous terrain. On Wednesday afternoon, four people working on the fire were injured when a tree fell on them, the National Park Service reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The four were airlifted to hospitals and “while the injuries are serious, they are in stable condition,” the report said. It didn’t provide other details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The KNP Complex was only 11% contained after burning 134 square miles of forest. Cooler weather has helped slow the flames and the area could see some slight rain on Friday, forecasters said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The fire’s impact on giant sequoia groves was mixed. Most saw low- to medium-intensity fire behavior that the sequoias have evolved to survive, Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"Component-dfp-0-2-56\">\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">However, it appeared that two groves — including one with 5,000 trees — were seared by high-intensity fire that can send up 100-foot flames capable of burning the canopies of the towering trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">That leaves the monarchs at risk of going up “like a horrible Roman candle,” Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Two burned trees fell in Giant Forest, which is home to about 2,000 sequoias, including the General Sherman Tree, which is considered the world’s largest by volume. However, the most notable trees survived and Brigham said the grove appeared to be mostly intact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Firefighters have taken extraordinary measures to protect the sequoias by wrapping fire-resistant material around the bases of some giants, raking and clearing vegetation around them, installing sprinklers and dousing some with water or fire retardant gel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">However, the full extent of the damage won’t be known for months, Brigham said. Firefighters are still occupied protecting trees, homes and lives or can’t safely reach steep, remote groves that lack roads or even trails, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">To the south, the Windy Fire had burned at least 74 sequoias, Garrett Dickman told the Los Angeles Times. The wildfire botanist has recorded damage as part of a sequoia task force preparing and assessing trees in the fire zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">In one grove, Dickman counted 29 sequoias that were “just incinerated,” he told CNN.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">“There were four of those that had burned so hot that they’d fallen over,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The 152-acre fire was 75% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 462,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 2
},
"modified": 1704846412,
"excerpt": "The full extent of the damage won't be known for months. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The full extent of the damage won't be known for months. ",
"title": "Wildfires Burning in California's Giant Sequoia Groves Threaten Hundreds of Ancient Trees | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Wildfires Burning in California's Giant Sequoia Groves Threaten Hundreds of Ancient Trees",
"datePublished": "2021-10-08T15:22:07-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:26:52-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "wildfires-burning-in-californias-giant-sequoia-groves-threaten-hundreds-of-ancient-trees",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": " Robert Jablon \u003cbr />AP\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"source": "AP",
"path": "/science/1977079/wildfires-burning-in-californias-giant-sequoia-groves-threaten-hundreds-of-ancient-trees",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Northern California wildfires may have killed hundreds of giant sequoias as they swept through groves of the majestic monarchs in the Sierra Nevada, an official said Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">“It’s heartbreaking,” said Christy Brigham, head of resource management and science for Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The lightning-caused KNP Complex that erupted on Sept. 9 has burned into 15 giant sequoia groves in the park, Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">More than 2,000 firefighters were battling the blaze in sometimes treacherous terrain. On Wednesday afternoon, four people working on the fire were injured when a tree fell on them, the National Park Service reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The four were airlifted to hospitals and “while the injuries are serious, they are in stable condition,” the report said. It didn’t provide other details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The KNP Complex was only 11% contained after burning 134 square miles of forest. Cooler weather has helped slow the flames and the area could see some slight rain on Friday, forecasters said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The fire’s impact on giant sequoia groves was mixed. Most saw low- to medium-intensity fire behavior that the sequoias have evolved to survive, Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"Component-dfp-0-2-56\">\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">However, it appeared that two groves — including one with 5,000 trees — were seared by high-intensity fire that can send up 100-foot flames capable of burning the canopies of the towering trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">That leaves the monarchs at risk of going up “like a horrible Roman candle,” Brigham said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Two burned trees fell in Giant Forest, which is home to about 2,000 sequoias, including the General Sherman Tree, which is considered the world’s largest by volume. However, the most notable trees survived and Brigham said the grove appeared to be mostly intact.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Firefighters have taken extraordinary measures to protect the sequoias by wrapping fire-resistant material around the bases of some giants, raking and clearing vegetation around them, installing sprinklers and dousing some with water or fire retardant gel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">However, the full extent of the damage won’t be known for months, Brigham said. Firefighters are still occupied protecting trees, homes and lives or can’t safely reach steep, remote groves that lack roads or even trails, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">To the south, the Windy Fire had burned at least 74 sequoias, Garrett Dickman told the Los Angeles Times. The wildfire botanist has recorded damage as part of a sequoia task force preparing and assessing trees in the fire zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">In one grove, Dickman counted 29 sequoias that were “just incinerated,” he told CNN.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">“There were four of those that had burned so hot that they’d fallen over,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The 152-acre fire was 75% contained.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1977079/wildfires-burning-in-californias-giant-sequoia-groves-threaten-hundreds-of-ancient-trees",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1977079"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_4209",
"science_4414",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1977081",
"label": "source_science_1977079"
},
"science_1977037": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1977037",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1977037",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1633460448000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1633460448,
"format": "image",
"title": "Wildfire Torched the Sierra All Summer, Evading Containment. Here’s How Tahoe Protected Itself",
"headTitle": "Wildfire Torched the Sierra All Summer, Evading Containment. Here’s How Tahoe Protected Itself | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Susie Kocher watched with increasing dread as the Caldor Fire roared across the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, churning toward her home near the base of Echo Summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From high along the granite ridge nearby, the view of Lake Tahoe is normally pristine — a cerulean ocean in the sky, dotted with boats and casinos lining the pine forest along the South Shore. But for two weeks at the end of August, smoke as brown as car exhaust clouded the basin’s air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kocher well knows, having worked tirelessly for more than a decade to prepare this community for a wildfire as a UC Cooperative Extension forestry adviser, under almost every tree near South Lake Tahoe is a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She feared the fast approaching edge of the fire, with its flames licking beyond 100 feet in the air. But she worried most about showers of red hot embers, carried over a mile beyond the fire’s edge by wind gusts, stealing entrance into these homes through open vents or siding gaps, burning them from the inside out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A firefighter is not going to help your home if the ember goes in through the attic,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the fire approached, she cleared away needles and brush from around her house. With their truck, Kocher’s husband, Rick George, hauled their sailboat and other fire hazards to a vacant lot away from their home. She collected her “wedding dress, my husband’s silver and his mother’s wedding dress,” irreplaceable items to take with her when they evacuated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 30, officials ordered South Lake Tahoe to evacuate immediately. She joined thousands of others leaving en masse, her face obscured by a heavy blue and red respirator to protect her lungs from the hazardous smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Behind her as she drove away, ash and a hazy amber glow floated around her home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/UCsierraforest/status/1432458308812619779\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The ‘wake-up moment’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the Valley Fire in Lake County destroyed 1,300 homes and killed four people in 2015, the wildfire community called it a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976490/showing-climate-change-as-it-happens-a-veteran-photojournalist-on-capturing-californias-intensifying-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wake-up moment\u003c/a>” to an era of catastrophic wildfire in California, driven in part by climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caldor, Dixie and other fires this summer make it crystal clear that California’s wildfire crisis is escalating. About 4.3 million acres burned in 2020, a record that could be surpassed by this year’s extreme fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is in a dangerous place. Scorching summers coupled with tinderbox dry forests render fire containment ineffective — especially when it’s hot, windy or a combination of the two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Caldor Fire burned into the Tahoe Basin, it looked like this city, a center of gravity for culture in this part of the Sierra, could (and many thought would) burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it did not, thanks to the 3,500 firefighters, a timely shift in the winds and years of fire preparations by a myriad of players.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caldor Fire showed the danger California faces, but also a path forward, beginning with \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/09/09/interview-pyrogeographer-crystal-kolden-on-fighting-californias-modern-megafires/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acceptance that wildfires are a part of our lives\u003c/a> and not inherently bad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acknowledged\u003c/a> as much when he detailed about $1 billion in new spending for fire breaks, tree thinning and other measures meant to prevent catastrophic wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going to respond our way out of this wildfire crisis,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A “confluence of all the right ingredients” coalesced to drive the Caldor Fire’s erratic fire behavior, accelerating the arrival of conditions expected to emerge over the next century, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dri.edu/directory/benjamin-hatchett/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benjamin Hatchett,\u003c/a> an atmospheric scientist with the Desert Research Institute in Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope Tahoe is the wake-up call,” he said. “We all need to get together and figure out what we’re going to do so that it’s not Tahoe City next year or Truckee next year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977050\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977050 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842.jpg\" alt=\"Fire crews manage a back fire while fighting the Caldor Fire. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fire crews manage a back fire in Sly Park, Calif., fighting the Caldor Fire on Monday, Aug, 23, 2021. \u003ccite>(Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>‘Hat’s off’ for forest thinning\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Caldor Fire ignited on Aug. 14 near Pollock Pines in El Dorado County, and quickly decimated Grizzly Flats, burning a school, church and the post office, leaving little left in the mountain hamlet. To date, the fire has burned more than 1,000 buildings and north of 220,000 acres. Officials lifted the last of the evacuation orders just \u003ca href=\"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FA4qSO7VcAEVKRE.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this week\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/pyrogeog/status/1435358566139904005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A few days earlier\u003c/a>, the Dixie Fire burned across Kettle Ridge, west of Susanville, and into the Great Basin, becoming the first known wildfire to run across the Sierra Nevada. The flames ripped through high elevation forests usually too saturated with heavy snow melt to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977051\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208.jpg\" alt=\"A burned entrance sign at Walter Tyler Elementary school with charred playground equipment in the background. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Walter Tyler Elementary in Grizzly Flats, Calif. Tuesday, August 17, 2021. \u003ccite>(Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have any record of that happening before,” Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter said, adding the blaze — 32 times the size of San Francisco — “was exceedingly resistant to control.” The Dixie Fire is California’s largest single fire on record, having consumed nearly 1 million acres across five counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the end of August, the Caldor Fire had burned into the Tahoe Basin, becoming the second recorded fire to cross the Sierra Nevada. Its erratic fire behavior \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/08/19/caldor-fires-explosive-growth-following-dixie-fires-playbook/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mirrored the Dixie Fire\u003c/a> to the north, and residents watched with alarm as the embers ignited spot fires miles in front of the flames, like missiles shot from behind enemy lines, rendering firefighter containment lines — painstakingly hacked with hand tools and bulldozers — essentially useless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For firefighters, this year has been a grueling slog, and the last two weeks of August were some of the worst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since we got here, our first time actually sleeping was yesterday,” said Micah Conant, nearly a week into a shift at the Caldor Fire with his Tahoe Douglas Fire Department crew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighters’ main objective: keep the blaze out of South Lake Tahoe, a dense mountain city of more than 21,000 people, and the surrounding communities, home of Kocher and thousands more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a first line of defense, crews with bulldozers scraped earth bare against homes in Meyers and Christmas Valley, where they expected to make a desperate stand, said Phil Heitzke, a fuels specialist with the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wildfire charged towards the fire line, “we were getting 100 or 150 foot flame lengths,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977052\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cut stumps in the forest near South Lake Tahoe show where preventative forest thinning took place before the Caldor Fire burned the area. \u003ccite>(Danielle Venton/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But suddenly, the flames lowered to the forest floor. Firefighters crossed the dozer lines, safely able to work next to the flames, steering the wildfire away from the homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fire behavior dropped down as soon as it hit this unit,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If crews hadn’t thinned small trees and brush here a few years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The canopy is open, and that’s the key thing with these fires, having that open canopy so the [wildfire] can’t sustain a crown run” where the fire burns from treetop to treetop, Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the folks who have been working on these projects the last two decades my hat’s off to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A built-in buffer\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of acres have been treated in the Lake Tahoe Basin in the last 15 years, more than is typical for forested mountain communities. The work is not cheap. Paying crews with chain saws to thin overgrown forests can cost around $2,000 an acre.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1977041\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/KQED_Caldor-1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"887\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comparing that against the value of homes saved — recent home sales in the area have garnered a median price of $750,000 — it looks like a good investment. But here, Lake Tahoe is privileged. The city has a much larger population than most mountain towns and boasts a wealthy, largely white conservation community that can afford to pay for expertise needed to get good at winning competitive grants. “There’s a political pressure there,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents and others have treated more than 40% of the Tahoe Basin since 2008 with mechanical thinning and “good fire,” the intentional burning of thick underbrush to slow down future wildfires. Additionally, hundreds of homeowners around the Tahoe Basin have prepared their houses and properties to withstand wildfire including cleaning needles, trees and debris around homes, and installing new roofs and vent covers to prevent embers from getting inside a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?url=https://services6.arcgis.com/1KtlSd2mklZMBKaz/ArcGIS/rest/services/Tahoe_Forest_Fuels_Tx_OFFICIAL_Public_View/FeatureServer&source=sd\">map\u003c/a> of treatments in the area shows an extensive, though patchy, jigsaw puzzle of mechanical thinning and pile burns on both sides of Highway 50. The Forest Service said in the past five years many of those fuel treatments in the Tahoe Basin included prescribed fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“South Lake Tahoe and that whole area has done an absolutely extraordinary job of doing a lot of work to reduce fuels,” said Crystal Kolden, a UC Merced fire scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bob Larsen’s home is about a block away from where the Caldor Fire stopped. He credits the areas of treated forest with saving his and his neighbors homes and said the 2007 Angora Fire, which incinerated 240 homes southwest of South Lake Tahoe, galvanized the community around fire preparations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://projects.capradio.org/california-fire-history/#9.69/39.0438/-120.1474\" style=\"border: 0px #ffffff none;\" name=\"myiFrame\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" marginheight=\"0px\" marginwidth=\"0px\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" allowfullscreen class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Angora] highlighted the importance of doing something about the overstocked forest and trying to make sure that homeowners are doing the work that they need to do to provide that defensible space,” Larsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of forest treatments, he said his neighborhood had a “buffer between sort of the very hot fire and fire that was more manageable, I think is a big part of why they were able to succeed and why we are so lucky.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977053\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bob Larsen stands in the forest near his home. \u003ccite>(Danielle Venton/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Fire here is expected\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>For roughly four decades, California wildfires have advanced higher and higher into the backcountry, rising in elevation at a rate of 25 feet per year, with the largest growth in the Sierra Nevada, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk4286/files/inline-files/Warming_Enabled_e2009717118.full_.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new study\u003c/a> from researchers at UC Merced and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers say the fire’s spread is driven by warmer and dryer conditions with snow melting earlier in the year. Warming temperatures have driven a fivefold increase in summertime forest fires across California, felt most dramatically in the Sierra Nevada, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research published in 2019, a year before last summer’s record-torching fire season\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://tahoe.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/257/2020/04/Integrated-Vulnerability-Assessment-of-Climate-Change-in-the-Lake-Tahoe-Basin_2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Tahoe Conservancy’s assessment of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s vulnerability to climate change\u003c/a>, the basin can expect to see higher temperatures, more extreme storms, less snow, more drought stress and larger areas burned by wildfires over the next century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s something that’s happening today,” said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem Devin Middlebrook. “[Preparing for big fires] isn’t something that we can put off for 20 or 30 years,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A CalFire truck drives on a smoke-filled Highway 50 between Pollock Pines and Strawberry, as the Caldor Fire burns nearby. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Culture of suppression\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Fire experts say a policy of fire prevention has left forest stands across the state thick with overgrown brush and trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the Great Fire of 1910, which burned 20 million acres across the northwest and killed 86 people, California forest managers began actively suppressing wildfires. The majority of the tens of millions of acres of forest in California are controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1935, that agency passed the 10 a.m. rule, a mandate dictating any fire must be controlled by the next day at 10 a.m. Although this policy was rescinded in 1974, this way of managing forests has led to more than 80 years of suppressing fires by federal firefighters and Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What experts say is often missing from this conversation is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/09/16/the-racist-removal-of-native-americans-in-california-is-often-missing-from-wildfire-discussions-experts-say/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">racist removal of Native American people\u003c/a> from California in the mid-19th century. More than \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/revealing-the-history-of-genocide-against-californias-native-americans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">16,000 were killed\u003c/a>, others were forced onto reservations and many were enslaved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with their physical beings, the knowledge of taking care of the land through forest thinning and cultural burns was also removed. This action resulted in overgrown forests, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.csuchico.edu/geop/department/dhankins.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Don Hankins\u003c/a>, a Plains Miwok fire expert at Chico State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California was “still stewarded continuously with Indigenous fire, we would definitely not see the same level of fires that we’re seeing,” he said in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are indications that the state is changing its fire policies. Having spent \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$3.4 billion on wildfire suppression last year\u003c/a>, Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$1 billion in new spending\u003c/a> for fire breaks, forest thinning, and other measures to stop megafires before they get out of control. Crowfoot, of the Natural Resources Agency, indicated the state is prepared to expand “upfront, proactive actions,” and the package includes $19 million for the state to work with tribes on prescribed burns, up from just $1 million last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have also passed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">a\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">bill\u003c/a> that wouldn’t hold prescribed burners liable if a fire escapes it’s containment lines, unless they are grossly negligent. Lastly, a federal Senate infrastructure bill could provide more than \u003ca href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AG/AG00/20210910/114025/BILLS-117SConRes14pp.pdf\">$16 \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AG/AG00/20210910/114025/BILLS-117SConRes14pp.pdf\">billion\u003c/a> over a decade for fuels management.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Megafires push forest communities to the brink\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A trail of cars lined Highway 50 during South Lake Tahoe’s evacuation on Aug. 30, but Bill Schaeffer, wearing a T-shirt, the same moody gray color as the smoke-darkened sky, pushed his bike toward the fire. The scruffy man with long locks hurried to gather his belongings at home in time to catch a bus out of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two weeks prior, Schaeffer, 68, was unhoused, like he had been on and off for almost two decades. He recently moved into a small, affordable home with the help of a local support group for unhoused people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I lose my place to live, then I’m going to probably be forced back to being homeless again,” he said, noting that rents here, like elsewhere throughout California, have risen to be “sky high.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known to the outside world as a sparkling tourist area, South Lake Tahoe is home to the resort staff, bartenders and thousands of others who live and work there, keeping the machinery of the place humming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction workers Jose Mora and Henry Jose Mendoza fled South Lake Tahoe, too, taking shelter at an evacuation center in Carson City, Nevada. Mendoza only had the clothes on his body because they didn’t have time to pack before leaving. The friends were confused whether or not they needed to evacuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977058\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977058\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jose Mora (right) and Henry Jose Mendoza, both construction workers, fled South Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire, taking shelter at an evacuation center in Carson City, Nevada. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We were looking at Facebook, and then the news,” said Mora. “We were just waiting. Then we received a call and we [saw] the map and we just started getting whatever we could.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the eve of the evacuation, Donarae Reynolds and her husband bustled around their home in the \u003ca href=\"https://goldenbearha.org/current-conditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Golden Bear neighborhood just outside South Lake Tahoe\u003c/a>, packing medications, clothes and other essentials into their cars and camper trailer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’d removed unrecoverable family photos from the walls, and stowed their passports, living trust and other important documents in a safety deposit box at the bank. Their neighborhood was ready when the evacuation order came in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all simply got in our cars and waved to each other and we took off,” Reynolds said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reynolds’ neighborhood was uniquely prepared for this day to come. In 2019, Reynolds and her neighbors held an \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/news/tahoeland/2019/10/02/climate-change-is-increasing-tahoes-risk-of-wildfire-these-residents-want-to-be-ready/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">evacuation drill to prepare for disasters like the Caldor Fire. \u003c/a>They’ve also held clean-up days and got residents to sign up for emergency alerts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it were a situation where you had no warning and everyone just had to scramble, I think that it would have been a totally different kind of an evacuation,” Reynolds said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighbors kept up with each other while they were evacuated, trading Ring doorbell camera footage and aerial views of the neighborhood to see if the fire had reached it. The fire spared their homes this time, and they’ve since returned to Golden Bear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977060\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe is mostly empty, after evacuees waited hours to leave the area.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe is mostly empty on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, after evacuees waited hours to leave the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A matter of survival\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in Tahoe with her home and its two decks still standing, Kocher said she feels fortunate to live in South Lake Tahoe with ample fire prevention and suppression assets, especially when nearby communities don’t have the same resources to stop the flames.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m concerned for those communities,” she said. “It’s a matter of survival unless we get our act together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to blame the fires all on a warming climate, but UC Berkeley fire science professor Scott Stephens said the lack of prevention efforts and the overgrown forests amount to the “vast majority” of the state’s current problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett, with the Desert Research Institute, said that still-rising temperatures, increasingly arid conditions, and other impacts of climate change is like “pouring gas” on wildfires and why “we need climate action now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even climate action, he admits, won’t stop the sheer volume of dead brush and trees in forests from burning or prevent the amount of global warming already baked into the atmosphere. But, yet, he has hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not going to stop that train,” he admitted, “but we might be able to divert it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": true,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 3056,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [
"https://projects.capradio.org/california-fire-history/#9.69/39.0438/-120.1474"
],
"paragraphCount": 73
},
"modified": 1704846414,
"excerpt": "About 3,500 firefighters and years of preventative fire preparations largely saved South Lake Tahoe from the Caldor Fire. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "About 3,500 firefighters and years of preventative fire preparations largely saved South Lake Tahoe from the Caldor Fire. ",
"title": "Wildfire Torched the Sierra All Summer, Evading Containment. Here’s How Tahoe Protected Itself | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Wildfire Torched the Sierra All Summer, Evading Containment. Here’s How Tahoe Protected Itself",
"datePublished": "2021-10-05T12:00:48-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:26:54-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "wildfire-torched-the-sierra-all-summer-evading-containment-heres-how-tahoe-protected-itself",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Ezra David Romero, Danielle Venton, Emily Zentner, and Raquel Maria Dillon",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Wildfire",
