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"content": "\u003cp>Hotter-burning wildfires are transforming California’s forests, and not for the better. A new \u003ca href=\"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.2882\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study\u003c/a> from UC Davis finds high-intensity fires leave fewer trees and a less diverse population of plants behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re finding that high intensity, really dangerous fires … are becoming more frequent,” said Clark Richter, a graduate student in ecology at UC Davis. “They’re burning a larger area than was typical historically.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote citation=\"Clark Richter, UC Davis\"]‘We’re finding that high intensity, really dangerous fires … are becoming more frequent.’[/pullquote]Richter and a team sampled plants across patches of land in the Sierra Nevada that were burned in at least eight fires over the last 20 years. Their goal was to get a better picture of what happened to plants in the forest understory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richter calls the current pattern of fire in California, one where fires burn intensely hot, “novel.” He and a research team saw that “when fire climbs up into the canopy, it often kills the adult trees,” he said. “And that causes a dramatic change to the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those intense fires transform forest into shrubland. And according to Richter, the more frequent and the larger the area burned at these high-severity sites, the larger the shrub fields left behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Less Diversity\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Field sampling by the researchers found less plant diversity on the landscape after high-intensity fires, especially in shrublands. And when fire returns to that landscape, it’s more likely “that system is going to continue to be a high-severity site, that’s going to continue to be a shrub field potentially indefinitely,” Richter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t always this way in California’s yellow pine mixed-conifer forests, Richter says. Historically, the fires that burned these forests at elevation were low- and moderate-intensity. “These weren’t really fierce, fierce fires with really tall flame lengths in the canopies of trees,” Richter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richter thinks of these less-intense fires as recurring events that “chew up” but don’t destroy understory fuels on the ground, thus preserving an array of plants after the fire is out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study supports the idea that active management of forests, including reducing tree density and managing understory growth with prescribed fire and mechanical means, promotes ecosystem health. The study’s authors acknowledged the challenges to managing forests this way, including increased costs and legal opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Richter said, “Our concern is that if these shrub fields continue to burn, that there will be an overall loss of understory plant diversity in these sites at a landscape level.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Less Diversity\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Field sampling by the researchers found less plant diversity on the landscape after high-intensity fires, especially in shrublands. And when fire returns to that landscape, it’s more likely “that system is going to continue to be a high-severity site, that’s going to continue to be a shrub field potentially indefinitely,” Richter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It wasn’t always this way in California’s yellow pine mixed-conifer forests, Richter says. Historically, the fires that burned these forests at elevation were low- and moderate-intensity. “These weren’t really fierce, fierce fires with really tall flame lengths in the canopies of trees,” Richter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richter thinks of these less-intense fires as recurring events that “chew up” but don’t destroy understory fuels on the ground, thus preserving an array of plants after the fire is out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study supports the idea that active management of forests, including reducing tree density and managing understory growth with prescribed fire and mechanical means, promotes ecosystem health. The study’s authors acknowledged the challenges to managing forests this way, including increased costs and legal opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Richter said, “Our concern is that if these shrub fields continue to burn, that there will be an overall loss of understory plant diversity in these sites at a landscape level.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Fire, Rock Slides, and Floods: UN Report Details Growing Warming Threat in the Mountains",
"headTitle": "Fire, Rock Slides, and Floods: UN Report Details Growing Warming Threat in the Mountains | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>With ominous orange-gray smoke clouds seething on the western horizon, it’s easy to understand how Colorado’s highest city and other mountain communities are directly threatened by global warming. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote align='right' citation='Heidi Steltzer, biologist at Fort Lewis College']‘Concern, commitment and action on climate change should not depend on which places, species or people are impacted. Instead, they should be motivated by compassion.’[/pullquote]\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain snowpack is shrinking and melting earlier in the spring. Warmer and longer summers dry out vegetation and increase the threat of wildfires in western mountain forests, where the fire season has \u003ca href=\"https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/86268/longer-more-frequent-fire-seasons\">lengthened\u003c/a> by at least a month since 1979.