"path": "/science/1977037/wildfire-torched-the-sierra-all-summer-evading-containment-heres-how-tahoe-protected-itself",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Susie Kocher watched with increasing dread as the Caldor Fire roared across the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, churning toward her home near the base of Echo Summit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From high along the granite ridge nearby, the view of Lake Tahoe is normally pristine — a cerulean ocean in the sky, dotted with boats and casinos lining the pine forest along the South Shore. But for two weeks at the end of August, smoke as brown as car exhaust clouded the basin’s air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Kocher well knows, having worked tirelessly for more than a decade to prepare this community for a wildfire as a UC Cooperative Extension forestry adviser, under almost every tree near South Lake Tahoe is a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She feared the fast approaching edge of the fire, with its flames licking beyond 100 feet in the air. But she worried most about showers of red hot embers, carried over a mile beyond the fire’s edge by wind gusts, stealing entrance into these homes through open vents or siding gaps, burning them from the inside out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A firefighter is not going to help your home if the ember goes in through the attic,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the fire approached, she cleared away needles and brush from around her house. With their truck, Kocher’s husband, Rick George, hauled their sailboat and other fire hazards to a vacant lot away from their home. She collected her “wedding dress, my husband’s silver and his mother’s wedding dress,” irreplaceable items to take with her when they evacuated.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Aug. 30, officials ordered South Lake Tahoe to evacuate immediately. She joined thousands of others leaving en masse, her face obscured by a heavy blue and red respirator to protect her lungs from the hazardous smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Behind her as she drove away, ash and a hazy amber glow floated around her home.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "singleTwitterStatus",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"id": "1432458308812619779"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003ch3>The ‘wake-up moment’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>When the Valley Fire in Lake County destroyed 1,300 homes and killed four people in 2015, the wildfire community called it a “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976490/showing-climate-change-as-it-happens-a-veteran-photojournalist-on-capturing-californias-intensifying-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wake-up moment\u003c/a>” to an era of catastrophic wildfire in California, driven in part by climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caldor, Dixie and other fires this summer make it crystal clear that California’s wildfire crisis is escalating. About 4.3 million acres burned in 2020, a record that could be surpassed by this year’s extreme fire season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is in a dangerous place. Scorching summers coupled with tinderbox dry forests render fire containment ineffective — especially when it’s hot, windy or a combination of the two.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the Caldor Fire burned into the Tahoe Basin, it looked like this city, a center of gravity for culture in this part of the Sierra, could (and many thought would) burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it did not, thanks to the 3,500 firefighters, a timely shift in the winds and years of fire preparations by a myriad of players.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caldor Fire showed the danger California faces, but also a path forward, beginning with \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/09/09/interview-pyrogeographer-crystal-kolden-on-fighting-californias-modern-megafires/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acceptance that wildfires are a part of our lives\u003c/a> and not inherently bad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">acknowledged\u003c/a> as much when he detailed about $1 billion in new spending for fire breaks, tree thinning and other measures meant to prevent catastrophic wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going to respond our way out of this wildfire crisis,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A “confluence of all the right ingredients” coalesced to drive the Caldor Fire’s erratic fire behavior, accelerating the arrival of conditions expected to emerge over the next century, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.dri.edu/directory/benjamin-hatchett/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benjamin Hatchett,\u003c/a> an atmospheric scientist with the Desert Research Institute in Reno.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope Tahoe is the wake-up call,” he said. “We all need to get together and figure out what we’re going to do so that it’s not Tahoe City next year or Truckee next year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977050\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977050 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842.jpg\" alt=\"Fire crews manage a back fire while fighting the Caldor Fire. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2842-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fire crews manage a back fire in Sly Park, Calif., fighting the Caldor Fire on Monday, Aug, 23, 2021. \u003ccite>(Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>‘Hat’s off’ for forest thinning\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Caldor Fire ignited on Aug. 14 near Pollock Pines in El Dorado County, and quickly decimated Grizzly Flats, burning a school, church and the post office, leaving little left in the mountain hamlet. To date, the fire has burned more than 1,000 buildings and north of 220,000 acres. Officials lifted the last of the evacuation orders just \u003ca href=\"https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FA4qSO7VcAEVKRE.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">this week\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/pyrogeog/status/1435358566139904005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A few days earlier\u003c/a>, the Dixie Fire burned across Kettle Ridge, west of Susanville, and into the Great Basin, becoming the first known wildfire to run across the Sierra Nevada. The flames ripped through high elevation forests usually too saturated with heavy snow melt to burn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977051\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977051\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208.jpg\" alt=\"A burned entrance sign at Walter Tyler Elementary school with charred playground equipment in the background. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/DSCF2208-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Walter Tyler Elementary in Grizzly Flats, Calif. Tuesday, August 17, 2021. \u003ccite>(Andrew Nixon/CapRadio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We don’t have any record of that happening before,” Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter said, adding the blaze — 32 times the size of San Francisco — “was exceedingly resistant to control.” The Dixie Fire is California’s largest single fire on record, having consumed nearly 1 million acres across five counties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the end of August, the Caldor Fire had burned into the Tahoe Basin, becoming the second recorded fire to cross the Sierra Nevada. Its erratic fire behavior \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/08/19/caldor-fires-explosive-growth-following-dixie-fires-playbook/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mirrored the Dixie Fire\u003c/a> to the north, and residents watched with alarm as the embers ignited spot fires miles in front of the flames, like missiles shot from behind enemy lines, rendering firefighter containment lines — painstakingly hacked with hand tools and bulldozers — essentially useless.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For firefighters, this year has been a grueling slog, and the last two weeks of August were some of the worst.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since we got here, our first time actually sleeping was yesterday,” said Micah Conant, nearly a week into a shift at the Caldor Fire with his Tahoe Douglas Fire Department crew.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The firefighters’ main objective: keep the blaze out of South Lake Tahoe, a dense mountain city of more than 21,000 people, and the surrounding communities, home of Kocher and thousands more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As a first line of defense, crews with bulldozers scraped earth bare against homes in Meyers and Christmas Valley, where they expected to make a desperate stand, said Phil Heitzke, a fuels specialist with the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wildfire charged towards the fire line, “we were getting 100 or 150 foot flame lengths,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977052\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977052\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51740_IMG_1817-1-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cut stumps in the forest near South Lake Tahoe show where preventative forest thinning took place before the Caldor Fire burned the area. \u003ccite>(Danielle Venton/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But suddenly, the flames lowered to the forest floor. Firefighters crossed the dozer lines, safely able to work next to the flames, steering the wildfire away from the homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fire behavior dropped down as soon as it hit this unit,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If crews hadn’t thinned small trees and brush here a few years ago, that wouldn’t have been possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The canopy is open, and that’s the key thing with these fires, having that open canopy so the [wildfire] can’t sustain a crown run” where the fire burns from treetop to treetop, Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For the folks who have been working on these projects the last two decades my hat’s off to them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A built-in buffer\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Tens of thousands of acres have been treated in the Lake Tahoe Basin in the last 15 years, more than is typical for forested mountain communities. The work is not cheap. Paying crews with chain saws to thin overgrown forests can cost around $2,000 an acre.\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-1977041\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/KQED_Caldor-1.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"887\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Comparing that against the value of homes saved — recent home sales in the area have garnered a median price of $750,000 — it looks like a good investment. But here, Lake Tahoe is privileged. The city has a much larger population than most mountain towns and boasts a wealthy, largely white conservation community that can afford to pay for expertise needed to get good at winning competitive grants. “There’s a political pressure there,” Heitzke said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents and others have treated more than 40% of the Tahoe Basin since 2008 with mechanical thinning and “good fire,” the intentional burning of thick underbrush to slow down future wildfires. Additionally, hundreds of homeowners around the Tahoe Basin have prepared their houses and properties to withstand wildfire including cleaning needles, trees and debris around homes, and installing new roofs and vent covers to prevent embers from getting inside a house.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?url=https://services6.arcgis.com/1KtlSd2mklZMBKaz/ArcGIS/rest/services/Tahoe_Forest_Fuels_Tx_OFFICIAL_Public_View/FeatureServer&source=sd\">map\u003c/a> of treatments in the area shows an extensive, though patchy, jigsaw puzzle of mechanical thinning and pile burns on both sides of Highway 50. The Forest Service said in the past five years many of those fuel treatments in the Tahoe Basin included prescribed fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“South Lake Tahoe and that whole area has done an absolutely extraordinary job of doing a lot of work to reduce fuels,” said Crystal Kolden, a UC Merced fire scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bob Larsen’s home is about a block away from where the Caldor Fire stopped. He credits the areas of treated forest with saving his and his neighbors homes and said the 2007 Angora Fire, which incinerated 240 homes southwest of South Lake Tahoe, galvanized the community around fire preparations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https://projects.capradio.org/california-fire-history/#9.69/39.0438/-120.1474\" style=\"border: 0px #ffffff none;\" name=\"myiFrame\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" marginheight=\"0px\" marginwidth=\"0px\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" allowfullscreen class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[Angora] highlighted the importance of doing something about the overstocked forest and trying to make sure that homeowners are doing the work that they need to do to provide that defensible space,” Larsen said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of forest treatments, he said his neighborhood had a “buffer between sort of the very hot fire and fire that was more manageable, I think is a big part of why they were able to succeed and why we are so lucky.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977053\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977053\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51741_IMG_1815-1-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bob Larsen stands in the forest near his home. \u003ccite>(Danielle Venton/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Fire here is expected\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>For roughly four decades, California wildfires have advanced higher and higher into the backcountry, rising in elevation at a rate of 25 feet per year, with the largest growth in the Sierra Nevada, according to a \u003ca href=\"https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk4286/files/inline-files/Warming_Enabled_e2009717118.full_.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">new study\u003c/a> from researchers at UC Merced and elsewhere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers say the fire’s spread is driven by warmer and dryer conditions with snow melting earlier in the year. Warming temperatures have driven a fivefold increase in summertime forest fires across California, felt most dramatically in the Sierra Nevada, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research published in 2019, a year before last summer’s record-torching fire season\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the \u003ca href=\"https://tahoe.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/257/2020/04/Integrated-Vulnerability-Assessment-of-Climate-Change-in-the-Lake-Tahoe-Basin_2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Tahoe Conservancy’s assessment of the Lake Tahoe Basin’s vulnerability to climate change\u003c/a>, the basin can expect to see higher temperatures, more extreme storms, less snow, more drought stress and larger areas burned by wildfires over the next century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s something that’s happening today,” said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem Devin Middlebrook. “[Preparing for big fires] isn’t something that we can put off for 20 or 30 years,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977057\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51299_067_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A CalFire truck drives on a smoke-filled Highway 50 between Pollock Pines and Strawberry, as the Caldor Fire burns nearby. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>Culture of suppression\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Fire experts say a policy of fire prevention has left forest stands across the state thick with overgrown brush and trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the Great Fire of 1910, which burned 20 million acres across the northwest and killed 86 people, California forest managers began actively suppressing wildfires. The majority of the tens of millions of acres of forest in California are controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1935, that agency passed the 10 a.m. rule, a mandate dictating any fire must be controlled by the next day at 10 a.m. Although this policy was rescinded in 1974, this way of managing forests has led to more than 80 years of suppressing fires by federal firefighters and Cal Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What experts say is often missing from this conversation is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2020/09/16/the-racist-removal-of-native-americans-in-california-is-often-missing-from-wildfire-discussions-experts-say/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">racist removal of Native American people\u003c/a> from California in the mid-19th century. More than \u003ca href=\"https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/revealing-the-history-of-genocide-against-californias-native-americans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">16,000 were killed\u003c/a>, others were forced onto reservations and many were enslaved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with their physical beings, the knowledge of taking care of the land through forest thinning and cultural burns was also removed. This action resulted in overgrown forests, said \u003ca href=\"https://www.csuchico.edu/geop/department/dhankins.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Don Hankins\u003c/a>, a Plains Miwok fire expert at Chico State.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If California was “still stewarded continuously with Indigenous fire, we would definitely not see the same level of fires that we’re seeing,” he said in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are indications that the state is changing its fire policies. Having spent \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/hub/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$3.4 billion on wildfire suppression last year\u003c/a>, Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked about \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$1 billion in new spending\u003c/a> for fire breaks, forest thinning, and other measures to stop megafires before they get out of control. Crowfoot, of the Natural Resources Agency, indicated the state is prepared to expand “upfront, proactive actions,” and the package includes $19 million for the state to work with tribes on prescribed burns, up from just $1 million last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California lawmakers have also passed \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">a\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">bill\u003c/a> that wouldn’t hold prescribed burners liable if a fire escapes it’s containment lines, unless they are grossly negligent. Lastly, a federal Senate infrastructure bill could provide more than \u003ca href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AG/AG00/20210910/114025/BILLS-117SConRes14pp.pdf\">$16 \u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AG/AG00/20210910/114025/BILLS-117SConRes14pp.pdf\">billion\u003c/a> over a decade for fuels management.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Megafires push forest communities to the brink\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>A trail of cars lined Highway 50 during South Lake Tahoe’s evacuation on Aug. 30, but Bill Schaeffer, wearing a T-shirt, the same moody gray color as the smoke-darkened sky, pushed his bike toward the fire. The scruffy man with long locks hurried to gather his belongings at home in time to catch a bus out of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just two weeks prior, Schaeffer, 68, was unhoused, like he had been on and off for almost two decades. He recently moved into a small, affordable home with the help of a local support group for unhoused people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If I lose my place to live, then I’m going to probably be forced back to being homeless again,” he said, noting that rents here, like elsewhere throughout California, have risen to be “sky high.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Known to the outside world as a sparkling tourist area, South Lake Tahoe is home to the resort staff, bartenders and thousands of others who live and work there, keeping the machinery of the place humming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Construction workers Jose Mora and Henry Jose Mendoza fled South Lake Tahoe, too, taking shelter at an evacuation center in Carson City, Nevada. Mendoza only had the clothes on his body because they didn’t have time to pack before leaving. The friends were confused whether or not they needed to evacuate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977058\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977058\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Image-from-iOS-copy-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jose Mora (right) and Henry Jose Mendoza, both construction workers, fled South Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire, taking shelter at an evacuation center in Carson City, Nevada. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We were looking at Facebook, and then the news,” said Mora. “We were just waiting. Then we received a call and we [saw] the map and we just started getting whatever we could.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the eve of the evacuation, Donarae Reynolds and her husband bustled around their home in the \u003ca href=\"https://goldenbearha.org/current-conditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Golden Bear neighborhood just outside South Lake Tahoe\u003c/a>, packing medications, clothes and other essentials into their cars and camper trailer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’d removed unrecoverable family photos from the walls, and stowed their passports, living trust and other important documents in a safety deposit box at the bank. Their neighborhood was ready when the evacuation order came in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We all simply got in our cars and waved to each other and we took off,” Reynolds said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reynolds’ neighborhood was uniquely prepared for this day to come. In 2019, Reynolds and her neighbors held an \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/news/tahoeland/2019/10/02/climate-change-is-increasing-tahoes-risk-of-wildfire-these-residents-want-to-be-ready/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">evacuation drill to prepare for disasters like the Caldor Fire. \u003c/a>They’ve also held clean-up days and got residents to sign up for emergency alerts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it were a situation where you had no warning and everyone just had to scramble, I think that it would have been a totally different kind of an evacuation,” Reynolds said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The neighbors kept up with each other while they were evacuated, trading Ring doorbell camera footage and aerial views of the neighborhood to see if the fire had reached it. The fire spared their homes this time, and they’ve since returned to Golden Bear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977060\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe is mostly empty, after evacuees waited hours to leave the area.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/RS51290_048_Meyers_CaldorFire_08312021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe is mostly empty on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, after evacuees waited hours to leave the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch3>A matter of survival\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Back in Tahoe with her home and its two decks still standing, Kocher said she feels fortunate to live in South Lake Tahoe with ample fire prevention and suppression assets, especially when nearby communities don’t have the same resources to stop the flames.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m concerned for those communities,” she said. “It’s a matter of survival unless we get our act together.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy to blame the fires all on a warming climate, but UC Berkeley fire science professor Scott Stephens said the lack of prevention efforts and the overgrown forests amount to the “vast majority” of the state’s current problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett, with the Desert Research Institute, said that still-rising temperatures, increasingly arid conditions, and other impacts of climate change is like “pouring gas” on wildfires and why “we need climate action now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even climate action, he admits, won’t stop the sheer volume of dead brush and trees in forests from burning or prevent the amount of global warming already baked into the atmosphere. But, yet, he has hope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not going to stop that train,” he admitted, “but we might be able to divert it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1977037/wildfire-torched-the-sierra-all-summer-evading-containment-heres-how-tahoe-protected-itself",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1977037"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_4414",
"science_959",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1977047",
"label": "source_science_1977037"
},
"science_1976952": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976952",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976952",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1633017644000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1633017644,
"format": "image",
"title": "Facing Drought, Wildfires, Scorching Heat, Bay Area Wineries Are Changing How They Grow Grapes",
"headTitle": "Facing Drought, Wildfires, Scorching Heat, Bay Area Wineries Are Changing How They Grow Grapes | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Listen above for a KQED podcast episode of this story created by The Bay team.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a foggy September morning farmworkers harvest plump, dark purple grapes at \u003ca href=\"https://hamelfamilywines.com/\">Hamel Family Wines\u003c/a> in Sonoma County. But winemaker John Hamel II recognizes these Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are very different from others grown in Sonoma and Napa counties. The green vines are flourishing mostly without direct watering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These vines haven’t received a drop of water since 2017,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel stopped watering 80% of his vines after realizing that’s what some growers do in places like France. The method is called dry farming, and uses little to no water to irrigate vineyards. The result is grapes with thicker skins and tastier wine, says Hamel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This season will be slightly lower in yield, but we actually feel like this has potential to be a very good vintage,” he said of this year’s harvest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is in a second year of drought and for many North Bay grape growers, the hot, dry conditions mean lost crops. In 2020 some growers lost 20% or more of their crops because of dry conditions, fires, or smoke tainting the flavor of their grapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the climate warms, winemakers and grape growers are changing the direction they grow vines, picking earlier, covering crops with shade cloth, and adapting in other ways. Others have invested in solar panels, electric vehicles, and climate action plans. Some, like Hamel, have shifted to dry farming and are using a lot less water or none at all. At least one Bay Area winery is using “sunscreen” on grape leaves to protect harvests from excessive heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rethinking growing practices is critical, Hamel says, because back-to-back dry years are more frequent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now every year is warm and dry,” he said. “I think it’s good to realize that you’re never fully in control, and being able to adapt to the best of your ability is the job. It’s humbling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The only water these grape vines received since 2017 was from fog and rain.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eighty percent of the vines at Hamel Family Wines have not received any irrigation this year. That number has grown from 20% in 2017. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All growers are feeling pressure from drought, fire and heat, but do warming temperatures pose an existential threat to wine?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353907512_Global_warming_and_wine_quality_are_we_close_to_the_tipping_point\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study\u003c/a> released this summer by \u003ca href=\"https://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/people/kaan-kurtural#/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaan Kurtural\u003c/a>, a UC Davis viticulture specialist, found that California’s wine industry is “not at a tipping point” because of climate change or its effects — although heat waves and fires can have an immediate impact on winemaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tell the growers, their grapevines are not going to die,” he said. “They might not be economical to grow for one or two years, but they always come back. There are very resilient plants. So we’re able to adapt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also found that the climate has warmed steadily in California since the 1980s. But he says this has not been bad for the industry — a warmer climate helped establish the state as a premier wine growing region globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As it became warmer we started harvesting sweeter grapes, and with sweeter grapes, the wine ratings have steadily increased,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC5689930505&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the negative impacts of climate change, Kurtural says the state’s $40 billion wine market is strong and growers will adapt to make sure it stays that way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are growing grapes at the lowest costs for the grossest profit,” he said. “As long as growers are making money, they will keep them because it’s a business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Dry farming through a drought\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dry farming in California is not a widely used tactic — it’s just one way some growers like Hamel are acclimating to a warming world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just turning off the water and hoping for the best,” Hamel said. “Even in a year where we received less than half of normal rainfall with a hot summer the vines are doing well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel began dry farming before the current drought, and he’s glad he did. The roots of his vines had years to acclimate, growing deeper and finding underground sources of water. As a result, they are now well-prepared for dry times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the first year where we’ve really had a payback,” he said. “The vines have been trained to deal with a drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel says he saved 2 million gallons of water last year and plans to eventually dry farm almost the entirety of his 100 acres in the coming years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976958\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976958 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Hamel Family Wines doesn't use any water on 80% of it's 100 acres.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For John Hamel II, dry farming is about preserving a future for Hamel Family Wines as droughts worsen because of climate change. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“[We’re] essentially training the vine to endure more drought each season,” he said. “The drought doesn’t make things easier by any means. We really are on the razor’s edge all season.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drought is not new in California. But Hamel says the pendulum swings between wet and dry years have been more radical in recent years. “We have high rainfall years, close to double the amount of average rain, or we have almost half of the normal rainfall and it’s super difficult to get through an entire season,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"Related Stories\" tag=\"climate-change\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.712622/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study\u003c/a> by Kurtural, the UC Davis viticulture specialist, found growers can use half of the water they normally use without compromising the taste or color of wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But dry farming isn’t a viable option for all wine grape growers, said Connor Bockman with \u003ca href=\"https://rdwinery.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RD Winery\u003c/a>, Napa’s first Vietnamese-owned winery. The growers use drip irrigation to limit water use and utilize a practice called deficit irrigation where vines are only given water when they reach a certain level of stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says switching from irrigation to dry farming takes time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In comparison to other crops — orchards, annual field crops, and others — high-quality wine grapes use a relatively small amount of water,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RD Winery had less fruit on the vine this year. Exactly how much of that is caused by drought is “hard to say,” Bockman said, but their harvest is “40% to 50% under expected yield.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he says, the grapes are of both “great quality and concentration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Impacts of wildfire smoke\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976959\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976959 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A fire circled two vineyards at Green and Red Vineyards in Napa County the summer of 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lightning-sparked fire burned right up to some of the vines at Green and Red Vineyards in 2020. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some winemakers are already feeling the pain that comes with the short-term effects of climate change. Smoke from wildfires, made worse by drought and heat waves, can sully whole harvests with a fumy aroma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, a series of lightning-sparked fire, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/17/lnu-lightning-complex-includes-hennessey-gamble-15-10-spanish-markley-13-4-11-16-walbridge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LNU Lightning Complex,\u003c/a> consumed 363,000 acres and burned just feet from \u003ca href=\"https://greenandred.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green and Red Vineyards\u003c/a> in the hills of Napa County. Winery owner Tobin Heminway says most of the 31-acre vineyard acted as a fire break, but the wildfire did burn a few of the vines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were evacuated, and it came up and almost burnt our house down, which is up above on the property, and the fire circled two of our vineyards,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vines survived, but smoke tainted their grapes and they lost all of their reds. This year they picked a few weeks early, after heat waves ripened their grapes sooner than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had these radical growth spurts in the beginning of the season,” she said. “[The grapes] ripened earlier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says the yield is smaller this year, but the grapes are “good quality” and “intense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976960 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The winemakers tour the vineyard in a jeep showcasing how the fire surrounded the vineyard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For Green and Red Vineyard operators Tobin Heminway and Raymond Hannigan, the winery is more than grapes and vines. It represents family legacy. Jay Heminway, Tobin’s father, founded the winery and passed away two years ago. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Heminway took over the winery in 2019 after her father, Jay Heminway, passed away. Since then, she’s experienced one climate impact after another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an emotionally crazy time to live,” she said. “How do we survive and live in this environment, which is becoming less and less friendly?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heminway has considered foregoing the Zinfandel vines her father planted in the early 1970s for a different varietal. But every time she walks through the vineyard, she thinks about her dad, and removing the vineyard is too closely tied to the legacy he planted and grew. With drought, fires and heat waves continuing to stress her winemaking, she’s aware that climate change is also jeopardizing her family history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all questioning what we are doing here,” she said. “Do we have any control? In farming, we’re dependent on Mother Nature and Mother Nature is pissed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Using grape leaf “sunscreen” for heat waves\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976965\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976965 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-800x300.jpg\" alt=\"A wine grape grower in Napa County uses a clay spray on grape leaves to protect grapes from the hot temperatures. The liquid clay acts like sunscreen for the leaves lowering the temperature.\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-800x300.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-1020x382.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-160x60.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-768x288.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE.jpg 1366w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winemakers at Green and Red Vineyard in Napa County use a clay spray on grape leaves to protect grapes from hot temperatures. The liquid clay acts like sunscreen for the leaves, lowering the temperature. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wildfires and drought aren’t the only climate effects pressuring vines at Green and Red Vineyards. Scorching heat waves earlier this summer singed the leaves, exposing grapes to the scorching sun. For Aaron Whitlatch, the vineyard’s winemaker, losing another crop wasn’t an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to being a chef that doesn’t get to complete their meal,” he said. “They spent all day chopping things and preparing it, and then you just don’t get to put it out on the plate for people to enjoy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To protect the grapes from turning into raisins on the vine, Whitlatch turned to a human idea: sunscreen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s actually sunscreen for the leaves, not so much for the grapes themselves,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, borrowed from wineries in Australia, was already being used at a few other Northern California wineries. He tried it on his Petite Sirah vineyard, which is heavily exposed to sun on a hill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sprayed the leaves with white organic liquid clay, which after it has dried, coats them in a cooling white powder and prevents shriveling or turning, ensuring the grapes are shielded from high heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Whitlatch says heat waves and drought this year will likely cut the total yield in half and he’s aware that future harvests remain in jeopardy as the climate emergency continues to worsen globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Connor Bockman.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": true,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1835,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 51
},
"modified": 1704846416,
"excerpt": "California is in a second year of drought and for many North Bay grape growers, the hot, dry conditions mean lost crops.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "California is in a second year of drought and for many North Bay grape growers, the hot, dry conditions mean lost crops.",
"title": "Facing Drought, Wildfires, Scorching Heat, Bay Area Wineries Are Changing How They Grow Grapes | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Facing Drought, Wildfires, Scorching Heat, Bay Area Wineries Are Changing How They Grow Grapes",
"datePublished": "2021-09-30T09:00:44-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:26:56-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "facing-drought-wildfires-scorching-heat-bay-area-wineries-are-changing-how-they-grow-grapes",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC5689930505.mp3?updated=1632768570",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Water",
"path": "/science/1976952/facing-drought-wildfires-scorching-heat-bay-area-wineries-are-changing-how-they-grow-grapes",
"audioDuration": null,
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Listen above for a KQED podcast episode of this story created by The Bay team.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a foggy September morning farmworkers harvest plump, dark purple grapes at \u003ca href=\"https://hamelfamilywines.com/\">Hamel Family Wines\u003c/a> in Sonoma County. But winemaker John Hamel II recognizes these Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are very different from others grown in Sonoma and Napa counties. The green vines are flourishing mostly without direct watering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These vines haven’t received a drop of water since 2017,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel stopped watering 80% of his vines after realizing that’s what some growers do in places like France. The method is called dry farming, and uses little to no water to irrigate vineyards. The result is grapes with thicker skins and tastier wine, says Hamel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This season will be slightly lower in yield, but we actually feel like this has potential to be a very good vintage,” he said of this year’s harvest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California is in a second year of drought and for many North Bay grape growers, the hot, dry conditions mean lost crops. In 2020 some growers lost 20% or more of their crops because of dry conditions, fires, or smoke tainting the flavor of their grapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the climate warms, winemakers and grape growers are changing the direction they grow vines, picking earlier, covering crops with shade cloth, and adapting in other ways. Others have invested in solar panels, electric vehicles, and climate action plans. Some, like Hamel, have shifted to dry farming and are using a lot less water or none at all. At least one Bay Area winery is using “sunscreen” on grape leaves to protect harvests from excessive heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rethinking growing practices is critical, Hamel says, because back-to-back dry years are more frequent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now every year is warm and dry,” he said. “I think it’s good to realize that you’re never fully in control, and being able to adapt to the best of your ability is the job. It’s humbling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976969\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976969\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The only water these grape vines received since 2017 was from fog and rain.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHT-WINE-FOG-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eighty percent of the vines at Hamel Family Wines have not received any irrigation this year. That number has grown from 20% in 2017. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All growers are feeling pressure from drought, fire and heat, but do warming temperatures pose an existential threat to wine?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353907512_Global_warming_and_wine_quality_are_we_close_to_the_tipping_point\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study\u003c/a> released this summer by \u003ca href=\"https://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/people/kaan-kurtural#/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kaan Kurtural\u003c/a>, a UC Davis viticulture specialist, found that California’s wine industry is “not at a tipping point” because of climate change or its effects — although heat waves and fires can have an immediate impact on winemaking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I tell the growers, their grapevines are not going to die,” he said. “They might not be economical to grow for one or two years, but they always come back. There are very resilient plants. So we’re able to adapt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also found that the climate has warmed steadily in California since the 1980s. But he says this has not been bad for the industry — a warmer climate helped establish the state as a premier wine growing region globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As it became warmer we started harvesting sweeter grapes, and with sweeter grapes, the wine ratings have steadily increased,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC5689930505&light=true\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the negative impacts of climate change, Kurtural says the state’s $40 billion wine market is strong and growers will adapt to make sure it stays that way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are growing grapes at the lowest costs for the grossest profit,” he said. “As long as growers are making money, they will keep them because it’s a business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Dry farming through a drought\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Dry farming in California is not a widely used tactic — it’s just one way some growers like Hamel are acclimating to a warming world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just turning off the water and hoping for the best,” Hamel said. “Even in a year where we received less than half of normal rainfall with a hot summer the vines are doing well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel began dry farming before the current drought, and he’s glad he did. The roots of his vines had years to acclimate, growing deeper and finding underground sources of water. As a result, they are now well-prepared for dry times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is the first year where we’ve really had a payback,” he said. “The vines have been trained to deal with a drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hamel says he saved 2 million gallons of water last year and plans to eventually dry farm almost the entirety of his 100 acres in the coming years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976958\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976958 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"Hamel Family Wines doesn't use any water on 80% of it's 100 acres.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For John Hamel II, dry farming is about preserving a future for Hamel Family Wines as droughts worsen because of climate change. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“[We’re] essentially training the vine to endure more drought each season,” he said. “The drought doesn’t make things easier by any means. We really are on the razor’s edge all season.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drought is not new in California. But Hamel says the pendulum swings between wet and dry years have been more radical in recent years. “We have high rainfall years, close to double the amount of average rain, or we have almost half of the normal rainfall and it’s super difficult to get through an entire season,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "Related Stories ",
"tag": "climate-change"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.712622/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">study\u003c/a> by Kurtural, the UC Davis viticulture specialist, found growers can use half of the water they normally use without compromising the taste or color of wine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But dry farming isn’t a viable option for all wine grape growers, said Connor Bockman with \u003ca href=\"https://rdwinery.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RD Winery\u003c/a>, Napa’s first Vietnamese-owned winery. The growers use drip irrigation to limit water use and utilize a practice called deficit irrigation where vines are only given water when they reach a certain level of stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says switching from irrigation to dry farming takes time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In comparison to other crops — orchards, annual field crops, and others — high-quality wine grapes use a relatively small amount of water,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RD Winery had less fruit on the vine this year. Exactly how much of that is caused by drought is “hard to say,” Bockman said, but their harvest is “40% to 50% under expected yield.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, he says, the grapes are of both “great quality and concentration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Impacts of wildfire smoke\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976959\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976959 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"A fire circled two vineyards at Green and Red Vineyards in Napa County the summer of 2020.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-6-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lightning-sparked fire burned right up to some of the vines at Green and Red Vineyards in 2020. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some winemakers are already feeling the pain that comes with the short-term effects of climate change. Smoke from wildfires, made worse by drought and heat waves, can sully whole harvests with a fumy aroma.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2020, a series of lightning-sparked fire, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2020/8/17/lnu-lightning-complex-includes-hennessey-gamble-15-10-spanish-markley-13-4-11-16-walbridge/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LNU Lightning Complex,\u003c/a> consumed 363,000 acres and burned just feet from \u003ca href=\"https://greenandred.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green and Red Vineyards\u003c/a> in the hills of Napa County. Winery owner Tobin Heminway says most of the 31-acre vineyard acted as a fire break, but the wildfire did burn a few of the vines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were evacuated, and it came up and almost burnt our house down, which is up above on the property, and the fire circled two of our vineyards,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vines survived, but smoke tainted their grapes and they lost all of their reds. This year they picked a few weeks early, after heat waves ripened their grapes sooner than expected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had these radical growth spurts in the beginning of the season,” she said. “[The grapes] ripened earlier.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says the yield is smaller this year, but the grapes are “good quality” and “intense.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976960\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976960 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"The winemakers tour the vineyard in a jeep showcasing how the fire surrounded the vineyard.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/WINE-DROUGHT-ROMERO-8-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">For Green and Red Vineyard operators Tobin Heminway and Raymond Hannigan, the winery is more than grapes and vines. It represents family legacy. Jay Heminway, Tobin’s father, founded the winery and passed away two years ago. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Heminway took over the winery in 2019 after her father, Jay Heminway, passed away. Since then, she’s experienced one climate impact after another.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an emotionally crazy time to live,” she said. “How do we survive and live in this environment, which is becoming less and less friendly?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heminway has considered foregoing the Zinfandel vines her father planted in the early 1970s for a different varietal. But every time she walks through the vineyard, she thinks about her dad, and removing the vineyard is too closely tied to the legacy he planted and grew. With drought, fires and heat waves continuing to stress her winemaking, she’s aware that climate change is also jeopardizing her family history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re all questioning what we are doing here,” she said. “Do we have any control? In farming, we’re dependent on Mother Nature and Mother Nature is pissed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Using grape leaf “sunscreen” for heat waves\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976965\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976965 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-800x300.jpg\" alt=\"A wine grape grower in Napa County uses a clay spray on grape leaves to protect grapes from the hot temperatures. The liquid clay acts like sunscreen for the leaves lowering the temperature.\" width=\"800\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-800x300.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-1020x382.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-160x60.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE-768x288.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/DROUGHTWINESIDE.jpg 1366w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Winemakers at Green and Red Vineyard in Napa County use a clay spray on grape leaves to protect grapes from hot temperatures. The liquid clay acts like sunscreen for the leaves, lowering the temperature. \u003ccite>(Ezra David Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wildfires and drought aren’t the only climate effects pressuring vines at Green and Red Vineyards. Scorching heat waves earlier this summer singed the leaves, exposing grapes to the scorching sun. For Aaron Whitlatch, the vineyard’s winemaker, losing another crop wasn’t an option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I liken it to being a chef that doesn’t get to complete their meal,” he said. “They spent all day chopping things and preparing it, and then you just don’t get to put it out on the plate for people to enjoy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To protect the grapes from turning into raisins on the vine, Whitlatch turned to a human idea: sunscreen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s actually sunscreen for the leaves, not so much for the grapes themselves,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The solution, borrowed from wineries in Australia, was already being used at a few other Northern California wineries. He tried it on his Petite Sirah vineyard, which is heavily exposed to sun on a hill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He sprayed the leaves with white organic liquid clay, which after it has dried, coats them in a cooling white powder and prevents shriveling or turning, ensuring the grapes are shielded from high heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Whitlatch says heat waves and drought this year will likely cut the total yield in half and he’s aware that future harvests remain in jeopardy as the climate emergency continues to worsen globally.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified Connor Bockman.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976952/facing-drought-wildfires-scorching-heat-bay-area-wineries-are-changing-how-they-grow-grapes",
"authors": [
"11746"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_98",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_1622",
"science_194",
"science_1461",
"science_383",
"science_113",
"science_393"
],
"featImg": "science_1977032",
"label": "source_science_1976952"
},
"science_1976890": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976890",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976890",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1632786831000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "heres-how-celebrities-embraced-climate-discussions-at-the-u-n-general-assembly",
"title": "Here's How Celebrities Embraced Climate Discussions at the U.N. General Assembly",
"publishDate": 1632786831,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Here’s How Celebrities Embraced Climate Discussions at the U.N. General Assembly | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>The 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly (or #UNGA if you’re Twitter) got off to a flying start last week, with a primary focus on two key issues: pandemic recovery and environmental action. The agenda included the General Assembly’s first global meeting on renewable energy since 1981, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres stated definitively last Tuesday: “The war on our planet must end.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='science_1976869']The gathering of more than a hundred world leaders and diplomats to discuss climate change and other environmental matters, of course prompted a variety of celebrities to chime in and share their viewpoints, too. (Perhaps, not since “\u003cem>Parks and Recreation”\u003c/em> dedicated \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2089306/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an entire episode\u003c/a> to a Model U.N. has the work of the intergovernmental body been so thoroughly absorbed and regurgitated by pop culture in so short a space of time.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a handy roundup of what some of the non-politicians — hosts of late night, BTS, and Camila Cabello among them — had to say for themselves about the climate last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>BTS performs at the U.N.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Probably the most high profile — and, let’s be honest, bizarre — clash of policy and pop culture came on Monday when pop superstars \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuEY7HMZpY8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BTS gathered on stage at U.N. headquarters a day before\u003c/a> the General Assembly officially opened. The singers, dressed in smart suits, appeared as “special presidential envoys of the Republic of Korea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After an introduction by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the boy band spoke of gratitude, optimism and how caring for nature helped so many young people through COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we believe in the possibilities and hope,” said Kim Seok-jin (better known to BTS fans as Jin), “even when the unexpected happens, we will not lose our way, but discover new ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song “Permission to Dance,” he announced “is our message of welcome that we want to share with everyone today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, above them on a big screen, \u003cem>this\u003c/em> happened:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SmQOZWNyWE\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Camila Cabello and friends write a letter\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On Thursday, pop star and former Fifth Harmony singer, Camila Cabello gathered more than 60 celebrities together to sign \u003ca href=\"https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/build-back-better-entertainment-industry-letter/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an open letter\u003c/a> demanding climate action. Addressed to the CEOs of 14 major media companies — including Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Netflix, Fox, Facebook, Disney and Sony — the letter asked them to publicly back President Biden’s climate agenda and supporting legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It said in part:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"after-p before-p\">The plan currently before Congress will protect people’s health and clean up our drinking water. It will create a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels and create millions of new jobs. It will protect communities from climate change through investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and infrastructure upgrades. And it will make sure we finally prioritize and invest in the low-income communities and communities of color that are hit hardest by both fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts. This plan will create a stronger, brighter, and more just America—and we need you to help make this vision a reality.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Shakira, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake signed the letter, along with other major stars including: Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Kerry Washington, Hugh Jackman, Dua Lipa, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Jimmy Fallon, Barbra Streisand and Sigourney Weaver.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Late night hosts do “Climate Night”\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBoYb6RhcL4&t=438s\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last Wednesday, all the late-night hosts dedicated episodes to the climate crisis under the banner of one “Climate Night,” with a mixed bag of results. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfJlGyqrj0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seth Myers and James Corden joined forces\u003c/a> for a 3-minute segment that broadcast on both NBC and CBS before their shows (which featured interviews with John Kerry and Bill Gates, respectively). “Climate is a universal topic,” Corden said inanely. “Please learn all you can and then call your congressman.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5aAbfxcP5M&t=67s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Samantha Bee\u003c/a> focused on aging infrastructure and overflowing sewage, and Trevor Noah talked endangered coffee beans, wine grapes and sea turtles. Also, Jimmy Fallon told Dr. Jane Goodall — a woman who’s trying to get literally \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesforjane.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a trillion trees\u003c/a> planted over the next decade — that “\u003cem>The Tonight Show”\u003c/em> would plant one for her. (\u003cem>One\u003c/em>! And it was \u003cem>tiny\u003c/em>!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13877066']On the plus side, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcFlDnxiBiM&t=55s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Colbert\u003c/a> had the decency to acknowledge that late night’s dedicated evening of shows was about as likely to stop climate change as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13877066/imagine-and-all-the-other-ways-celebrities-are-making-lockdown-worse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gal Gadot’s version of “Imagine”\u003c/a> was to stop COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there was a leader of the pack though, it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBoYb6RhcL4&t=438s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Kimmel\u003c/a>, who brought on actual real-life climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Kimmel also used his monologue to share some under-discussed political info. “Joe Biden is on track to approve more oil and gas permits than any year of the Trump administration,” Kimmel said at one point. “And the Democrats in Congress left fossil fuel subsidies in their big climate bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Harry and Meghan attend Global Citizen Live\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976896\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976896 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit One World Trade Center on Sept. 23, two days before their appearance at the Global Citizen Live event in New York City. \u003ccite>(Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Duke and Duchess traveled to New York last week, to attend Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.globalcitizen.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Global Citizen Live\u003c/a> concert in Central Park. The couple’s primary mission was to talk about COVID-19 vaccine accessibility, but the theme of the festival was: “Defend the planet. Defeat poverty.” It featured performances by Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, and many other special guests. Simultaneous concerts also took place in Paris, Rio, L.A., London, Mumbai, Lagos, Sydney and more, as part of a 24-hour streaming event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-live-everything-to-know/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Global Citizen says its mission\u003c/a> is to: “call on world leaders, major corporations, and foundations” to combat “catastrophic climate change.” It seeks to secure commitment from governments and other powerful leaders to reach net zero emissions; “conserve, restore and grow” more trees; and “for the wealthiest nations to deliver on their promise to give $100 billion annually to address the climate needs of developing countries.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing \u003cem>too\u003c/em> ambitious, then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXrXnCG64Og\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How useful celebrity interventions can possibly be when it comes to a crisis of this magnitude is impossible to say. But, look on the bright side. At least they gave us something to look at last week that featured neither fire nor flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No wonder that BTS video has been watched 22 million times already.\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": "BTS performs at the U.N. headquarters, \"Climate Night\" on late night T.V., and other celebrity highlights from last week. ",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1725577033,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": true,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 22,
"wordCount": 1145
},
"headData": {
"title": "Here's How Celebrities Embraced Climate Discussions at the U.N. General Assembly | KQED",
"description": "BTS performs at the U.N. headquarters, "Climate Night" on late night T.V., and other celebrity highlights from last week. ",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Here's How Celebrities Embraced Climate Discussions at the U.N. General Assembly",
"datePublished": "2021-09-27T16:53:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-09-05T15:57:13-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"sticky": false,
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"path": "/science/1976890/heres-how-celebrities-embraced-climate-discussions-at-the-u-n-general-assembly",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly (or #UNGA if you’re Twitter) got off to a flying start last week, with a primary focus on two key issues: pandemic recovery and environmental action. The agenda included the General Assembly’s first global meeting on renewable energy since 1981, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres stated definitively last Tuesday: “The war on our planet must end.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "science_1976869",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The gathering of more than a hundred world leaders and diplomats to discuss climate change and other environmental matters, of course prompted a variety of celebrities to chime in and share their viewpoints, too. (Perhaps, not since “\u003cem>Parks and Recreation”\u003c/em> dedicated \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2089306/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an entire episode\u003c/a> to a Model U.N. has the work of the intergovernmental body been so thoroughly absorbed and regurgitated by pop culture in so short a space of time.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s a handy roundup of what some of the non-politicians — hosts of late night, BTS, and Camila Cabello among them — had to say for themselves about the climate last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>BTS performs at the U.N.\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Probably the most high profile — and, let’s be honest, bizarre — clash of policy and pop culture came on Monday when pop superstars \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuEY7HMZpY8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BTS gathered on stage at U.N. headquarters a day before\u003c/a> the General Assembly officially opened. The singers, dressed in smart suits, appeared as “special presidential envoys of the Republic of Korea.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After an introduction by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the boy band spoke of gratitude, optimism and how caring for nature helped so many young people through COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we believe in the possibilities and hope,” said Kim Seok-jin (better known to BTS fans as Jin), “even when the unexpected happens, we will not lose our way, but discover new ones.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The song “Permission to Dance,” he announced “is our message of welcome that we want to share with everyone today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, above them on a big screen, \u003cem>this\u003c/em> happened:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/9SmQOZWNyWE'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/9SmQOZWNyWE'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003ch3>Camila Cabello and friends write a letter\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>On Thursday, pop star and former Fifth Harmony singer, Camila Cabello gathered more than 60 celebrities together to sign \u003ca href=\"https://www.nrdcactionfund.org/build-back-better-entertainment-industry-letter/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an open letter\u003c/a> demanding climate action. Addressed to the CEOs of 14 major media companies — including Amazon, Apple, AT&T, Netflix, Fox, Facebook, Disney and Sony — the letter asked them to publicly back President Biden’s climate agenda and supporting legislation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It said in part:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cp class=\"after-p before-p\">The plan currently before Congress will protect people’s health and clean up our drinking water. It will create a just transition away from dirty fossil fuels and create millions of new jobs. It will protect communities from climate change through investments in clean energy, clean transportation, and infrastructure upgrades. And it will make sure we finally prioritize and invest in the low-income communities and communities of color that are hit hardest by both fossil fuel pollution and climate impacts. This plan will create a stronger, brighter, and more just America—and we need you to help make this vision a reality.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Shakira, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake signed the letter, along with other major stars including: Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Kerry Washington, Hugh Jackman, Dua Lipa, Don Cheadle, Ellen DeGeneres, Shawn Mendes, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Jimmy Fallon, Barbra Streisand and Sigourney Weaver.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Late night hosts do “Climate Night”\u003c/h3>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/bBoYb6RhcL4'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/bBoYb6RhcL4'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>Last Wednesday, all the late-night hosts dedicated episodes to the climate crisis under the banner of one “Climate Night,” with a mixed bag of results. \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfJlGyqrj0E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seth Myers and James Corden joined forces\u003c/a> for a 3-minute segment that broadcast on both NBC and CBS before their shows (which featured interviews with John Kerry and Bill Gates, respectively). “Climate is a universal topic,” Corden said inanely. “Please learn all you can and then call your congressman.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5aAbfxcP5M&t=67s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Samantha Bee\u003c/a> focused on aging infrastructure and overflowing sewage, and Trevor Noah talked endangered coffee beans, wine grapes and sea turtles. Also, Jimmy Fallon told Dr. Jane Goodall — a woman who’s trying to get literally \u003ca href=\"https://www.treesforjane.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a trillion trees\u003c/a> planted over the next decade — that “\u003cem>The Tonight Show”\u003c/em> would plant one for her. (\u003cem>One\u003c/em>! And it was \u003cem>tiny\u003c/em>!)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"postid": "arts_13877066",