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing wildfire risk is just part of an accelerating cycle of global warming impacts in the world’s mountain regions, according to a new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25092019/ipcc-cryosphere-ocean-report-climate-change-sea-level-rise-greenland-antarctica\">report\u003c/a> that includes a \u003ca href=\"https://report.ipcc.ch/srocc/pdf/SROCC_FinalDraft_Chapter2.pdf\">section\u003c/a> focused on mountains for the first time in more than 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow cover duration has declined in nearly all regions, especially at lower elevations, on average by five days per decade,” the mountain chapter of the IPCC report says. On average across Western North America, the European Alps and High Mountain Asia, temperatures are warming by 0.54 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s melting glaciers and changing mountain river flows, disrupting plants and wildlife, and increasing the risk of extreme \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26092018/climate-change-mountains-landslide-hazard-thawing-permafrost-rockfall-extreme-weather-glaciers-global-warming\">rockslides\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08032019/avalanche-climate-change-risk-snow-storm-forecast-colorado-switzerland\">avalanches\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082018/global-warming-climate-change-floods-california-oroville-dam-scientists\">mountain floods\u003c/a> caused by rain falling on snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together, global warming impacts represent an existential threat to millions of people in the Andes, the Himalaya, the European Alps, and the U.S. Mountain West including Alaska, said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/heidimountains\">Heidi Steltzer\u003c/a>, a biologist at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and a lead author of the mountain chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shrinking glaciers and snow harm Indigenous Peoples and rural communities greatly. Concern, commitment and action on climate change should not depend on which places, species or people are impacted. Instead, they should be motivated by compassion,” Steltzer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Reliability \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Crested Butte, about 100 miles southwest of Leadville, hydrologist and physicist Rosemary Carroll studies how \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07062016/unabated-global-warming-threatens-west-snowpack-water-rocky-mountains-sierra-nevada-drought\">disruptions\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07062016/unabated-global-warming-threatens-west-snowpack-water-rocky-mountains-sierra-nevada-drought\">to the water cycle\u003c/a> will affect local ranchers and ski areas, as well as drinking and agricultural water supplies hundreds of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC assessment found that global warming will change the timing and amount of runoff, “affecting water storage and delivery infrastructure around the world,” a finding backed by research focusing on the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2016 \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL068798\">study\u003c/a> in six Western mountain ranges showed rising temperatures will shift the snow accumulation zone and runoff timing enough to have significant impacts on water cycles. And some towns in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada are at risk from \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082018/global-warming-climate-change-floods-california-oroville-dam-scientists\">dangerous flash floods\u003c/a> as global warming brings rain, rather than snow, to some mountain regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll pointed out her living room window to a craggy ridgeline where she measures how water from melted snow trickles through rocks and meadows down to the East River, on to the Gunnison River and finally into the mighty Colorado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The new normal is that the snowpack is melting earlier and we have earlier runoff, and that’s a fact. There’s going to be less water for a given snowpack,” she said. Even in average snowfall years, global warming is reducing the amount of available water for irrigation and storage, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her research for the University of Nevada’s Desert Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy will help communities adapt as global warming disrupts flows from mountain streams. Around Crested Butte, the ski industry and local ranchers will feel the changes first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But addressing those impacts isn’t as easy as just throwing a new report on the table. Translating science into action requires working with stakeholders from the start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ranchers know what’s happening, they know that things are shifting, but they’re afraid the policy will shift in a way that they will carry the burden of the change. Since they have most of the water, they fear they will have to give up the most, and that it won’t be equitable,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The states that get their water from the Colorado River are already restructuring \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31012019/colorado-river-water-crisis-climate-science-state-conservation-plans\">water-sharing agreements\u003c/a> to stave off shortages and trying to develop new storage plans to account for extreme wet and dry years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Goodbye to Glaciers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Global warming will change nearly every mountain ecosystem, starting with the very visible meltdown of glaciers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the European Alps, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alpenverein.at/portal/news/aktuelle_news/2018/2018_04_06_gletscherbericht.php\">some glaciers retreated by as much 410 feet\u003c/a> last year — imagine the Empire State Building shrinking by a third. Globally, the world’s glaciers have lost 9 trillion tons of ice since 1961, raising sea level by about 1 inch, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Glaciers_lose_nine_trillion_tonnes_of_ice_in_half_a_century\">European Space Agency\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As glaciers melt, they create a series of risks: newly formed meltwater lakes can burst through their banks, flooding towns and farms below. And as the ice dwindles, that will significantly change the timing and amount of water available