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>On the plus side, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcFlDnxiBiM&t=55s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Colbert\u003c/a> had the decency to acknowledge that late night’s dedicated evening of shows was about as likely to stop climate change as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13877066/imagine-and-all-the-other-ways-celebrities-are-making-lockdown-worse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gal Gadot’s version of “Imagine”\u003c/a> was to stop COVID-19.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there was a leader of the pack though, it was \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBoYb6RhcL4&t=438s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Kimmel\u003c/a>, who brought on actual real-life climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe. Kimmel also used his monologue to share some under-discussed political info. “Joe Biden is on track to approve more oil and gas permits than any year of the Trump administration,” Kimmel said at one point. “And the Democrats in Congress left fossil fuel subsidies in their big climate bill.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Harry and Meghan attend Global Citizen Live\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976896\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976896 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/GettyImages-1342104290-1.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit One World Trade Center on Sept. 23, two days before their appearance at the Global Citizen Live event in New York City. \u003ccite>(Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Duke and Duchess traveled to New York last week, to attend Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.globalcitizen.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Global Citizen Live\u003c/a> concert in Central Park. The couple’s primary mission was to talk about COVID-19 vaccine accessibility, but the theme of the festival was: “Defend the planet. Defeat poverty.” It featured performances by Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Jennifer Lopez, Lizzo, and many other special guests. Simultaneous concerts also took place in Paris, Rio, L.A., London, Mumbai, Lagos, Sydney and more, as part of a 24-hour streaming event.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/global-citizen-live-everything-to-know/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Global Citizen says its mission\u003c/a> is to: “call on world leaders, major corporations, and foundations” to combat “catastrophic climate change.” It seeks to secure commitment from governments and other powerful leaders to reach net zero emissions; “conserve, restore and grow” more trees; and “for the wealthiest nations to deliver on their promise to give $100 billion annually to address the climate needs of developing countries.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nothing \u003cem>too\u003c/em> ambitious, then.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/pXrXnCG64Og'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/pXrXnCG64Og'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>How useful celebrity interventions can possibly be when it comes to a crisis of this magnitude is impossible to say. But, look on the bright side. At least they gave us something to look at last week that featured neither fire nor flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No wonder that BTS video has been watched 22 million times already.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976890/heres-how-celebrities-embraced-climate-discussions-at-the-u-n-general-assembly",
"authors": [
"11242"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_44"
],
"tags": [
"science_5197",
"science_194",
"science_3794"
],
"featImg": "science_1976898",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1976863": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976863",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976863",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1632511300000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1632511300,
"format": "standard",
"title": "EPA to Phase Out Use of Potent Heat-Trapping Gases Used in Refrigerators, Air Conditioners",
"headTitle": "EPA to Phase Out Use of Potent Heat-Trapping Gases Used in Refrigerators, Air Conditioners | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In what officials call a key step to combat climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency is sharply limiting domestic production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rule, which follows through on a law Congress passed last year, is intended to decrease U.S. production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 15 years, part of a global phaseout designed to slow global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HFCs are greenhouse gases that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. They often leak through pipes or appliances that use compressed refrigerants and are considered a major driver of global warming. President Joe Biden has pledged to embrace a 2016 global agreement to greatly reduce HFCs by 2036.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator, said the new rule was “a win on climate and a win on jobs and American competitiveness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule is expected to reduce harmful emissions by the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050, McCarthy said, a total similar to three years of emissions from the U.S. power sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the phasedown is backed by a coalition of industry groups that see it as an opportunity to “supercharge” American leadership on domestic manufacturing and production of alternative refrigerants. The industry has long been shifting to the use of alternative refrigerants and pushed for a federal standard to avoid a patchwork of state laws and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This action reaffirms what President Biden always says — that when he thinks about climate, he thinks about jobs,” Regan said, echoing a Biden refrain about climate change. Transitioning to safer alternatives and more energy-efficient cooling technologies is expected to generate more than $270 billion in cost savings and public health benefits over the next 30 years, Regan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A pandemic relief and spending bill passed by Congress last December directs the EPA to sharply reduce production and use of HFCs. The measure won wide support and was hailed as the most significant climate change law in at least a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides targeting HFCs, the American Innovation and Manufacturing, or AIM, Act also promotes technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide produced by power and manufacturing plants and calls for reductions in diesel emissions by buses and other vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who is chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was an influential backer of the law, along with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Both represent states that are home to chemical companies that produce alternative refrigerants and sought regulatory certainty through federal action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The HFC provision was supported by an unusual coalition that included major environmental and business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, American Chemistry Council and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. The chemistry council represents major companies including Dow, DuPont, Honeywell, Chemours and Arkema.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The administration said it also is taking other steps to ensure reductions in HFCs, including creation of an interagency task force to prevent illegal trade, production, use or sale of the climate-damaging gases. The task force will be led by the Department of Homeland Security, and EPA’s offices of Air and Radiation and Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Working with the departments of Justice, State and Defense, the task force will “detect, deter and disrupt any attempt to illegally import or produce HFCs in the United States,” the White House said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/23/fact-sheet-biden-administration-combats-super-pollutants-and-bolsters-domestic-manufacturing-with-new-programs-and-historic-commitments/\">fact sheet.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joseph Goffman, a top official with EPA’s air and radiation office, said the experience of the European Union shows that enforcement is an important part of an HFC crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, (the EU) has experienced a lot of illegal activity” on HFC imports and other issues, Goffman said. “We’re going to be vigorous and proactive” in trying to stop illegal imports, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biden issued an executive order in January that embraces a 2016 amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone pollution. That amendment calls for the United States and other large industrialized countries to reduce HFCs by 85% by 2036. The State Department has prepared documents for formal ratification of the amendment, but the White House has not submitted them to the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCarthy insisted “there is no hold up” on the amendment, but said she did not know when Biden would submit the matter to the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 754,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 19
},
"modified": 1704846425,
"excerpt": "The new rule is intended to decrease the use of greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons by 85% over the next 15 years. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The new rule is intended to decrease the use of greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons by 85% over the next 15 years. ",
"title": "EPA to Phase Out Use of Potent Heat-Trapping Gases Used in Refrigerators, Air Conditioners | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "EPA to Phase Out Use of Potent Heat-Trapping Gases Used in Refrigerators, Air Conditioners",
"datePublished": "2021-09-24T12:21:40-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:05-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "epa-to-phase-out-use-of-potent-heat-trapping-gases-used-in-refrigerators-air-conditioners",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1040028555&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Matthew Daly \u003cbr />AP\u003cbr> ",
"nprStoryDate": "Thu, 23 Sep 2021 08:17:31 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Thu, 23 Sep 2021 08:17:31 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2021/09/23/1040028555/epa-refrigerants-hydrofluorocarbons-climate-change-co2?ft=nprml&f=1040028555",
"nprImageAgency": "AP",
"nprImageCredit": "Jenny Kane",
"source": "AP",
"nprStoryId": "1040028555",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Thu, 23 Sep 2021 08:17:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1976863/epa-to-phase-out-use-of-potent-heat-trapping-gases-used-in-refrigerators-air-conditioners",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In what officials call a key step to combat climate change, the Environmental Protection Agency is sharply limiting domestic production and use of hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new rule, which follows through on a law Congress passed last year, is intended to decrease U.S. production and use of HFCs by 85% over the next 15 years, part of a global phaseout designed to slow global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HFCs are greenhouse gases that are thousands of times more powerful than carbon dioxide. They often leak through pipes or appliances that use compressed refrigerants and are considered a major driver of global warming. President Joe Biden has pledged to embrace a 2016 global agreement to greatly reduce HFCs by 2036.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator, said the new rule was “a win on climate and a win on jobs and American competitiveness.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule is expected to reduce harmful emissions by the equivalent of 4.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050, McCarthy said, a total similar to three years of emissions from the U.S. power sector.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the phasedown is backed by a coalition of industry groups that see it as an opportunity to “supercharge” American leadership on domestic manufacturing and production of alternative refrigerants. The industry has long been shifting to the use of alternative refrigerants and pushed for a federal standard to avoid a patchwork of state laws and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This action reaffirms what President Biden always says — that when he thinks about climate, he thinks about jobs,” Regan said, echoing a Biden refrain about climate change. Transitioning to safer alternatives and more energy-efficient cooling technologies is expected to generate more than $270 billion in cost savings and public health benefits over the next 30 years, Regan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A pandemic relief and spending bill passed by Congress last December directs the EPA to sharply reduce production and use of HFCs. The measure won wide support and was hailed as the most significant climate change law in at least a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Besides targeting HFCs, the American Innovation and Manufacturing, or AIM, Act also promotes technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide produced by power and manufacturing plants and calls for reductions in diesel emissions by buses and other vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who is chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was an influential backer of the law, along with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. Both represent states that are home to chemical companies that produce alternative refrigerants and sought regulatory certainty through federal action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The HFC provision was supported by an unusual coalition that included major environmental and business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers, American Chemistry Council and the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute. The chemistry council represents major companies including Dow, DuPont, Honeywell, Chemours and Arkema.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The administration said it also is taking other steps to ensure reductions in HFCs, including creation of an interagency task force to prevent illegal trade, production, use or sale of the climate-damaging gases. The task force will be led by the Department of Homeland Security, and EPA’s offices of Air and Radiation and Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Working with the departments of Justice, State and Defense, the task force will “detect, deter and disrupt any attempt to illegally import or produce HFCs in the United States,” the White House said in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/23/fact-sheet-biden-administration-combats-super-pollutants-and-bolsters-domestic-manufacturing-with-new-programs-and-historic-commitments/\">fact sheet.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Joseph Goffman, a top official with EPA’s air and radiation office, said the experience of the European Union shows that enforcement is an important part of an HFC crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Unfortunately, (the EU) has experienced a lot of illegal activity” on HFC imports and other issues, Goffman said. “We’re going to be vigorous and proactive” in trying to stop illegal imports, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Biden issued an executive order in January that embraces a 2016 amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone pollution. That amendment calls for the United States and other large industrialized countries to reduce HFCs by 85% by 2036. The State Department has prepared documents for formal ratification of the amendment, but the White House has not submitted them to the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCarthy insisted “there is no hold up” on the amendment, but said she did not know when Biden would submit the matter to the Senate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976863/epa-to-phase-out-use-of-potent-heat-trapping-gases-used-in-refrigerators-air-conditioners",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976863"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_4209",
"science_194",
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1976885",
"label": "source_science_1976863"
},
"science_1976869": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976869",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976869",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1632441305000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1632441305,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Here’s What’s Inside Newsom’s Whopping $15 Billion Climate Spending Plan",
"headTitle": "Here’s What’s Inside Newsom’s Whopping $15 Billion Climate Spending Plan | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $15 billion climate package Thursday, as he stood in a cloud of wildfire smoke during a visit to the KNP Complex fires burning in Sequoia National Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a backdrop of 1,000-year-old sequoia trees that nearly burned in recent days, and a park entrance sign wrapped in fire-protecting foil, the governor outlined the details of the largest climate investment in state history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our kids are going to inherit a world with 8-degree higher temperatures than they have today,” he said. “That’s the track we’re on. That’s the inheritance we’re leaving to our kids, unless we do something radically different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca class=\"c-link\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/NATION-LEADING-15B-CLIMATE-PACKAGE.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">multiyear package\u003c/a> is one of the final pieces of California’s record-high state budget, which Newsom signed with great fanfare in July, after agreeing to ongoing summer negotiations with lawmakers to refine the state’s spending plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer temperatures in California have already risen by an average of 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and that heat is baking the state’s forests, which are overgrown with fuel from decades of aggressive fire suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change is a\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> lead driver\u003c/a> of more frequent and ferocious summer forest fires in California, especially in the Sierra Nevada and the state’s North Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Traditions, lifestyle, people, places wiped off the map,” said Newsom, whose package carves out more than $1.5 billion for wildfire response. “That’s what climate is about, this pollution blanket we put up in the air. Question is, will these trees survive us?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Responding to the worst drought in a generation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Another impact of warming: a diminishing rainy season in California, with the state now experiencing longer dry periods, leaving it forced to increasingly depend on big, soaking atmospheric rivers to make up the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"climate-change\"]About $5.2 billion — roughly a third of the package — will be spent on immediate drought relief and water measures, including money for projects to boost water recycling, reduce flooding risks, and clean up contaminated groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this week, state water officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976840/alarm-bells-as-drought-worsens-and-californians-come-up-short-on-water-conservation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rang alarm bells\u003c/a> about a possible third year of drought, warning water providers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that they might not receive any allocations next year. Nearly 90% of the state is currently in category of “extreme drought” or worse, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">latest U.S. Drought Monitor\u003c/a> data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians reduced their home water use by less than 2% in July, compared to the same time last year, even after Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/07/california-water-use-drought/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">urged residents to conserve 15%\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the new climate plan, the state will spend $815 million to help secure what little water is left in reservoirs and fund contingency planning initiatives for smaller communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Preventing megafires\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The plan also \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-science-business-california-gavin-newsom-f867c179fa49f32c0ed7098e98e33aeb\">earmarks about $1 billion\u003c/a> in new spending for fire breaks, tree thinning, and other measures meant to prevent fires from burning out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going to respond our way out of this wildfire crisis,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot during a morning video call with reporters in advance of Newsom’s signing event. “Expanding our upfront, proactive actions is essential to address the wildfire risks we now face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That package includes $19 million for the state to work with tribes on prescribed burns, up from just $1 million last year, and training for firefighters. The state also plans to invest in micro-lumber mills and other businesses that reuse old wood from overgrown forests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forest thinning is expensive, and the market is slim for the wood that comes from removed trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer’s Dixie and Caldor fires were the first two wildfires on record to burn over the crest of the Sierra Nevada, a remarkable feat given that forests at high elevations are usually too saturated from heavy winter snow to burn out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crowfoot commended South Lake Tahoe officials for conducting years of proactive fuel treatments, a move he said that helped save the city of 22,000 people from being consumed by the Caldor Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The climate plan also directs $3.9 billion over the next three years to expand use of electric vehicles in the state, in accordance with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/03/cars/california-2035-zev-mandate/index.html\">Newsom’s mandate\u003c/a> that only zero-emission new passenger cars and trucks be sold in California by 2035. That pot includes funding for new consumer rebates, the production of thousands of buses and heavy-duty trucks, and incentives for low-income Californians to trade in their gas cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California will also spend $3.7 billion to prepare communities to deal with sea level rise, fund energy-efficient homes, and invest in low-income communities and communities of color, with the goal of improving air quality and reducing heat disparities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists were quick to cheer the state’s latest climate spending plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This decade is really the most consequential for the future of our planet,” said Jason Barbose, a policy manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists. “We need to be spending billions to address climate change. This budget is an important down payment for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 884,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 24
},
"modified": 1704846427,
"excerpt": "The largest climate investment in state history includes major investments in fire prevention, electric vehicles and drought mitigation. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "The largest climate investment in state history includes major investments in fire prevention, electric vehicles and drought mitigation. ",
"title": "Here’s What’s Inside Newsom’s Whopping $15 Billion Climate Spending Plan | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Here’s What’s Inside Newsom’s Whopping $15 Billion Climate Spending Plan",
"datePublished": "2021-09-23T16:55:05-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:07-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan",
"status": "publish",
"sticky": false,
"source": "Climate Change",
"path": "/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $15 billion climate package Thursday, as he stood in a cloud of wildfire smoke during a visit to the KNP Complex fires burning in Sequoia National Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a backdrop of 1,000-year-old sequoia trees that nearly burned in recent days, and a park entrance sign wrapped in fire-protecting foil, the governor outlined the details of the largest climate investment in state history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our kids are going to inherit a world with 8-degree higher temperatures than they have today,” he said. “That’s the track we’re on. That’s the inheritance we’re leaving to our kids, unless we do something radically different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca class=\"c-link\" href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/NATION-LEADING-15B-CLIMATE-PACKAGE.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">multiyear package\u003c/a> is one of the final pieces of California’s record-high state budget, which Newsom signed with great fanfare in July, after agreeing to ongoing summer negotiations with lawmakers to refine the state’s spending plans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Summer temperatures in California have already risen by an average of 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and that heat is baking the state’s forests, which are overgrown with fuel from decades of aggressive fire suppression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change is a\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944993/study-climate-change-a-leading-driver-of-californias-wildfires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> lead driver\u003c/a> of more frequent and ferocious summer forest fires in California, especially in the Sierra Nevada and the state’s North Coast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Traditions, lifestyle, people, places wiped off the map,” said Newsom, whose package carves out more than $1.5 billion for wildfire response. “That’s what climate is about, this pollution blanket we put up in the air. Question is, will these trees survive us?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Responding to the worst drought in a generation\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Another impact of warming: a diminishing rainy season in California, with the state now experiencing longer dry periods, leaving it forced to increasingly depend on big, soaking atmospheric rivers to make up the difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "aside",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "related coverage ",
"tag": "climate-change"
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>About $5.2 billion — roughly a third of the package — will be spent on immediate drought relief and water measures, including money for projects to boost water recycling, reduce flooding risks, and clean up contaminated groundwater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this week, state water officials \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976840/alarm-bells-as-drought-worsens-and-californians-come-up-short-on-water-conservation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rang alarm bells\u003c/a> about a possible third year of drought, warning water providers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that they might not receive any allocations next year. Nearly 90% of the state is currently in category of “extreme drought” or worse, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">latest U.S. Drought Monitor\u003c/a> data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Californians reduced their home water use by less than 2% in July, compared to the same time last year, even after Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/07/california-water-use-drought/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">urged residents to conserve 15%\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the new climate plan, the state will spend $815 million to help secure what little water is left in reservoirs and fund contingency planning initiatives for smaller communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Preventing megafires\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The plan also \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-science-business-california-gavin-newsom-f867c179fa49f32c0ed7098e98e33aeb\">earmarks about $1 billion\u003c/a> in new spending for fire breaks, tree thinning, and other measures meant to prevent fires from burning out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are not going to respond our way out of this wildfire crisis,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot during a morning video call with reporters in advance of Newsom’s signing event. “Expanding our upfront, proactive actions is essential to address the wildfire risks we now face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That package includes $19 million for the state to work with tribes on prescribed burns, up from just $1 million last year, and training for firefighters. The state also plans to invest in micro-lumber mills and other businesses that reuse old wood from overgrown forests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Forest thinning is expensive, and the market is slim for the wood that comes from removed trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This summer’s Dixie and Caldor fires were the first two wildfires on record to burn over the crest of the Sierra Nevada, a remarkable feat given that forests at high elevations are usually too saturated from heavy winter snow to burn out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crowfoot commended South Lake Tahoe officials for conducting years of proactive fuel treatments, a move he said that helped save the city of 22,000 people from being consumed by the Caldor Fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The climate plan also directs $3.9 billion over the next three years to expand use of electric vehicles in the state, in accordance with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/03/cars/california-2035-zev-mandate/index.html\">Newsom’s mandate\u003c/a> that only zero-emission new passenger cars and trucks be sold in California by 2035. That pot includes funding for new consumer rebates, the production of thousands of buses and heavy-duty trucks, and incentives for low-income Californians to trade in their gas cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California will also spend $3.7 billion to prepare communities to deal with sea level rise, fund energy-efficient homes, and invest in low-income communities and communities of color, with the goal of improving air quality and reducing heat disparities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Environmentalists were quick to cheer the state’s latest climate spending plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This decade is really the most consequential for the future of our planet,” said Jason Barbose, a policy manager for the Union of Concerned Scientists. “We need to be spending billions to address climate change. This budget is an important down payment for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976869/heres-whats-inside-newsoms-whopping-15-billion-climate-spending-plan",
"authors": [
"11608",
"8648"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_572",
"science_4414",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1976871",
"label": "source_science_1976869"
},
"science_1976811": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976811",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976811",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1631732173000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1631732173,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Why Some FDA Scientists Are Arguing Against COVID Boosters",