for hydropower production and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with disrupting ecosystems and downstream communities that rely on glacier meltwater, global warming in the mountains will cause emotional and cultural loss as cherished landscapes vanish. In Switzerland, people recently held a memorial service for the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/matthias_huss/status/1176117412997062656\">disappearing Pizol Glacier\u003c/a> as a way of dealing with that grief, a sometimes overlooked component of climate resilience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media media-element-container media-image_full\">\n\u003cp>The physical threats are real and growing, said Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If greenhouse gas emissions peak in the next few years and then start to decline, glaciers in the European Alps will lose two-thirds of their current ice. With continued high emissions, the glaciers will all but vanish, with only 5 percent of the current ice remaining, Huss and colleagues found in recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1125/2019/\">study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26092018/climate-change-mountains-landslide-hazard-thawing-permafrost-rockfall-extreme-weather-glaciers-global-warming\">An increase in rockfall events\u003c/a>, and flooding from glacier lakes, also due to more extreme weather events, is likely,” Huss said. “I think European countries are prepared, and they have the financial means to adapt. It will be much more difficult for developing countries to adapt to the challenges in mountain regions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme storms that destroy forests and damage roads and railroad lines could also become more frequent in the world’s mountains, although climate models aren’t yet localized enough to project such changes accurately, the IPCC assessment concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It won’t be cheap to redesign and rebuild water infrastructure, Huss said. In some snow-dependent communities, the meltdown will also drive wrenching cultural and economic changes. But “one could also see this as a chance for major development toward a more sustainable way to live on our planet,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adapting Food Crops\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what University of Colorado researcher Tsegay Wolde-Georgis was thinking when he led a \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/news-events/instaar-news/apple-trees-in-atebes-cultivating-climate-resilience-in-an-ethiopian-villag/\">project\u003c/a> in the early 2000s to cultivate apple trees around Atebe, in the dry highlands of Ethiopia where he grew up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diversifying local food supplies will help make the region more resilient to global warming, he said. The new IPCC assessment affirms that global warming is driving dangerous changes in mountain environments that threaten food supplies. But along with warnings, the world needs action, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything is getting more extreme, and there is seasonal confusion,” he said. But there is enough scientific and traditional knowledge to find on-the-ground projects and do them, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the apple orchard, he adapted a traditional permaculture technique, using water-filled clay pots to efficiently irrigate the young trees. At the same time, residents enhanced the water-holding capacity of deforested hillsides by building terraces and planting vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such regenerative agriculture is crucial for food security in developing countries, said Wolde-Georgis, who works with the \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/research/programs/consortium-for-capacity-building/\">Consortium for Capacity Building\u003c/a>, part of the University of Colorado’s \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/\">Institute of Alpine and Arctic Research\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After decades of academic research and projects, he radiates the kind of practical wisdom that can help shape resilience to global warming. His eyes gleam as he recalls the look on a local priest’s face during the first apple harvest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time in his life he tasted an apple. When we plant apples, it’s mitigation [of the climate impact], but at the same time, we are solving problems. We have to find something that’s doable on the ground,” he said. In four years, the farmers planted 1,400 apple trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, communities worked to restore watersheds by building terraces and replanting clear-cut hillsides. Wolde-Georgis said the work was successful. Streams that had been dry by the end of December now hold water through the end of May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a larger scale, Wolde-Georgis helps build physical and information infrastructure to boost resilience, including new roads and railroads to help transport food when climate extremes cause crop failures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethiopia and other developing countries also need more institutional science-based infrastructure to inform good governance across jurisdictional boundaries, he said. To meet the challenges ahead requires working in an atmosphere of trust and a spirit of collaboration, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Disrupting Plants\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Gothic, Colorado, David Inouye’s cabin near a patch of shimmering gold aspens is marked by wisps of chimney smoke. For nearly 50 years, he’s been recording plant and animal activity while other observers tally snowfall and snowmelt data day by day — a scientific deep dive into time and space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compared to the 1970s, spring is coming earlier. There is more winter rain, and summers are longer and drier. It all adds up to disruption for mountain ecosystems, where most plants only have a few weeks to bloom. And the plants are tightly linked with pollinating insects in \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15062018/climate-change-impacts-pollen-pollination-flowers-bees-butterflies-europe-heat-wave-global-warming-research\">a