"headTitle": "Why Some FDA Scientists Are Arguing Against COVID Boosters | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"big-cap-wrap\">\u003cspan class=\"big-cap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/span>ood and Drug Administration scientists have expressed skepticism about the need for additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for all people who have received it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessment by the agency’s staff, included in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-september-17-2021-meeting-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">documents released Wednesday\u003c/a>, sets up a high-stakes debate over who will need an additional booster dose — and when they will need it — at the meeting of experts being convened by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the documents, the FDA’s own scientists seemed to strike a skeptical position about the need for widespread booster shots. Overall, they said, “data indicate that currently US-licensed or authorized COVID-19 vaccines still afford protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death in the United States.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other data released Wednesday, both in briefing documents for the Friday panel and by other researchers, add to the swirling debate over a question that will affect millions of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 around the world: If the effectiveness of the vaccine wanes, do people need to top it off with an additional dose? If so, when should that happen given that much of the world has not received a first dose of vaccine yet? And should that decision vary by age and by whether people have other health conditions that could make Covid worse if they do become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On one side are drug companies and some researchers, who point to data showing the efficacy of the vaccines to protect all infections is waning and that a third shot will provide additional protection. On the other are those who point out that these vaccines are still keeping people out of the hospital and preventing them from dying, indicating that a booster is not needed yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The advice of the FDA’s advisory panel on the matter will not be binding, but the agency is likely to consider it. If the FDA authorizes a booster dose, the decision on whether to give them broadly will be taken up by a separate advisory committee convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There has been no date set yet for a meeting of that group, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, any decision by the FDA that limits the approval for booster shots, or even expresses hesitancy about how they should be used, will be seen as a rebuke to the Biden administration, which in August took the unusual step of unveiling a plan to offer boosters to the U.S. population, ahead of decisions from the FDA and the CDC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those who have challenged the need for boosters at this point are two senior FDA officials who recently announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/31/top-vaccine-officials-leave-fda/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">they will retire\u003c/a> from the agency this fall, a move seen to be motivated by their disagreement with the administration on the booster question. Marion Gruber and Phil Krause, director and deputy director, respectively, of FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review, were also co-authors of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/13/international-review-argues-against-covid-19-vaccine-boosters/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper published Monday\u003c/a> in The Lancet that argued against the need for booster shots for the general public at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the briefing documents made available Wednesday, Pfizer argued that the effectiveness of its vaccine is declining and that a third dose would return efficacy to the 95% level seen in clinical trials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent data from Israel showed the efficacy of the vaccine against infection with SARS-CoV-2 dropped from 95% in January to 39% in June. In an analysis of Pfizer’s own Phase 3 trial, which resulted in the vaccine’s approval, the incidence of breakthrough cases was higher among patients who received their second dose before December 2020 than in those who received their second dose after March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company also released new data from a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California that showed the waning efficacy is likely due to the vaccine becoming less effective over time, not because the new Delta variant is more resistant to the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Kaiser data, the efficacy of the vaccine at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Delta variant dropped from 93% for those vaccinated less than one month to 53% for those vaccinated more than four months ago. For other variants, this drop was from 97% to 67%. At this point, about 88% of SARS-2 viruses detected globally are from the Delta family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the vaccine still did a very good job preventing hospitalizations in this dataset, reducing hospitalization by 93% in cases infected with the Delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It should be recognized that while observational studies can enable understanding of real-world effectiveness, there are known and unknown biases that can affect their reliability,” FDA scientists state in their report. “Due to these biases some studies may be more reliable than others. Furthermore, US-based studies of post- authorization effectiveness of [the vaccine] may most accurately represent vaccine effectiveness in the US population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA documents assessed questions about the \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/07/how-risk-side-effects-could-change-covid-19-vaccine-boosters/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">safety of giving a third dose of the vaccine\u003c/a>, noting that for some issues, there are no answers. For instance, it is not known if a third dose would trigger elevated rates of myocarditis and pericarditis, a side effect seen mainly in males under the age of 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is currently not known if there will be an increased risk of myocarditis/pericarditis or other adverse reactions after a booster dose of Comirnaty. These risks and associated uncertainties have to be considered when assessing benefit and risk,” the agency’s scientists wrote. Comirnaty is the brand name of Pfizer’s vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, an \u003ca href=\"https://khub.net/documents/135939561/338928724/Vaccine+effectiveness+and+duration+of+protection+of+covid+vaccines+against+mild+and+severe+COVID-19+in+the+UK.pdf/10dcd99c-0441-0403-dfd8-11ba2c6f5801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">analysis of vaccine efficacy from the United Kingdom\u003c/a> — the first country to begin vaccination with the vaccines developed in the West — gives further ammunition to those who have argued that booster shots for all are not warranted at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis from Public Health England, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found protection against hospitalization and deaths remains high for the Pfizer jab, even among older adults who are healthy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the sustained high [vaccine efficacy] against hospitalization and death, the additional benefit of a third dose against these more serious outcomes is limited in the current epidemiological situation,” the authors of the British study concluded. They added that vaccine efficacy “may, however, continue to wane over time and it is likely that booster doses may have a bigger impact on the more severe outcomes with longer intervals between the second and third doses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most significant waning of protection is occurring in people aged 65 and older who have significant health issues, the paper said. It is based on a comparison of the vaccination status of nearly 1.5 million people who tested positive for Covid-19 to nearly 3.3 million people who tested negative for the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found that waning was greatest among individuals in clinical risk groups, suggesting that this group should be prioritized for boosters, whenever they are recommended,” the authors said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the findings, Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization recommended Wednesday that everyone who was at the front of the line when the country began its vaccine rollout last December should receive a booster shot, once six months had passed since their second jab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those listed as being at the head of the priority list for boosters in the U.K. are those living in long-term care facilities, adults 50 years of age and older, front-line health care workers and social workers, people 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at high risk of developing severe disease if they contract the virus, and adults who live with immunocompromised people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/10/winter-is-coming-as-flu-season-nears-americas-window-of-opportunity-to-beat-back-covid-19-is-narrowing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">STAT\u003c/a>, an online publication of Boston Globe Media that covers health, medicine, and scientific discovery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"read-more standard\">\u003c/aside>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1347,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 26
},
"modified": 1704846432,
"excerpt": "FDA scientists strike a skeptical tone on the need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster at this time, likely fueling debate.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "FDA scientists strike a skeptical tone on the need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster at this time, likely fueling debate.",
"title": "Why Some FDA Scientists Are Arguing Against COVID Boosters | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Why Some FDA Scientists Are Arguing Against COVID Boosters",
"datePublished": "2021-09-15T11:56:13-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:12-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "why-some-fda-scientists-are-arguing-against-covid-boosters",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Matthew Herper and Helen Branswell \u003cbr />STAT\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"source": "STAT",
"path": "/science/1976811/why-some-fda-scientists-are-arguing-against-covid-boosters",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"big-cap-wrap\">\u003cspan class=\"big-cap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/span>ood and Drug Administration scientists have expressed skepticism about the need for additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for all people who have received it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The assessment by the agency’s staff, included in \u003ca href=\"https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-september-17-2021-meeting-announcement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">documents released Wednesday\u003c/a>, sets up a high-stakes debate over who will need an additional booster dose — and when they will need it — at the meeting of experts being convened by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the documents, the FDA’s own scientists seemed to strike a skeptical position about the need for widespread booster shots. Overall, they said, “data indicate that currently US-licensed or authorized COVID-19 vaccines still afford protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death in the United States.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other data released Wednesday, both in briefing documents for the Friday panel and by other researchers, add to the swirling debate over a question that will affect millions of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 around the world: If the effectiveness of the vaccine wanes, do people need to top it off with an additional dose? If so, when should that happen given that much of the world has not received a first dose of vaccine yet? And should that decision vary by age and by whether people have other health conditions that could make Covid worse if they do become infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On one side are drug companies and some researchers, who point to data showing the efficacy of the vaccines to protect all infections is waning and that a third shot will provide additional protection. On the other are those who point out that these vaccines are still keeping people out of the hospital and preventing them from dying, indicating that a booster is not needed yet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The advice of the FDA’s advisory panel on the matter will not be binding, but the agency is likely to consider it. If the FDA authorizes a booster dose, the decision on whether to give them broadly will be taken up by a separate advisory committee convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There has been no date set yet for a meeting of that group, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, any decision by the FDA that limits the approval for booster shots, or even expresses hesitancy about how they should be used, will be seen as a rebuke to the Biden administration, which in August took the unusual step of unveiling a plan to offer boosters to the U.S. population, ahead of decisions from the FDA and the CDC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among those who have challenged the need for boosters at this point are two senior FDA officials who recently announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/31/top-vaccine-officials-leave-fda/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">they will retire\u003c/a> from the agency this fall, a move seen to be motivated by their disagreement with the administration on the booster question. Marion Gruber and Phil Krause, director and deputy director, respectively, of FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review, were also co-authors of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/13/international-review-argues-against-covid-19-vaccine-boosters/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper published Monday\u003c/a> in The Lancet that argued against the need for booster shots for the general public at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the briefing documents made available Wednesday, Pfizer argued that the effectiveness of its vaccine is declining and that a third dose would return efficacy to the 95% level seen in clinical trials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent data from Israel showed the efficacy of the vaccine against infection with SARS-CoV-2 dropped from 95% in January to 39% in June. In an analysis of Pfizer’s own Phase 3 trial, which resulted in the vaccine’s approval, the incidence of breakthrough cases was higher among patients who received their second dose before December 2020 than in those who received their second dose after March.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company also released new data from a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California that showed the waning efficacy is likely due to the vaccine becoming less effective over time, not because the new Delta variant is more resistant to the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Kaiser data, the efficacy of the vaccine at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Delta variant dropped from 93% for those vaccinated less than one month to 53% for those vaccinated more than four months ago. For other variants, this drop was from 97% to 67%. At this point, about 88% of SARS-2 viruses detected globally are from the Delta family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the vaccine still did a very good job preventing hospitalizations in this dataset, reducing hospitalization by 93% in cases infected with the Delta variant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It should be recognized that while observational studies can enable understanding of real-world effectiveness, there are known and unknown biases that can affect their reliability,” FDA scientists state in their report. “Due to these biases some studies may be more reliable than others. Furthermore, US-based studies of post- authorization effectiveness of [the vaccine] may most accurately represent vaccine effectiveness in the US population.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The FDA documents assessed questions about the \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/07/how-risk-side-effects-could-change-covid-19-vaccine-boosters/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">safety of giving a third dose of the vaccine\u003c/a>, noting that for some issues, there are no answers. For instance, it is not known if a third dose would trigger elevated rates of myocarditis and pericarditis, a side effect seen mainly in males under the age of 40.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is currently not known if there will be an increased risk of myocarditis/pericarditis or other adverse reactions after a booster dose of Comirnaty. These risks and associated uncertainties have to be considered when assessing benefit and risk,” the agency’s scientists wrote. Comirnaty is the brand name of Pfizer’s vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, an \u003ca href=\"https://khub.net/documents/135939561/338928724/Vaccine+effectiveness+and+duration+of+protection+of+covid+vaccines+against+mild+and+severe+COVID-19+in+the+UK.pdf/10dcd99c-0441-0403-dfd8-11ba2c6f5801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">analysis of vaccine efficacy from the United Kingdom\u003c/a> — the first country to begin vaccination with the vaccines developed in the West — gives further ammunition to those who have argued that booster shots for all are not warranted at this time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The analysis from Public Health England, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, found protection against hospitalization and deaths remains high for the Pfizer jab, even among older adults who are healthy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Given the sustained high [vaccine efficacy] against hospitalization and death, the additional benefit of a third dose against these more serious outcomes is limited in the current epidemiological situation,” the authors of the British study concluded. They added that vaccine efficacy “may, however, continue to wane over time and it is likely that booster doses may have a bigger impact on the more severe outcomes with longer intervals between the second and third doses.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most significant waning of protection is occurring in people aged 65 and older who have significant health issues, the paper said. It is based on a comparison of the vaccination status of nearly 1.5 million people who tested positive for Covid-19 to nearly 3.3 million people who tested negative for the virus.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found that waning was greatest among individuals in clinical risk groups, suggesting that this group should be prioritized for boosters, whenever they are recommended,” the authors said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite the findings, Britain’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization recommended Wednesday that everyone who was at the front of the line when the country began its vaccine rollout last December should receive a booster shot, once six months had passed since their second jab.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those listed as being at the head of the priority list for boosters in the U.K. are those living in long-term care facilities, adults 50 years of age and older, front-line health care workers and social workers, people 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at high risk of developing severe disease if they contract the virus, and adults who live with immunocompromised people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was originally published by \u003ca href=\"https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/10/winter-is-coming-as-flu-season-nears-americas-window-of-opportunity-to-beat-back-covid-19-is-narrowing/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">STAT\u003c/a>, an online publication of Boston Globe Media that covers health, medicine, and scientific discovery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"read-more standard\">\u003c/aside>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976811/why-some-fda-scientists-are-arguing-against-covid-boosters",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976811"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_4329",
"science_4417",
"science_3977"
],
"featImg": "science_1976812",
"label": "source_science_1976811"
},
"science_1976798": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976798",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976798",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1631714430000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1631714430,
"format": "standard",
"title": "Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change and Say Governments Are Failing Them",
"headTitle": "Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change and Say Governments Are Failing Them | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>How are young people coping with climate change? The answer, according to one study, is not well, and for good reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3918955\">forthcoming study\u003c/a>, researchers with the U.K.’s University of Bath and other schools spoke to 10,000 people in 10 countries, all of whom were between the ages of 16 and 25, to gauge how they feel about climate change. The prevailing response could be summed up in two words: incredibly worried. And the respondents say governments aren’t doing enough to combat climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey arrives more than six weeks before the world’s nations are set to gather in Glasgow, Scotland, at an annual meeting convened by the United Nations to address climate change. Scientists say that nations aren’t passing the right kinds of bold policies to avert the worst effects of climate change. The survey suggests that young people around the world grasp how widespread and dangerous political inaction is on climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study concluded that there’s a correlation between negative emotions, such as worry, and beliefs that government responses to climate change have been inadequate. So the way governments have been addressing — or failing to address — climate change is directly affecting the mental health of young people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those surveyed, nearly 60% reported that they felt either “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change, and more than half said climate change made them feel “afraid, sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and/or guilty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Positive feelings such as optimism were reported least among the respondents, researchers said. In fact, 77% said that they considered the future to be frightening, and 56% agreed with the viewpoint that humanity is doomed, according to the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many young people, those feelings of fear and worry affect their ability to function, too, results showed. More than 45% of the respondents said the way they feel about climate change adversely affects their day-to-day lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for those living in poorer countries in the Southern Hemisphere, who are more likely to be affected by natural disasters worsened by climate change, the outlook is even worse: Overall, they’re more worried, and their ability to function is even more impeded, researchers found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young people also said they were generally dissatisfied with how their governments have been handling the realities of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across all the countries represented — the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, France, Finland, India, Nigeria, Portugal and the Philippines — 65% of young people felt their government was failing them on climate change and 60% felt that the government had been dismissing citizens’ distress over it. Nearly half of those who said they talk with other people about climate change said that their concerns were ignored, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combating climate change individually isn’t enough on its own, the researchers said. Those in power have a responsibility to act to protect not only the Earth, but also the mental health of those who stand to inherit the planet, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As one 16-year-old included in the study wrote, “I think it’s different for young people. For us, the destruction of the planet is personal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Young+People+Are+Anxious+About+Climate+Change+And+Say+Governments+Are+Failing+Them&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 562,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 14
},
"modified": 1704846433,
"excerpt": "More than half of young people in a new survey report that climate change makes them feel angry and anxious. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "More than half of young people in a new survey report that climate change makes them feel angry and anxious. ",
"title": "Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change and Say Governments Are Failing Them | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change and Say Governments Are Failing Them",
"datePublished": "2021-09-15T07:00:30-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:13-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "young-people-are-anxious-about-climate-change-and-say-governments-are-failing-them",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1037023551&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprByline": "Sharon Pruitt-Young \u003cbr> NPR",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:12:15 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 14 Sep 2021 16:03:48 -0400",
"sticky": false,
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2021/09/14/1037023551/climate-change-children-young-adults-anxious-worried-study?ft=nprml&f=1037023551",
"nprImageAgency": "Getty Images",
"nprImageCredit": "FG Trade",
"source": "NPR",
"nprStoryId": "1037023551",
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 14 Sep 2021 16:03:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1976798/young-people-are-anxious-about-climate-change-and-say-governments-are-failing-them",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>How are young people coping with climate change? The answer, according to one study, is not well, and for good reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a \u003ca href=\"https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3918955\">forthcoming study\u003c/a>, researchers with the U.K.’s University of Bath and other schools spoke to 10,000 people in 10 countries, all of whom were between the ages of 16 and 25, to gauge how they feel about climate change. The prevailing response could be summed up in two words: incredibly worried. And the respondents say governments aren’t doing enough to combat climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey arrives more than six weeks before the world’s nations are set to gather in Glasgow, Scotland, at an annual meeting convened by the United Nations to address climate change. Scientists say that nations aren’t passing the right kinds of bold policies to avert the worst effects of climate change. The survey suggests that young people around the world grasp how widespread and dangerous political inaction is on climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study concluded that there’s a correlation between negative emotions, such as worry, and beliefs that government responses to climate change have been inadequate. So the way governments have been addressing — or failing to address — climate change is directly affecting the mental health of young people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of those surveyed, nearly 60% reported that they felt either “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change, and more than half said climate change made them feel “afraid, sad, anxious, angry, powerless, helpless, and/or guilty.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Positive feelings such as optimism were reported least among the respondents, researchers said. In fact, 77% said that they considered the future to be frightening, and 56% agreed with the viewpoint that humanity is doomed, according to the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For many young people, those feelings of fear and worry affect their ability to function, too, results showed. More than 45% of the respondents said the way they feel about climate change adversely affects their day-to-day lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And for those living in poorer countries in the Southern Hemisphere, who are more likely to be affected by natural disasters worsened by climate change, the outlook is even worse: Overall, they’re more worried, and their ability to function is even more impeded, researchers found.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Young people also said they were generally dissatisfied with how their governments have been handling the realities of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across all the countries represented — the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, France, Finland, India, Nigeria, Portugal and the Philippines — 65% of young people felt their government was failing them on climate change and 60% felt that the government had been dismissing citizens’ distress over it. Nearly half of those who said they talk with other people about climate change said that their concerns were ignored, according to researchers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combating climate change individually isn’t enough on its own, the researchers said. Those in power have a responsibility to act to protect not only the Earth, but also the mental health of those who stand to inherit the planet, they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As one 16-year-old included in the study wrote, “I think it’s different for young people. For us, the destruction of the planet is personal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Young+People+Are+Anxious+About+Climate+Change+And+Say+Governments+Are+Failing+Them&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976798/young-people-are-anxious-about-climate-change-and-say-governments-are-failing-them",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976798"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_2936"
],
"featImg": "science_1976799",
"label": "source_science_1976798"
},
"science_1976673": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976673",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976673",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1631625308000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "these-rare-damselflies-find-love-with-a-twist-in-fog-city",
"title": "These Rare Damselflies Find Love With a Twist in Fog City",
"publishDate": 1631625308,
"format": "video",
"headTitle": "These Rare Damselflies Find Love With a Twist in Fog City | KQED",
"labelTerm": {
"term": 1935,
"site": "science"
},
"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]Most damselflies prefer sunny spots, but the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly digs the fogginess of its hometown. When they hook up, they do it in style — linking their delicate bodies in a heart shape, then flying tandem for an hour or more after.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a classic summer day in San Francisco — foggy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly, the weather is perfect for finding love. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Damselflies are dragonfly cousins. They’re both odonates, a group of flying insects. When they’re at rest, most damselflies neatly fold their wings back, while dragonflies keep theirs outstretched.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rare-forktail-damselflies-introduced-at-9973051.php\">Read more\u003c/a> about how the Presidio Trust is working with the San Francisco Zoo in their attempt to reestablish the San Francisco forktail damselfly in its hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Find out more about the damselfly’s fascinating life cycle \u003ca href=\"http://lifeinfreshwater.net/damselfly-nymphs-odonata-zygoptera/\">here\u003c/a>.[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Male San Francisco forktail damselflies aren’t afraid to show some flair — they’re decked out in turquoise. Young females sport a soft pink. Down in the reeds, the courtship begins. The male flies up to the female. He then uses claspers at the end of his blue body to hold the female just behind her head.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what looks like an advanced yoga pose, the female curves her entire body forward. She hooks the tip of her abdomen to his midsection. The male leaves nothing to chance. Inside her body, he carefully scrapes out the sperm from any previous partners. Then he deposits his own. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the mating is over, the pair stays connected, sometimes for more than an hour. This keeps the other males at bay, and gives time for only his sperm to fertilize her eggs. When the female’s ready to lay her eggs, the pair moves close to the water. She slices tiny openings into these reeds with her ovipositor, a tube-shaped organ for laying eggs. She tucks them just under the plant’s surface — one at a time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A couple of weeks later, the eggs hatch into voracious nymphs called naiads. They’ll spend a few months like this in the water. Naiads breathe through caudal gills, these leafy things on their backside. Just like these dragonfly naiads, they’ll climb out of the water, shed their exoskeleton, and eventually fly off. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are thousands of species of damselflies, but the San Francisco forktail is special — it’s one of just a few that thrive in a foggy, coastal climate. Researchers think their darker, more robust bodies may better absorb heat and help them stay warm in cool places. But a warming world is diminishing the fog that blankets this city. Plus, the wetlands they lay their eggs in are disappearing. San Francisco forktail damselflies are now one of the rarest species of odonates in North America.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So researchers from the San Francisco Zoo are stepping in. They’ve figured out how to breed the San Francisco forktail in captivity, and are releasing and monitoring their populations. The number of these insects in the wild is increasing. But will their efforts be enough? It’s too early to tell. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco has long been home to dreamers, misfits, lovers. The work of these scientists is not just for biodiversity — it’s an attempt to save another colorful resident that calls this City by the Bay its home.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"blocks": [],