delicately timed cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The ecology of this altitude is driven largely by how much snow we get in the winter and when that snow melts,” Inouye said. “As the climate changes, we’re tending to get less snow and warmer and earlier springs. A paradoxical consequence is that we’re getting more frost damage,” he said. The effects ripple through the ecosystem as global warming disrupts plants and seed production, which, in turn, means less food for small mammals and birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graceful yellow glacier lilies are \u003ca href=\"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/12-0255.1\">blooming 17 days earlier\u003c/a> than they did in the 1970s, but migrating hummingbirds that depend on the flower nectar aren’t keeping up. By the time they arrive, many of the plants have withered away, and if current trends continue, in two decades the hummingbirds will miss the first flowers entirely. Ecosystems could collapse as global warming continues to decouple \u003ca href=\"https://www.rmbl.org/article/science-story-june-2019/\">complex ecological relationships\u003c/a>, showing why global warming is a threat to biodiversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01766.x\">study\u003c/a> documented how earlier spring snowmelt makes mountain daisies bloom earlier, when they are more susceptible to frost. The research showed how the frost damage reduces the amount of nectar for a species of butterfly that depends on that particular flower for feeding during the egg-laying season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t get nectar, they can’t make eggs, and the population declines,” Inouye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping Points\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The research at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab helps connect the dots in complex ecosystems and how global warming can make them unravel, said lab executive director Ian Billick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What people don’t realize is that we’re changing multiple things at the same time. People don’t realize how drastically things are going to change,” he said. Massive disturbance events linked with global warming like the early 2000s bark beetle outbreak that killed trees across millions of acres will happen again and again. Multiple stressors are driving mountain ecosystems past tipping points, leading to fundamental change, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our agricultural productivity depends on these ecosystems functioning in a highly integrated way, so it’s like if you throw a screwdriver in the middle of an engine, the whole thing falls apart, and I think it’s like with ag, where these finely tuned things are going to fall apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC report represents only the tiny tip of a “massive global change iceberg,” said Steltzer, the Colorado biologist and lead author of the mountain chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nine-tenths is what we haven’t seen, measured and documented. We know things are changing for which we have no peer-reviewed scientific articles, and things are changing too fast to keep up,” she said. “There’s no reason to wait to act. We know enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just this past winter, both Europe and parts of the Rockies experienced \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08032019/avalanche-climate-change-risk-snow-storm-forecast-colorado-switzerland\">unprecedented avalanche cycles\u003c/a> after record snowfalls, surprising scientists as well as public safety managers charged with keeping mountain roads open. Recently, mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus have been appearing in the high mountains but remain largely untracked, along with other invasive species. And there are likely scores of other ecological cycles being disrupted that haven’t been studied at all, Inouye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC assessment also concluded that forest fires are likely to increase in mountain areas where summers become warmer and drier. “Coastal ranges of California, the Blue Mountains of Australia, Mt. Kenya, and mountains on the fringes of the Mediterranean Sea, already subject to frequent fire episodes, would be severely affected,” the assessment said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001210\">study\u003c/a> showed that the fivefold increase in the extent of California’s wildfires since the 1970s was “very likely driven by drying of fuels promoted by human‐induced warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow is decreasing, temperatures are warming, and mountains are changing in ways I never expected I’d live to see,” Steltzer said. “Policy-makers ask for data to show how bad it is. … Instead, they could ask how do we preserve the benefits of nature for each of us and all of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media media-element-container media-image_full\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"title": "Fire, Rock Slides, and Floods: UN Report Details Growing Warming Threat in the Mountains | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>With ominous orange-gray smoke clouds seething on the western horizon, it’s easy to understand how Colorado’s highest city and other mountain communities are directly threatened by global warming. \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘Concern, commitment and action on climate change should not depend on which places, species or people are impacted. Instead, they should be motivated by compassion.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mountain snowpack is shrinking and melting earlier in the spring. Warmer and longer summers dry out vegetation and increase the threat of wildfires in western mountain forests, where the fire season has \u003ca href=\"https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/86268/longer-more-frequent-fire-seasons\">lengthened\u003c/a> by at least a month since 1979.