"excerpt": null,
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1738877283,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 588
},
"headData": {
"title": "These Rare Damselflies Find Love With a Twist in Fog City | KQED",
"description": "Most damselflies prefer sunny spots, but the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly digs the fogginess of its hometown. When they hook up, they do it in style - linking their delicate bodies in a heart shape, then flying tandem for an hour or more after.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialDescription": "Most damselflies prefer sunny spots, but the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly digs the fogginess of its hometown. When they hook up, they do it in style - linking their delicate bodies in a heart shape, then flying tandem for an hour or more after.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "These Rare Damselflies Find Love With a Twist in Fog City",
"datePublished": "2021-09-14T06:15:08-07:00",
"dateModified": "2025-02-06T13:28:03-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"videoEmbed": "https://youtu.be/a3aJfkpfUXo",
"pbsMediaId": "3059521992",
"sticky": false,
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/science/1976673/these-rare-damselflies-find-love-with-a-twist-in-fog-city",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "dl_subscribe",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Most damselflies prefer sunny spots, but the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly digs the fogginess of its hometown. When they hook up, they do it in style — linking their delicate bodies in a heart shape, then flying tandem for an hour or more after.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s a classic summer day in San Francisco — foggy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for the quirky San Francisco forktail damselfly, the weather is perfect for finding love. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Damselflies are dragonfly cousins. They’re both odonates, a group of flying insects. When they’re at rest, most damselflies neatly fold their wings back, while dragonflies keep theirs outstretched.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rare-forktail-damselflies-introduced-at-9973051.php\">Read more\u003c/a> about how the Presidio Trust is working with the San Francisco Zoo in their attempt to reestablish the San Francisco forktail damselfly in its hometown.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Find out more about the damselfly’s fascinating life cycle \u003ca href=\"http://lifeinfreshwater.net/damselfly-nymphs-odonata-zygoptera/\">here\u003c/a>.",
"name": "pullquote",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": ""
},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Male San Francisco forktail damselflies aren’t afraid to show some flair — they’re decked out in turquoise. Young females sport a soft pink. Down in the reeds, the courtship begins. The male flies up to the female. He then uses claspers at the end of his blue body to hold the female just behind her head.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what looks like an advanced yoga pose, the female curves her entire body forward. She hooks the tip of her abdomen to his midsection. The male leaves nothing to chance. Inside her body, he carefully scrapes out the sperm from any previous partners. Then he deposits his own. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When the mating is over, the pair stays connected, sometimes for more than an hour. This keeps the other males at bay, and gives time for only his sperm to fertilize her eggs. When the female’s ready to lay her eggs, the pair moves close to the water. She slices tiny openings into these reeds with her ovipositor, a tube-shaped organ for laying eggs. She tucks them just under the plant’s surface — one at a time.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A couple of weeks later, the eggs hatch into voracious nymphs called naiads. They’ll spend a few months like this in the water. Naiads breathe through caudal gills, these leafy things on their backside. Just like these dragonfly naiads, they’ll climb out of the water, shed their exoskeleton, and eventually fly off. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are thousands of species of damselflies, but the San Francisco forktail is special — it’s one of just a few that thrive in a foggy, coastal climate. Researchers think their darker, more robust bodies may better absorb heat and help them stay warm in cool places. But a warming world is diminishing the fog that blankets this city. Plus, the wetlands they lay their eggs in are disappearing. San Francisco forktail damselflies are now one of the rarest species of odonates in North America.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So researchers from the San Francisco Zoo are stepping in. They’ve figured out how to breed the San Francisco forktail in captivity, and are releasing and monitoring their populations. The number of these insects in the wild is increasing. But will their efforts be enough? It’s too early to tell. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">San Francisco has long been home to dreamers, misfits, lovers. The work of these scientists is not just for biodiversity — it’s an attempt to save another colorful resident that calls this City by the Bay its home.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976673/these-rare-damselflies-find-love-with-a-twist-in-fog-city",
"authors": [
"11095"
],
"series": [
"science_1935"
],
"categories": [
"science_2874",
"science_31",
"science_35",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_86"
],
"tags": [
"science_4414"
],
"featImg": "science_1976756",
"label": "science_1935"
},
"science_1976747": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976747",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976747",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1631516492000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {
"site": "science"
},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1631516492,
"format": "audio",
"title": "What the Air Quality Index Actually Means",
"headTitle": "What the Air Quality Index Actually Means | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"p1\">Over the past five years, as California wildfires increased in both intensity and scope, fall in the Bay Area has meant skies intermittently shrouded in smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">This season, my morning routine has not only included caffeine and email, but also checking outdoor air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The number and color flashing to life on my phone, also known as the Air Quality Index, dictates to some extent how I’ll go through the day. It determines if my kid’s school will be open, how long I can take the dog out, and whether I’ll keep my windows sealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">So … what actually is the air quality index?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>AQI, Who Am I?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Air Quality Index\u003c/span>\u003c/a> (AQI) is the Environmental Protection Agency’s way of representing the amount of pollution in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The higher the number, the more air pollution, and the worse for your health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The AQI is divided into six color-coded categories, starting with green, which means air quality is healthy enough for everyone to be outdoors. The index then moves through, in increasing order of pollution, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon. Maroon is equivalent to an AQI of more than 300, indicating a health emergency in which the air is hazardous for everyone to breathe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Bay Area locations have hit high AQI levels for weeks at a time in recent years, even when they’re more than 100 miles away from a particular wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Here are some good thresholds to keep in mind:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul class=\"ul1\">\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 100\u003c/b>, categorized as “orange,” means everyone should be mindful of air quality, says Juan Romero, spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. At these levels, the air can be unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with lung disease. It’s important to check in with your doctor and follow their recommendations related to air quality exposure if you’re in one of these groups.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 150\u003c/b>, designated “red,” means everyone should limit outdoor activities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 200\u003c/b>, or “purple,” is the point at which the air district suggests all people stay inside.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How is AQI measured? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Air Quality Index is calculated through measuring six major pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter, known as PM2.5 and the slightly larger PM10. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The major sources of air pollution in the Bay Area are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sparetheair.org/about/what-is-spare-the-air\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ozone and fine particulate matter, or PM2.5\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. PM2.5 is tiny, with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. For a sense of scale, visualize it would take about 25 of these particles to span the width of the average human hair. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We often see higher concentrations of ozone in the warmer months, typically between April and October. Ozone comes mostly from sources of “smog,” such as emissions from cars, trucks, refineries, construction sites and gas stations. While ozone is produced year-round, it builds up more during the longer, hotter days of summer. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ozone pollution can worsen respiratory irritation and asthma. Some \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19079727/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">studies \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">link prolonged exposure to ozone to an increased risk of kids developing asthma. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We often see more pollution from PM2.5 in the cooler months of November through February, due to burning firewood. But we also see this pollutant more now during the heart of wildfire season. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This miniscule pollutant can go deep into the lungs and bloodstream and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/protecting-yourself-wildfire-smoke\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cause lung and heart disease\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s Spare the Air? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The air district converts pollution measurements into the AQI scale, and if concentrations of any of the six pollutants used to measure AQI is expected to exceed 100 somewhere across the Bay Area, it calls a Spare the Air Alert for the entire region. That’s because cutting back on emissions in one location can impact the air miles away. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png.png\" alt=\"Red sign announcing air quality advisory\" width=\"300\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png.png 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png-160x166.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An example of an air quality alert, issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. \u003ccite>(courtesy Bay Area Air Quality Management District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the Spare the Air Alert is called due to ozone, the air quality district will recommend driving less to reduce emissions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the alert is called due to high concentrations of PM2.5, it becomes illegal to use fireplaces and other wood-burning stoves in the Bay Area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also helpful, but not required, to eliminate activities such as lawn mowing, leaf blowing and barbecuing on Spare the Air days.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976755\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976755 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png.png\" alt=\"Yellow sign announcing air quality advisory\" width=\"300\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png.png 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png-160x175.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An example of an air quality advisory, issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. \u003ccite>(courtesy Bay Area Air Quality Management District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The air quality district also issues air quality advisories, which can be a precursor to an alert. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Advisories\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are often issued when there’s smoke way up in the air, too high for it to pollute the air we breathe on the ground. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How can folks stay up to date on AQI?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can check \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED’s air quality map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://fire.airnow.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">AirNow Fire and Smoke Map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which combines government and commercial sensors like those that show up on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www2.purpleair.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">PurpleAir’s map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also sign up for\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sparetheair.org/connect-with-us/sign-up-for-alerts\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> alerts from the air quality district\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. You can even pick your favorite form of communication: text, phone call, email, or social media. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 900,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 18
},
"modified": 1704846442,
"excerpt": "Over the past five years, as California wildfires increased in both intensity and scope, Bay Area skies have intermittently filled with smoke, causing residents to routinely check the air quality index. Here's a guide to understanding what the index means. ",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Over the past five years, as California wildfires increased in both intensity and scope, Bay Area skies have intermittently filled with smoke, causing residents to routinely check the air quality index. Here's a guide to understanding what the index means. ",
"title": "What the Air Quality Index Actually Means | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What the Air Quality Index Actually Means",
"datePublished": "2021-09-13T00:01:32-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:22-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "what-the-air-quality-index-actually-means",
"status": "publish",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-4[…]f-aaef00f5a073/184d5926-325c-47d8-a99f-ada5012c2e7c/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"path": "/science/1976747/what-the-air-quality-index-actually-means",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"p1\">Over the past five years, as California wildfires increased in both intensity and scope, fall in the Bay Area has meant skies intermittently shrouded in smoke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">This season, my morning routine has not only included caffeine and email, but also checking outdoor air quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The number and color flashing to life on my phone, also known as the Air Quality Index, dictates to some extent how I’ll go through the day. It determines if my kid’s school will be open, how long I can take the dog out, and whether I’ll keep my windows sealed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">So … what actually is the air quality index?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">\u003cb>AQI, Who Am I?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The \u003ca href=\"https://www.airnow.gov/aqi/aqi-basics/\">\u003cspan class=\"s1\">Air Quality Index\u003c/span>\u003c/a> (AQI) is the Environmental Protection Agency’s way of representing the amount of pollution in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The higher the number, the more air pollution, and the worse for your health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">The AQI is divided into six color-coded categories, starting with green, which means air quality is healthy enough for everyone to be outdoors. The index then moves through, in increasing order of pollution, yellow, orange, red, purple and maroon. Maroon is equivalent to an AQI of more than 300, indicating a health emergency in which the air is hazardous for everyone to breathe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Bay Area locations have hit high AQI levels for weeks at a time in recent years, even when they’re more than 100 miles away from a particular wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"p1\">Here are some good thresholds to keep in mind:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul class=\"ul1\">\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 100\u003c/b>, categorized as “orange,” means everyone should be mindful of air quality, says Juan Romero, spokesman for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. At these levels, the air can be unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with lung disease. It’s important to check in with your doctor and follow their recommendations related to air quality exposure if you’re in one of these groups.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 150\u003c/b>, designated “red,” means everyone should limit outdoor activities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli class=\"li1\">\u003cb>An AQI above 200\u003c/b>, or “purple,” is the point at which the air district suggests all people stay inside.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How is AQI measured? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Air Quality Index is calculated through measuring six major pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter, known as PM2.5 and the slightly larger PM10. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The major sources of air pollution in the Bay Area are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sparetheair.org/about/what-is-spare-the-air\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ozone and fine particulate matter, or PM2.5\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. PM2.5 is tiny, with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. For a sense of scale, visualize it would take about 25 of these particles to span the width of the average human hair. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We often see higher concentrations of ozone in the warmer months, typically between April and October. Ozone comes mostly from sources of “smog,” such as emissions from cars, trucks, refineries, construction sites and gas stations. While ozone is produced year-round, it builds up more during the longer, hotter days of summer. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ozone pollution can worsen respiratory irritation and asthma. Some \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19079727/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">studies \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">link prolonged exposure to ozone to an increased risk of kids developing asthma. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We often see more pollution from PM2.5 in the cooler months of November through February, due to burning firewood. But we also see this pollutant more now during the heart of wildfire season. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This miniscule pollutant can go deep into the lungs and bloodstream and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/protecting-yourself-wildfire-smoke\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cause lung and heart disease\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s Spare the Air? \u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The air district converts pollution measurements into the AQI scale, and if concentrations of any of the six pollutants used to measure AQI is expected to exceed 100 somewhere across the Bay Area, it calls a Spare the Air Alert for the entire region. That’s because cutting back on emissions in one location can impact the air miles away. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976757\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976757\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png.png\" alt=\"Red sign announcing air quality advisory\" width=\"300\" height=\"311\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png.png 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/summer-alert-mode-png-160x166.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An example of an air quality alert, issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. \u003ccite>(courtesy Bay Area Air Quality Management District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the Spare the Air Alert is called due to ozone, the air quality district will recommend driving less to reduce emissions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the alert is called due to high concentrations of PM2.5, it becomes illegal to use fireplaces and other wood-burning stoves in the Bay Area. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">It’s also helpful, but not required, to eliminate activities such as lawn mowing, leaf blowing and barbecuing on Spare the Air days.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976755\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976755 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png.png\" alt=\"Yellow sign announcing air quality advisory\" width=\"300\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png.png 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/advisory-mode-png-160x175.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An example of an air quality advisory, issued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. \u003ccite>(courtesy Bay Area Air Quality Management District)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The air quality district also issues air quality advisories, which can be a precursor to an alert. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Advisories\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are often issued when there’s smoke way up in the air, too high for it to pollute the air we breathe on the ground. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>How can folks stay up to date on AQI?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can check \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1930023/map-heres-your-daily-air-quality-report-for-the-bay-area\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">KQED’s air quality map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://fire.airnow.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">AirNow Fire and Smoke Map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which combines government and commercial sensors like those that show up on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www2.purpleair.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">PurpleAir’s map\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can also sign up for\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sparetheair.org/connect-with-us/sign-up-for-alerts\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> alerts from the air quality district\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. You can even pick your favorite form of communication: text, phone call, email, or social media. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976747/what-the-air-quality-index-actually-means",
"authors": [
"8648"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_524",
"science_4414",
"science_3463",
"science_3693"
],
"featImg": "science_1969556",
"label": "science"
},
"science_1976679": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976679",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976679",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1631216725000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1631216725,
"format": "standard",
"title": "California’s Sustainable Farms, Models for Agriculture in Warming World, Need Help Surviving It",
"headTitle": "California’s Sustainable Farms, Models for Agriculture in Warming World, Need Help Surviving It | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The bustle of birds and insect pollinators is the first thing you notice at Full Belly Farm in Guinda, about 100 miles northeast of San Francisco in the Capay Valley, where Judith Redmond and her partners started farming four decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this early morning in August, a hot, dry wind is blowing through the valley, fanning the flames that are devouring the parched lands on either side of Redmond’s 400-acre organic farm, where chickens, pigs and sheep forage alongside vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day before, that wind fueled a fast-moving fire about 25 miles northwest of the farm that incinerated dozens of mobile homes. The massive Caldor and Dixie fires were continuing to spread to the east and north, and a gray smoky haze hung in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But fire is just one of the farm’s climate-related challenges, Redmond said. “At the moment, all of us are very, very concerned about the water situation and the drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmers have always labored at the mercy of the elements, but climate change has brought overlapping calamities of wildfires, drought, prolonged heat waves and power outages. Small-scale sustainable farmers with direct access to consumers through community-supported agriculture, or CSA, programs hold the key to boosting agricultural resilience in the face of a warming world. They know how to reduce agriculture’s carbon emissions, curb water and air pollution and boost biodiversity. But economic incentives and policies still favor large industrial farms that rely on chemicals and fossil fuels and raise only a few types of livestock or crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without access to the same subsidies, technical assistance and other resources available to large-scale operations, small farms are struggling to survive a rapidly changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a long time we were seeing an increase in both large and small farms, but in the last ag census we saw a decline in small farms,” said Jeanne Merrill, policy director at California Climate and Agriculture Network, or CalCAN, a coalition of sustainable and organic farming organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diversified small and midsize farmers, who tend to 500 acres or less, can’t rely on the stable of consultants and university extension advisers that help larger operations get through extreme weather events, said Merrill. “It is getting much harder with water constraints, with heat events, with catastrophic wildfire to survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fires aren’t likely to make it through vast acres of irrigated crops on large farms, said Evan Wiig, communications director for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. But, he said, since 2017, the most destructive fire season in California on record at the time, “we’ve seen small farmers hit at an unprecedented scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976684\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976684\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-768x513.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1536x1026.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1920x1283.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Judith Redmond, one of six owners of Full Belly Farm, samples a turkey fig. \u003ccite>(Liza Gross)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wildfires mostly skirted the edges of Full Belly Farm until a few years ago, when the Sand Fire torched a 25-acre field of heirloom wheat on its way to burning thousands of acres. Securing their “extremely expensive” fire insurance is a constant struggle, Redmond said. “Every year is more difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s no wonder that small farms are disappearing in California, even as experts say the need for sustainable farming has never been greater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sustainable agriculture is “urgently needed” to tackle the environmental and climate crisis, agricultural experts argued in a 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/doi/10.1525/elementa.356/112494/Securing-the-future-of-US-agriculture-The-case-for\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper\u003c/a>. But the U.S. agricultural system, they wrote, puts practitioners “at a distinct disadvantage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal farm policy is set up to support chemically dependent monocultures through things like crop insurance and university research assistance, said Liz Carlisle, a lead author on the study and assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “It’s definitely not set up for something like a 20-acre diversified vegetable farm with a community-supported agricultural operation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s an entire apparatus built around industrial farming to standardize technologies like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to maximize production for just a few crops, said study coauthor Ryan Galt, who directs the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the University of California, Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of federal money goes to funding commodities like corn and soy that provide cheap raw materials for meat and processed food, Galt said. “There are a patchwork of programs that help out diversified farming systems, but they’re pretty meager compared to those resources that are channeled towards propping up commodity production.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another major barrier to sustainable farming is access to affordable land. Close to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/74672/eib-161.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">45%\u003c/a> of California farmland is rented, which vastly increases overhead expenses and makes it harder for farmers to invest in long-term sustainability practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early farmers who moved away from monocultures, harmful pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that contaminate water resources were highly motivated to implement environmentally friendly practices, Galt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do you know the kind of will and intelligence that takes? They had to really go against the grain and be supermotivated,” he said. “There weren’t any incentives for them to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Replacing fossil fuels with biology\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Agriculture accounts for \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10%\u003c/a> of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from industrial practices used to manage crops and livestock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the work on U.S. farms runs on fossil fuel power, Carlisle said. “The fertility comes from synthetic fertilizer. For the most part, that’s fossil fuel derived. The pest control comes from synthetic pesticides that are fossil fuel derived. And, of course, a lot of work is done by diesel-powered tractors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, smaller farms rely on people power and organisms in the farm system to do the work, Carlisle said. Fertility comes from the manure of an animal or from soil-building cover crops. While pest control comes from planting flowers that attract beneficial insects, or from creating a functioning ecosystem where no single population of organisms gets out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You also have the work that would be done with a diesel-powered tractor more frequently done by people,” Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond and her partners have long experimented with such fossil-free approaches to produce environmentally sustainable, chemical-free food as pioneers of the CSA movement. Everything they do is geared toward farming for “more layers of life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They see building soil health as critical not just to fertilizing crops but also to boosting the farm’s resilience to climate change. They avoid or minimize tilling the soil, which supports healthy microbial communities and sequesters carbon. The use of so-called cover crops—non-cash crops planted to prevent soil erosion and nurture soil health—adds organic matter to soil, which helps retain moisture in the event of drought and absorbs water during floods. Using compost and pasture-grazing their sheep also feeds soils while planting hedgerows flush with native vegetation attracts pollinators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This low-carbon, high-touch approach to farming keeps their farmhands employed year-round.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Redmond walks along a field of ornamental broomcorn and flowers, sparrows and chickadees dart past dragonflies to a grove of Asian pears. Decades ago, Redmond’s crew started planting bushes, trees and shrubs that would grow naturally in the region to provide habitat and food for native beneficial insects. In turn, the beneficial insects control pests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Climate Hub highlighted some of the farm’s practices to show growers how they can adapt to changing climate conditions and maintain productivity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Full Belly Farm has been doing “a lot of really innovative work” experimenting with practices like no-till farming while advocating for practices that nurture the land, said Emilie Winfield, who led the project at the Climate Hub while still a graduate student at the UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a natural choice to partner with them, because they’ve been thinking about these issues for a long time,” said Winfield, who now coordinates the Marin Resource Conservation District’s North Coast Soil Hub. Plus, she added, they’re going to see “fairly severe impacts from climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Average maximum temperatures in the region are likely to increase by more than \u003ca href=\"https://cal-adapt.org/tools/annual-averages/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3 degrees\u003c/a> Fahrenheit within the next 30 years, according to Cal Adapt, bringing more heat waves, lower soil moisture and more plant stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To protect their diverse pepper crops, Redmond and her partners erected a large shade structure over two-acres of jalapeños, Jimmy Nardellos and several other pepper varieties. The shade cloth keeps the peppers from getting sunburned, reducing stress on the plants, and plastic mulch retains water in the soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The plants just look absolutely healthy and happy,” Redmond said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some tomatoes have lost their flowers in the heat. No flowers means no fruit. And heat can also disrupt pollination in corn, which loses kernels when pollen fails to find every silk tube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The region has seen several searing heat waves this season, which increases water demands. Full Belly Farm has two wells on the property, and in a normal year draws water from the creek that flows along its eastern edge. This is not a normal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the state, including the Capay Valley, is in “exceptional” drought. Redmond’s local water district ended water deliveries that feed the creek and farmers to the south in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond said the farm will probably rely on groundwater, as it did when the creek went dry during the devastating five-year drought that ended in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we’ve really changed our plans for the fall,” Redmond said. “We’re growing less, we’re not going to have cover crops. There’s various pieces of land that we rent that we’re just not going to be able to plant because there’s just not enough water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Creating a sustainability safety net\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>For agriculture to reduce its carbon footprint and survive the challenges of a rapidly changing climate, experts like Carlisle and Galt believe, it will need to replace fossil-fuel intensive management with “knowledge-intensive” management. Farmers like Redmond acquired a deep understanding of how to harness the region’s natural resources over years of experimenting with different strategies to figure out how to boost productivity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the difference between seeing biodiversity as an asset to the farm or a threat, Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In most indigenous food systems, there was not a clear distinction between wild lands, and a farm,” Carlisle said. “Ecological agriculture is a functioning ecosystem that looks, in many ways, like the surrounding natural ecosystem. It’s just managed for the purpose of growing human foods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So-called agroecology requires valuing human knowledge and labor, but the current system has been optimized to minimize both, Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Less than 2% of the population farms in the United States,” she said. “What we need to be optimizing for in a world where we’re facing climate change, and a lot of other challenges, is minimizing fossil fuel use, and embracing the idea that people can have really good lives and really good jobs on farms, if we actually prioritize that as a society.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the approach many European countries have taken, said Galt of UC Davis, referring to initiatives in the \u003ca href=\"https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/organic-farming_en\">European Union\u003c/a>, which has invested in organic farming as the future of its agricultural production. But there’s still not much direct federal support for U.S. farmers who want to pursue sustainable practices, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has a suite of climate smart agriculture programs, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/\">Healthy Soils Program\u003c/a>, which subsidizes practices like cover cropping and no-till farming, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/\">State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program\u003c/a>, or SWEEP, which provides funds for irrigation that conserves water and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But those programs ran out of money and didn’t get funded in the pandemic budget that passed last year, said CalCAN’s Merrill. In the budget bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed earlier in the summer, both healthy soils and SWEEP received increased funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are good things, but there was no money yet for farmland conservation or the alternative manure management program,” Merrill said, referring to practices like pasture grazing that reduce potent greenhouse gas emissions in contrast to industrial dairies that store animal waste in large open pits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a historic surplus delaying passage of the final budget, “there’s a lot yet to be decided,” Merrill said. “Will we see funding that prioritizes climate resilience for small and midscale farmers? That’s the outstanding question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even when programs offer financial incentives for sustainable practices, the hurdles to accessing those funds can be high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to think about what a system looks like that really supports small and innovative farmers,” said Winfield of the Marin Resource Conservation District. “If the applications are too lengthy or if some of the reporting is too time consuming, we’re putting a lot of demands on farmers’ and ranchers’ time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlisle believes every sustainable farmer needs access to someone who can answer questions about how to manage vegetation that could fuel wildfires on their property, for example, or help crops tolerate droughts. That technical assistance, she said, should be linked with cost-sharing public funds to help farmers implement recommended measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things we’re asking farmers to do, in adapting to climate change and mitigating climate change, have tremendous public benefit,” Carlisle said. “We’re asking them to manage public resources like the atmosphere and the soil and the watershed. So we need to have programs like the healthy soils initiative available to pitch in for things that farmers are doing on behalf of all of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the funding for those programs is woefully inadequate to cover the scale of transition needed for farmers to adapt to climate change, Carlisle said. If taxpayer money is going to support agriculture, she said, “let’s target it for public benefit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of insuring commodity crops like corn, for example, farmers could be paid for cover cropping as ecological insurance to mitigate the risk of flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sustainable farmers provide “multiple, pretty massive benefits” for society without compensation, Galt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at Full Belly, you’ve probably greatly reduced the amount of runoff pollution from the farm compared to a conventional farm. You’ve created a ton of wildlife habitat that benefits the area around you and you’re absorbing more water more slowly in the ecosystems, so you’re not contributing to flash floods downstream. And you’re sequestering carbon in the soil, which is benefiting all of us,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galt added, “They also provide really good wages and benefits to farmworkers, which we don’t often see on farms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the only thing farmers get in return for all these services, Galt said, is the revenue from selling whatever they produce on the farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s making it hard for some small farmers to compete in the highly consolidated agricultural industry. A recent survey of dozens of small farms that sell to consumers through farmers markets and CSAs in four mid-Atlantic states found that most farmers earned near poverty-level wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As California struggles to cope with another disastrous fire season in the midst of a punishing drought, Galt sees an opportunity. “The costs of climate change are becoming really apparent,” he said. “Can we use this moment and do something quickly?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond and Full Belly Farm aren’t waiting for policymakers to give sustainable farmers their due. “We’ve learned to adapt to a changing environment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In talking with other farmers, she said, she realized that everyone’s in the same day-to-day, season-to-season planning mode, figuring out how to survive the abnormal vagaries of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to keep going. We have to keep harvesting. We have to keep our crew employed,” she said. “I think that’s where most people are at.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">InsideClimate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 2806,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 65
},
"modified": 1704846447,
"excerpt": "Small-scale sustainable farmers with direct access to consumers through community-supported agriculture programs hold the key to boosting agricultural resilience in a warming world. But economic incentives and policies still favor large industrial farms.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Small-scale sustainable farmers with direct access to consumers through community-supported agriculture programs hold the key to boosting agricultural resilience in a warming world. But economic incentives and policies still favor large industrial farms.",
"title": "California’s Sustainable Farms, Models for Agriculture in Warming World, Need Help Surviving It | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "California’s Sustainable Farms, Models for Agriculture in Warming World, Need Help Surviving It",
"datePublished": "2021-09-09T12:45:25-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:27-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "californias-sustainable-farms-models-for-agriculture-in-warming-world-need-help-surviving-it",
"status": "publish",
"nprByline": "Liza Gross, Inside Climate News",
"sticky": false,
"source": "InsideClimate News",
"path": "/science/1976679/californias-sustainable-farms-models-for-agriculture-in-warming-world-need-help-surviving-it",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The bustle of birds and insect pollinators is the first thing you notice at Full Belly Farm in Guinda, about 100 miles northeast of San Francisco in the Capay Valley, where Judith Redmond and her partners started farming four decades ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On this early morning in August, a hot, dry wind is blowing through the valley, fanning the flames that are devouring the parched lands on either side of Redmond’s 400-acre organic farm, where chickens, pigs and sheep forage alongside vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The day before, that wind fueled a fast-moving fire about 25 miles northwest of the farm that incinerated dozens of mobile homes. The massive Caldor and Dixie fires were continuing to spread to the east and north, and a gray smoky haze hung in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But fire is just one of the farm’s climate-related challenges, Redmond said. “At the moment, all of us are very, very concerned about the water situation and the drought.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Farmers have always labored at the mercy of the elements, but climate change has brought overlapping calamities of wildfires, drought, prolonged heat waves and power outages. Small-scale sustainable farmers with direct access to consumers through community-supported agriculture, or CSA, programs hold the key to boosting agricultural resilience in the face of a warming world. They know how to reduce agriculture’s carbon emissions, curb water and air pollution and boost biodiversity. But economic incentives and policies still favor large industrial farms that rely on chemicals and fossil fuels and raise only a few types of livestock or crops.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without access to the same subsidies, technical assistance and other resources available to large-scale operations, small farms are struggling to survive a rapidly changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For a long time we were seeing an increase in both large and small farms, but in the last ag census we saw a decline in small farms,” said Jeanne Merrill, policy director at California Climate and Agriculture Network, or CalCAN, a coalition of sustainable and organic farming organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diversified small and midsize farmers, who tend to 500 acres or less, can’t rely on the stable of consultants and university extension advisers that help larger operations get through extreme weather events, said Merrill. “It is getting much harder with water constraints, with heat events, with catastrophic wildfire to survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fires aren’t likely to make it through vast acres of irrigated crops on large farms, said Evan Wiig, communications director for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. But, he said, since 2017, the most destructive fire season in California on record at the time, “we’ve seen small farmers hit at an unprecedented scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976684\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1.jpeg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1976684\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-800x534.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-800x534.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1020x681.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-768x513.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1536x1026.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1-1920x1283.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/JudithEatingFigs-2048x1368-1.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Judith Redmond, one of six owners of Full Belly Farm, samples a turkey fig. \u003ccite>(Liza Gross)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wildfires mostly skirted the edges of Full Belly Farm until a few years ago, when the Sand Fire torched a 25-acre field of heirloom wheat on its way to burning thousands of acres. Securing their “extremely expensive” fire insurance is a constant struggle, Redmond said. “Every year is more difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s no wonder that small farms are disappearing in California, even as experts say the need for sustainable farming has never been greater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sustainable agriculture is “urgently needed” to tackle the environmental and climate crisis, agricultural experts argued in a 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/doi/10.1525/elementa.356/112494/Securing-the-future-of-US-agriculture-The-case-for\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper\u003c/a>. But the U.S. agricultural system, they wrote, puts practitioners “at a distinct disadvantage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Federal farm policy is set up to support chemically dependent monocultures through things like crop insurance and university research assistance, said Liz Carlisle, a lead author on the study and assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “It’s definitely not set up for something like a 20-acre diversified vegetable farm with a community-supported agricultural operation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s an entire apparatus built around industrial farming to standardize technologies like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers to maximize production for just a few crops, said study coauthor Ryan Galt, who directs the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the University of California, Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of federal money goes to funding commodities like corn and soy that provide cheap raw materials for meat and processed food, Galt said. “There are a patchwork of programs that help out diversified farming systems, but they’re pretty meager compared to those resources that are channeled towards propping up commodity production.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another major barrier to sustainable farming is access to affordable land. Close to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/74672/eib-161.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">45%\u003c/a> of California farmland is rented, which vastly increases overhead expenses and makes it harder for farmers to invest in long-term sustainability practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early farmers who moved away from monocultures, harmful pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that contaminate water resources were highly motivated to implement environmentally friendly practices, Galt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Do you know the kind of will and intelligence that takes? They had to really go against the grain and be supermotivated,” he said. “There weren’t any incentives for them to do it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Replacing fossil fuels with biology\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Agriculture accounts for \u003ca href=\"https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">10%\u003c/a> of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from industrial practices used to manage crops and livestock.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the work on U.S. farms runs on fossil fuel power, Carlisle said. “The fertility comes from synthetic fertilizer. For the most part, that’s fossil fuel derived. The pest control comes from synthetic pesticides that are fossil fuel derived. And, of course, a lot of work is done by diesel-powered tractors.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast, smaller farms rely on people power and organisms in the farm system to do the work, Carlisle said. Fertility comes from the manure of an animal or from soil-building cover crops. While pest control comes from planting flowers that attract beneficial insects, or from creating a functioning ecosystem where no single population of organisms gets out of control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You also have the work that would be done with a diesel-powered tractor more frequently done by people,” Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond and her partners have long experimented with such fossil-free approaches to produce environmentally sustainable, chemical-free food as pioneers of the CSA movement. Everything they do is geared toward farming for “more layers of life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They see building soil health as critical not just to fertilizing crops but also to boosting the farm’s resilience to climate change. They avoid or minimize tilling the soil, which supports healthy microbial communities and sequesters carbon. The use of so-called cover crops—non-cash crops planted to prevent soil erosion and nurture soil health—adds organic matter to soil, which helps retain moisture in the event of drought and absorbs water during floods. Using compost and pasture-grazing their sheep also feeds soils while planting hedgerows flush with native vegetation attracts pollinators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This low-carbon, high-touch approach to farming keeps their farmhands employed year-round.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Redmond walks along a field of ornamental broomcorn and flowers, sparrows and chickadees dart past dragonflies to a grove of Asian pears. Decades ago, Redmond’s crew started planting bushes, trees and shrubs that would grow naturally in the region to provide habitat and food for native beneficial insects. In turn, the beneficial insects control pests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s California Climate Hub highlighted some of the farm’s practices to show growers how they can adapt to changing climate conditions and maintain productivity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Full Belly Farm has been doing “a lot of really innovative work” experimenting with practices like no-till farming while advocating for practices that nurture the land, said Emilie Winfield, who led the project at the Climate Hub while still a graduate student at the UC Davis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It felt like a natural choice to partner with them, because they’ve been thinking about these issues for a long time,” said Winfield, who now coordinates the Marin Resource Conservation District’s North Coast Soil Hub. Plus, she added, they’re going to see “fairly severe impacts from climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Average maximum temperatures in the region are likely to increase by more than \u003ca href=\"https://cal-adapt.org/tools/annual-averages/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3 degrees\u003c/a> Fahrenheit within the next 30 years, according to Cal Adapt, bringing more heat waves, lower soil moisture and more plant stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To protect their diverse pepper crops, Redmond and her partners erected a large shade structure over two-acres of jalapeños, Jimmy Nardellos and several other pepper varieties. The shade cloth keeps the peppers from getting sunburned, reducing stress on the plants, and plastic mulch retains water in the soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The plants just look absolutely healthy and happy,” Redmond said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But some tomatoes have lost their flowers in the heat. No flowers means no fruit. And heat can also disrupt pollination in corn, which loses kernels when pollen fails to find every silk tube.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The region has seen several searing heat waves this season, which increases water demands. Full Belly Farm has two wells on the property, and in a normal year draws water from the creek that flows along its eastern edge. This is not a normal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly half of the state, including the Capay Valley, is in “exceptional” drought. Redmond’s local water district ended water deliveries that feed the creek and farmers to the south in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond said the farm will probably rely on groundwater, as it did when the creek went dry during the devastating five-year drought that ended in 2016.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we’ve really changed our plans for the fall,” Redmond said. “We’re growing less, we’re not going to have cover crops. There’s various pieces of land that we rent that we’re just not going to be able to plant because there’s just not enough water.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Creating a sustainability safety net\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>For agriculture to reduce its carbon footprint and survive the challenges of a rapidly changing climate, experts like Carlisle and Galt believe, it will need to replace fossil-fuel intensive management with “knowledge-intensive” management. Farmers like Redmond acquired a deep understanding of how to harness the region’s natural resources over years of experimenting with different strategies to figure out how to boost productivity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s the difference between seeing biodiversity as an asset to the farm or a threat, Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In most indigenous food systems, there was not a clear distinction between wild lands, and a farm,” Carlisle said. “Ecological agriculture is a functioning ecosystem that looks, in many ways, like the surrounding natural ecosystem. It’s just managed for the purpose of growing human foods.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So-called agroecology requires valuing human knowledge and labor, but the current system has been optimized to minimize both, Carlisle said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Less than 2% of the population farms in the United States,” she said. “What we need to be optimizing for in a world where we’re facing climate change, and a lot of other challenges, is minimizing fossil fuel use, and embracing the idea that people can have really good lives and really good jobs on farms, if we actually prioritize that as a society.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the approach many European countries have taken, said Galt of UC Davis, referring to initiatives in the \u003ca href=\"https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/organic-farming_en\">European Union\u003c/a>, which has invested in organic farming as the future of its agricultural production. But there’s still not much direct federal support for U.S. farmers who want to pursue sustainable practices, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California has a suite of climate smart agriculture programs, including the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/\">Healthy Soils Program\u003c/a>, which subsidizes practices like cover cropping and no-till farming, and the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/\">State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program\u003c/a>, or SWEEP, which provides funds for irrigation that conserves water and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But those programs ran out of money and didn’t get funded in the pandemic budget that passed last year, said CalCAN’s Merrill. In the budget bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed earlier in the summer, both healthy soils and SWEEP received increased funding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Those are good things, but there was no money yet for farmland conservation or the alternative manure management program,” Merrill said, referring to practices like pasture grazing that reduce potent greenhouse gas emissions in contrast to industrial dairies that store animal waste in large open pits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With a historic surplus delaying passage of the final budget, “there’s a lot yet to be decided,” Merrill said. “Will we see funding that prioritizes climate resilience for small and midscale farmers? That’s the outstanding question.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even when programs offer financial incentives for sustainable practices, the hurdles to accessing those funds can be high.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to think about what a system looks like that really supports small and innovative farmers,” said Winfield of the Marin Resource Conservation District. “If the applications are too lengthy or if some of the reporting is too time consuming, we’re putting a lot of demands on farmers’ and ranchers’ time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carlisle believes every sustainable farmer needs access to someone who can answer questions about how to manage vegetation that could fuel wildfires on their property, for example, or help crops tolerate droughts. That technical assistance, she said, should be linked with cost-sharing public funds to help farmers implement recommended measures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things we’re asking farmers to do, in adapting to climate change and mitigating climate change, have tremendous public benefit,” Carlisle said. “We’re asking them to manage public resources like the atmosphere and the soil and the watershed. So we need to have programs like the healthy soils initiative available to pitch in for things that farmers are doing on behalf of all of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the funding for those programs is woefully inadequate to cover the scale of transition needed for farmers to adapt to climate change, Carlisle said. If taxpayer money is going to support agriculture, she said, “let’s target it for public benefit.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of insuring commodity crops like corn, for example, farmers could be paid for cover cropping as ecological insurance to mitigate the risk of flooding.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sustainable farmers provide “multiple, pretty massive benefits” for society without compensation, Galt said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you look at Full Belly, you’ve probably greatly reduced the amount of runoff pollution from the farm compared to a conventional farm. You’ve created a ton of wildlife habitat that benefits the area around you and you’re absorbing more water more slowly in the ecosystems, so you’re not contributing to flash floods downstream. And you’re sequestering carbon in the soil, which is benefiting all of us,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Galt added, “They also provide really good wages and benefits to farmworkers, which we don’t often see on farms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yet the only thing farmers get in return for all these services, Galt said, is the revenue from selling whatever they produce on the farm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s making it hard for some small farmers to compete in the highly consolidated agricultural industry. A recent survey of dozens of small farms that sell to consumers through farmers markets and CSAs in four mid-Atlantic states found that most farmers earned near poverty-level wages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As California struggles to cope with another disastrous fire season in the midst of a punishing drought, Galt sees an opportunity. “The costs of climate change are becoming really apparent,” he said. “Can we use this moment and do something quickly?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Redmond and Full Belly Farm aren’t waiting for policymakers to give sustainable farmers their due. “We’ve learned to adapt to a changing environment,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In talking with other farmers, she said, she realized that everyone’s in the same day-to-day, season-to-season planning mode, figuring out how to survive the abnormal vagaries of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have to keep going. We have to keep harvesting. We have to keep our crew employed,” she said. “I think that’s where most people are at.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">InsideClimate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976679/californias-sustainable-farms-models-for-agriculture-in-warming-world-need-help-surviving-it",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976679"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450"
],
"tags": [
"science_182",
"science_194",
"science_4414",
"science_4122"
],
"featImg": "science_1976683",
"label": "source_science_1976679"
},
"science_1976584": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "science_1976584",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1976584",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1630521544000
]
},
"parent": 0,
"labelTerm": {},
"blocks": [],
"publishDate": 1630521544,
"format": "standard",
"title": "What California Can Learn From The South About Wildfire Prevention",
"headTitle": "What California Can Learn From The South About Wildfire Prevention | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In early May, flames began to spread through a pine forest, consuming a dense carpet of leaves and underbrush. The burn was the definition of a “good fire,” intentionally ignited to clear vegetation that could fuel future infernos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It happened in the state leading the nation in controlled burns: Florida.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Western states contend with increasingly catastrophic wildfires, some are looking to the Southeastern U.S., where prescribed fire is widespread thanks to policies put in place decades ago. From 1998 to 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/2/2/30/htm\">70% of all controlled burning\u003c/a> in the country was in the Southeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a continent apart, both regions have a similar need for fire. For thousands of years, forests and woodlands experienced regular burning, both sparked by lightning and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along\">used by Native American tribes\u003c/a>, which prevented the build up of flammable growth. Without fire, the landscape is prone to intense, potentially devastating wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite that risk, Western states have struggled to expand the use of controlled burns. This month, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/09/1026137249/with-extreme-fires-burning-forest-service-stops-good-fires-too\">U.S. Forest Service suspended them\u003c/a> because of the extensive fires burning in record-dry conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, several Western states are moving to adopt the fire policies pioneered by Florida and other Southern states as a hedge against the future. They include training for burn leaders and providing liability protection for them. The bigger challenge is changing the culture around fire, so that residents know that tolerating a little smoke from good fires can help stop the destructive blazes that cloud the air for weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have this generational gap in fire knowledge in the Western U.S. that we’re trying to rebuild now,” says Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension. “But Florida and the Southeast still have it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How good fire became routine in the South\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Low-intensity fires were once common across the U.S.. Tribes would burn woodlands to encourage plant growth, improve food and weaving resources, and attract game. In the fast-growing forests of the Southeast, fires would happen every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After colonization, some settlers in the Southeast adopted similar burning practices on lands taken from tribes. But by the early 1900s, the era of fire suppression began. Burning was seen as a threat to timber harvests. The U.S. Forest Service implemented an edict to extinguish all fires. On billboards and in ads, Smokey Bear spread the idea that fire was the enemy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the 1960s, land managers realized that many landscapes had become choked with brush, grasses, and small trees. In the Southeast, where the majority of land is privately owned, some residents had continued controlled burning and wanted to see the practice grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re here since the 1800s, my family has been,” says Frank Riley, executive director of the Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Commission, a nonprofit in Demorest, Ga., that works on land management. “They used to light a fire and just let it burn till it quit, wherever over yonder it quit. Because it kept the forest open. The deer had something to eat. The cattle back then had something to eat because it burned all the briars and bushes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1990, Florida passed a law to encourage prescribed burns, recognizing that the state would lose significant biodiversity without it. After firestorms burned almost 500,000 acres in 1998, the law was strengthened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Florida set up a certification system for burn managers, also known as “burn bosses,” requiring candidates to get special training on weather and landscape conditions for safe burning. With that certification, burners are protected from liability lawsuits in the rare event a burn gets out of control, unless it’s shown there was “gross negligence” on their part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, 11 Southern states have burn manager certification programs. As a result, controlled burning has become part of the social fabric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city embraces the natural areas that surround it,” says Morgan Varner, director of fire research at \u003ca href=\"https://talltimbers.org/\">Tall Timbers\u003c/a>, a research station and land conservancy in Tallahassee, Fla. “They love the green space and they associate that with the burning that takes place. So there’s a bit of a social license that has to be reborn or restored in the rest of the country that’s really not present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varner says many private landowners burn every other year, usually in the spring. As long as the weather and wind conditions are safe, burn bosses can get a required permit in 15 minutes over the phone. In Western states, prescribed burn planning can take weeks or even months in some places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People don’t just accept it there — they look for it,” says Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at the University of California, Merced. “They demand it, because they know how important it is for maintaining those landscapes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Western states have a long way to go\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Florida has \u003ca href=\"https://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/NationalYTDbyStateandAgency.pdf\">done prescribed burns on more than 1.6 million acres\u003c/a> so far this year. California has only burned around 35,000 acres. The state is 2.5 times larger than Florida.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/08/13/california-u-s-forest-service-establish-shared-long-term-strategy-to-manage-forests-and-rangelands/\">recently signed an agreement\u003c/a> with the U.S. Forest Service to reduce vegetation on 1 million acres of public lands, but the goal is still out of reach. Experts estimate that tens of millions of acres need addressing statewide, but lack of funding, personnel and political will has limited the work on public lands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About half of California is privately owned, and landowners have had little support from public agencies to conduct burns on their property. Permits from firefighting agencies and air quality regulators can be cumbersome to secure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very important that we have private landowners and community groups involved because they are managing and taking care of the lands around our towns and communities,” Quinn-Davidson says. “They’re critical in this larger vision of California living with fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While federal and state firefighters are protected from liability claims for prescribing burning, most burn bosses on private land in California are unable to get insurance to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I go out and I burn, I have no liability protection,” Quinn-Davidson says. “I’m assuming full responsibility for those projects. And most of the time, we’re doing those projects for public benefit, to reduce wildfire risk, to restore habitat, for cultural reasons.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California legislators are \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">currently considering a bill\u003c/a> that would protect burners from being charged for the firefighting resources that would be needed if a burn escapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An earlier version of the bill would have copied laws from Southeastern states, protecting burners from civil liability, too, unless they were grossly negligent. After opposition from the insurance industry, that provision was removed. While rare, some prescribed burns have escaped and burned into developed areas, threatening or even destroying homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Western states are beginning to move in the same direction. In March, \u003ca href=\"https://www.governor.state.nm.us/2021/03/18/gov-signs-bipartisan-measure-to-improve-forest-management-help-n-m-avoid-catastrophic-fires/\">New Mexico passed a law\u003c/a> limiting liability for prescribed burning and establishing a burn boss training program. \u003ca href=\"https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB762\">Oregon passed a bill in July\u003c/a> that established its first burn boss certification, as well as a bill that directs agencies to study issues around liability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the federal level, several Democratic senators are hoping to help states with added funding from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/National%20Prescribed%20Fire%20Act%20of%202020%20One%20Pager.pdf\">National Prescribed Fire Act of 2021\u003c/a>, which would provide $300 million for federal agency burns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Western states have a long way to go, some experts say the resurgence of burning has already begun, led by communities and Native American tribes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, Quinn-Davidson helped lead the first burn manager certification course in California. Fourteen local groups, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calpba.org/\">prescribed burn associations\u003c/a>, recently formed to help private landowners with burns across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is, in some ways, in the dark ages with prescribed fire,” Varner says. “But they’re in a time now, a special time, that they can go from No. 49 in the country to No. 1.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Why+The+South+Is+Decades+Ahead+Of+The+West+In+Wildfire+Prevention&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
"stats": {
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"hasAudio": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"wordCount": 1366,
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"paragraphCount": 32
},
"modified": 1704846452,
"excerpt": "Another destructive fire season has California searching for ways to prevent it. The Southeast just might have the answers: setting controlled fires before the wildfires come.",
"headData": {
"twImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twDescription": "",
"description": "Another destructive fire season has California searching for ways to prevent it. The Southeast just might have the answers: setting controlled fires before the wildfires come.",
"title": "What California Can Learn From The South About Wildfire Prevention | KQED",
"ogDescription": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "What California Can Learn From The South About Wildfire Prevention",
"datePublished": "2021-09-01T11:39:04-07:00",
"dateModified": "2024-01-09T16:27:32-08:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "what-california-can-learn-from-the-south-about-wildfire-prevention",
"status": "publish",
"nprApiLink": "http://api.npr.org/query?id=1029821831&apiKey=MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004",
"nprStoryDate": "Tue, 31 Aug 2021 05:08:00 -0400",
"nprLastModifiedDate": "Tue, 31 Aug 2021 12:02:51 -0400",
"nprHtmlLink": "https://www.npr.org/2021/08/31/1029821831/to-stop-extreme-wildfires-california-is-learning-from-florida?ft=nprml&f=1029821831",
"nprAudio": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/08/20210831_me_to_stop_extreme_wildfires_california_is_learning_from_florida.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1025&d=249&p=3&story=1029821831&ft=nprml&f=1029821831",
"nprImageAgency": "Lenya Quinn-Davidson",
"source": "NPR",
"nprAudioM3u": "http://api.npr.org/m3u/11032738437-12a504.m3u?orgId=1&topicId=1025&d=249&p=3&story=1029821831&ft=nprml&f=1029821831",
"nprStoryId": "1029821831",
"nprByline": "Lauren Sommer \u003cbr />NPR\u003cbr>",
"sticky": false,
"nprRetrievedStory": "1",
"nprPubDate": "Tue, 31 Aug 2021 12:02:00 -0400",
"path": "/science/1976584/what-california-can-learn-from-the-south-about-wildfire-prevention",
"audioUrl": "https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2021/08/20210831_me_to_stop_extreme_wildfires_california_is_learning_from_florida.mp3?orgId=1&topicId=1025&d=249&p=3&story=1029821831&ft=nprml&f=1029821831",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In early May, flames began to spread through a pine forest, consuming a dense carpet of leaves and underbrush. The burn was the definition of a “good fire,” intentionally ignited to clear vegetation that could fuel future infernos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It happened in the state leading the nation in controlled burns: Florida.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Western states contend with increasingly catastrophic wildfires, some are looking to the Southeastern U.S., where prescribed fire is widespread thanks to policies put in place decades ago. From 1998 to 2018, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/2/2/30/htm\">70% of all controlled burning\u003c/a> in the country was in the Southeast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While a continent apart, both regions have a similar need for fire. For thousands of years, forests and woodlands experienced regular burning, both sparked by lightning and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along\">used by Native American tribes\u003c/a>, which prevented the build up of flammable growth. Without fire, the landscape is prone to intense, potentially devastating wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite that risk, Western states have struggled to expand the use of controlled burns. This month, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/09/1026137249/with-extreme-fires-burning-forest-service-stops-good-fires-too\">U.S. Forest Service suspended them\u003c/a> because of the extensive fires burning in record-dry conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, several Western states are moving to adopt the fire policies pioneered by Florida and other Southern states as a hedge against the future. They include training for burn leaders and providing liability protection for them. The bigger challenge is changing the culture around fire, so that residents know that tolerating a little smoke from good fires can help stop the destructive blazes that cloud the air for weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have this generational gap in fire knowledge in the Western U.S. that we’re trying to rebuild now,” says Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension. “But Florida and the Southeast still have it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How good fire became routine in the South\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Low-intensity fires were once common across the U.S.. Tribes would burn woodlands to encourage plant growth, improve food and weaving resources, and attract game. In the fast-growing forests of the Southeast, fires would happen every few years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After colonization, some settlers in the Southeast adopted similar burning practices on lands taken from tribes. But by the early 1900s, the era of fire suppression began. Burning was seen as a threat to timber harvests. The U.S. Forest Service implemented an edict to extinguish all fires. On billboards and in ads, Smokey Bear spread the idea that fire was the enemy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the 1960s, land managers realized that many landscapes had become choked with brush, grasses, and small trees. In the Southeast, where the majority of land is privately owned, some residents had continued controlled burning and wanted to see the practice grow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re here since the 1800s, my family has been,” says Frank Riley, executive director of the Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource Conservation and Development Commission, a nonprofit in Demorest, Ga., that works on land management. “They used to light a fire and just let it burn till it quit, wherever over yonder it quit. Because it kept the forest open. The deer had something to eat. The cattle back then had something to eat because it burned all the briars and bushes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 1990, Florida passed a law to encourage prescribed burns, recognizing that the state would lose significant biodiversity without it. After firestorms burned almost 500,000 acres in 1998, the law was strengthened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Florida set up a certification system for burn managers, also known as “burn bosses,” requiring candidates to get special training on weather and landscape conditions for safe burning. With that certification, burners are protected from liability lawsuits in the rare event a burn gets out of control, unless it’s shown there was “gross negligence” on their part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In total, 11 Southern states have burn manager certification programs. As a result, controlled burning has become part of the social fabric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The city embraces the natural areas that surround it,” says Morgan Varner, director of fire research at \u003ca href=\"https://talltimbers.org/\">Tall Timbers\u003c/a>, a research station and land conservancy in Tallahassee, Fla. “They love the green space and they associate that with the burning that takes place. So there’s a bit of a social license that has to be reborn or restored in the rest of the country that’s really not present.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Varner says many private landowners burn every other year, usually in the spring. As long as the weather and wind conditions are safe, burn bosses can get a required permit in 15 minutes over the phone. In Western states, prescribed burn planning can take weeks or even months in some places.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People don’t just accept it there — they look for it,” says Crystal Kolden, a fire scientist at the University of California, Merced. “They demand it, because they know how important it is for maintaining those landscapes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Western states have a long way to go\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Florida has \u003ca href=\"https://gacc.nifc.gov/sacc/predictive/intelligence/NationalYTDbyStateandAgency.pdf\">done prescribed burns on more than 1.6 million acres\u003c/a> so far this year. California has only burned around 35,000 acres. The state is 2.5 times larger than Florida.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/08/13/california-u-s-forest-service-establish-shared-long-term-strategy-to-manage-forests-and-rangelands/\">recently signed an agreement\u003c/a> with the U.S. Forest Service to reduce vegetation on 1 million acres of public lands, but the goal is still out of reach. Experts estimate that tens of millions of acres need addressing statewide, but lack of funding, personnel and political will has limited the work on public lands.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About half of California is privately owned, and landowners have had little support from public agencies to conduct burns on their property. Permits from firefighting agencies and air quality regulators can be cumbersome to secure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s very important that we have private landowners and community groups involved because they are managing and taking care of the lands around our towns and communities,” Quinn-Davidson says. “They’re critical in this larger vision of California living with fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While federal and state firefighters are protected from liability claims for prescribing burning, most burn bosses on private land in California are unable to get insurance to protect themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When I go out and I burn, I have no liability protection,” Quinn-Davidson says. “I’m assuming full responsibility for those projects. And most of the time, we’re doing those projects for public benefit, to reduce wildfire risk, to restore habitat, for cultural reasons.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California legislators are \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB332\">currently considering a bill\u003c/a> that would protect burners from being charged for the firefighting resources that would be needed if a burn escapes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An earlier version of the bill would have copied laws from Southeastern states, protecting burners from civil liability, too, unless they were grossly negligent. After opposition from the insurance industry, that provision was removed. While rare, some prescribed burns have escaped and burned into developed areas, threatening or even destroying homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other Western states are beginning to move in the same direction. In March, \u003ca href=\"https://www.governor.state.nm.us/2021/03/18/gov-signs-bipartisan-measure-to-improve-forest-management-help-n-m-avoid-catastrophic-fires/\">New Mexico passed a law\u003c/a> limiting liability for prescribed burning and establishing a burn boss training program. \u003ca href=\"https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB762\">Oregon passed a bill in July\u003c/a> that established its first burn boss certification, as well as a bill that directs agencies to study issues around liability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the federal level, several Democratic senators are hoping to help states with added funding from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/National%20Prescribed%20Fire%20Act%20of%202020%20One%20Pager.pdf\">National Prescribed Fire Act of 2021\u003c/a>, which would provide $300 million for federal agency burns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Western states have a long way to go, some experts say the resurgence of burning has already begun, led by communities and Native American tribes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, Quinn-Davidson helped lead the first burn manager certification course in California. Fourteen local groups, known as \u003ca href=\"https://calpba.org/\">prescribed burn associations\u003c/a>, recently formed to help private landowners with burns across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "floatright"
},
"numeric": [
"floatright"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is, in some ways, in the dark ages with prescribed fire,” Varner says. “But they’re in a time now, a special time, that they can go from No. 49 in the country to No. 1.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Why+The+South+Is+Decades+Ahead+Of+The+West+In+Wildfire+Prevention&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/science/1976584/what-california-can-learn-from-the-south-about-wildfire-prevention",
"authors": [
"byline_science_1976584"
],
"categories": [
"science_31",
"science_40",
"science_4450",
"science_3730"
],
"tags": [
"science_194",
"science_2936",
"science_113"
],
"featImg": "science_1976585",
"label": "source_science_1976584"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/science?category=climate": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 408,
"size": 12
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 12,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 1578,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"science_1977079",
"science_1977037",
"science_1976952",
"science_1976890",
"science_1976863",
"science_1976869",
"science_1976811",
"science_1976798",
"science_1976673",
"science_1976747",
"science_1976679",
"science_1976584"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science_category_climate": {
"isLoading": true
},
"science_31": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_31",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "31",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 33,
"slug": "climate",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/climate"
},
"source_science_1977079": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1977079",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "AP",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1977037": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1977037",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Wildfire",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976952": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976952",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Water",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976863": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976863",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "AP",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976869": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976869",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Climate Change",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976811": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976811",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "STAT",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976798": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976798",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976679": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976679",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "InsideClimate News",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_science_1976584": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_science_1976584",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "NPR",
"isLoading": false
},
"science_35": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_35",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "35",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Environment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Environment Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 37,
"slug": "environment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/environment"
},
"science_40": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_40",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "40",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 42,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/news"
},
"science_4450": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4450",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4450",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4450,
"slug": "science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/science"
},
"science_3730": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3730",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3730",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Wildfires",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Wildfires Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3730,
"slug": "wildfires",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/wildfires"
},
"science_4209": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4209",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4209",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "AP",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "AP Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4209,
"slug": "ap",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/ap"
},
"science_4414": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4414",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4414",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-science",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-science Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4414,
"slug": "featured-science",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/featured-science"
},
"science_113": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_113",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "113",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfire",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfire Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 117,
"slug": "wildfire",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wildfire"
},
"science_194": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_194",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "194",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "climate change",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "climate change Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 198,
"slug": "climate-change",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/climate-change"
},
"science_959": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_959",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "959",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "prescribed burning",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "prescribed burning Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 966,
"slug": "prescribed-burning",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/prescribed-burning"
},
"science_98": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_98",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "98",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Water",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Water Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 102,
"slug": "water",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/water"
},
"science_1622": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1622",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1622",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "California drought",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "California drought Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1631,
"slug": "california-drought",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/california-drought"
},
"science_1461": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1461",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1461",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "climate change adaptation",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "climate change adaptation Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1470,
"slug": "climate-change-adaptation",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/climate-change-adaptation"
},
"science_383": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_383",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "383",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "heat wave",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "heat wave Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 389,
"slug": "heat-wave",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/heat-wave"
},
"science_393": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_393",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "393",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wine",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wine Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 399,
"slug": "wine",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wine"
},
"science_44": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_44",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "44",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Television",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Television Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 46,
"slug": "television",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/television"
},
"science_5197": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_5197",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "5197",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "arts Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5197,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/arts"
},
"science_3794": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3794",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3794",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "United Nations",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "United Nations Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3794,
"slug": "united-nations",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/united-nations"
},
"science_572": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_572",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "572",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "drought",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "drought Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 578,
"slug": "drought",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/drought"
},
"science_4329": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4329",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4329",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Coronavirus",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Coronavirus Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4329,
"slug": "coronavirus",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/coronavirus"
},
"science_4417": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4417",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4417",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-news",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-news Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4417,
"slug": "featured-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/featured-news"
},
"science_3977": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3977",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3977",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "STAT",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "STAT Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3977,
"slug": "stat",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/stat"
},
"science_2936": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2936",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2936",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "NPR",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "NPR Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2936,
"slug": "npr",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/npr"
},
"science_1935": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_1935",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "1935",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Deep Look",
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360]\r\n\r\n\u003cbr/>\r\n\r\n\u003ch2>About Deep Look\u003c/h2>\r\n\r\n[dl_subscribe]\r\n\r\n\u003cp>See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios.\u003c/p>\r\n\r\n\u003cp>Don't miss an episode! \u003ca href=\"http://goo.gl/8NwXqt\">SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\r\n",
"taxonomy": "series",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpAc7SyETD4?rel=0&w=640&h=360] About Deep Look [dl_subscribe] See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small with Deep Look, a new ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. Don't miss an episode! SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look on YouTube.",
"title": "Deep Look Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1946,
"slug": "deep-look",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/series/deep-look"
},
"science_2874": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_2874",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "2874",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Animals",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Animals Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2874,
"slug": "animals",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/animals"
},
"science_86": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_86",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "86",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Video",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Video Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 89,
"slug": "video",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/category/video"
},
"science_524": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_524",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "524",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "air quality",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "air quality Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 530,
"slug": "air-quality",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/air-quality"
},
"science_3463": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3463",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3463",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "smoke",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "smoke Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3463,
"slug": "smoke",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/smoke"
},
"science_3693": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_3693",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "3693",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "wildfire smoke",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "wildfire smoke Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 3693,
"slug": "wildfire-smoke",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/wildfire-smoke"
},
"science_182": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_182",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "182",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "climate",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "climate Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 186,
"slug": "climate-2",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/climate-2"
},
"science_4122": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "science_4122",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "science",
"id": "4122",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "InsideClimate News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "InsideClimate News Archives | KQED Science",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4122,
"slug": "insideclimate-news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/science/tag/insideclimate-news"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
}
}