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The growing wildfire risk is just part of an accelerating cycle of global warming impacts in the world’s mountain regions, according to a new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25092019/ipcc-cryosphere-ocean-report-climate-change-sea-level-rise-greenland-antarctica\">report\u003c/a> that includes a \u003ca href=\"https://report.ipcc.ch/srocc/pdf/SROCC_FinalDraft_Chapter2.pdf\">section\u003c/a> focused on mountains for the first time in more than 20 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow cover duration has declined in nearly all regions, especially at lower elevations, on average by five days per decade,” the mountain chapter of the IPCC report says. On average across Western North America, the European Alps and High Mountain Asia, temperatures are warming by 0.54 degrees Fahrenheit per decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s melting glaciers and changing mountain river flows, disrupting plants and wildlife, and increasing the risk of extreme \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26092018/climate-change-mountains-landslide-hazard-thawing-permafrost-rockfall-extreme-weather-glaciers-global-warming\">rockslides\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08032019/avalanche-climate-change-risk-snow-storm-forecast-colorado-switzerland\">avalanches\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082018/global-warming-climate-change-floods-california-oroville-dam-scientists\">mountain floods\u003c/a> caused by rain falling on snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taken together, global warming impacts represent an existential threat to millions of people in the Andes, the Himalaya, the European Alps, and the U.S. Mountain West including Alaska, said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/heidimountains\">Heidi Steltzer\u003c/a>, a biologist at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and a lead author of the mountain chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Shrinking glaciers and snow harm Indigenous Peoples and rural communities greatly. Concern, commitment and action on climate change should not depend on which places, species or people are impacted. Instead, they should be motivated by compassion,” Steltzer said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Water Reliability \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Crested Butte, about 100 miles southwest of Leadville, hydrologist and physicist Rosemary Carroll studies how \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07062016/unabated-global-warming-threatens-west-snowpack-water-rocky-mountains-sierra-nevada-drought\">disruptions\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07062016/unabated-global-warming-threatens-west-snowpack-water-rocky-mountains-sierra-nevada-drought\">to the water cycle\u003c/a> will affect local ranchers and ski areas, as well as drinking and agricultural water supplies hundreds of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC assessment found that global warming will change the timing and amount of runoff, “affecting water storage and delivery infrastructure around the world,” a finding backed by research focusing on the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2016 \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL068798\">study\u003c/a> in six Western mountain ranges showed rising temperatures will shift the snow accumulation zone and runoff timing enough to have significant impacts on water cycles. And some towns in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada are at risk from \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06082018/global-warming-climate-change-floods-california-oroville-dam-scientists\">dangerous flash floods\u003c/a> as global warming brings rain, rather than snow, to some mountain regions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carroll pointed out her living room window to a craggy ridgeline where she measures how water from melted snow trickles through rocks and meadows down to the East River, on to the Gunnison River and finally into the mighty Colorado.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The new normal is that the snowpack is melting earlier and we have earlier runoff, and that’s a fact. There’s going to be less water for a given snowpack,” she said. Even in average snowfall years, global warming is reducing the amount of available water for irrigation and storage, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her research for the University of Nevada’s Desert Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy will help communities adapt as global warming disrupts flows from mountain streams. Around Crested Butte, the ski industry and local ranchers will feel the changes first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But addressing those impacts isn’t as easy as just throwing a new report on the table. Translating science into action requires working with stakeholders from the start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ranchers know what’s happening, they know that things are shifting, but they’re afraid the policy will shift in a way that they will carry the burden of the change. Since they have most of the water, they fear they will have to give up the most, and that it won’t be equitable,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The states that get their water from the Colorado River are already restructuring \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/31012019/colorado-river-water-crisis-climate-science-state-conservation-plans\">water-sharing agreements\u003c/a> to stave off shortages and trying to develop new storage plans to account for extreme wet and dry years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Goodbye to Glaciers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Global warming will change nearly every mountain ecosystem, starting with the very visible meltdown of glaciers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the European Alps, \u003ca href=\"https://www.alpenverein.at/portal/news/aktuelle_news/2018/2018_04_06_gletscherbericht.php\">some glaciers retreated by as much 410 feet\u003c/a> last year — imagine the Empire State Building shrinking by a third. Globally, the world’s glaciers have lost 9 trillion tons of ice since 1961, raising sea level by about 1 inch, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Glaciers_lose_nine_trillion_tonnes_of_ice_in_half_a_century\">European Space Agency\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As glaciers melt, they create a series of risks: newly formed meltwater lakes can burst through their banks, flooding towns and farms below. And as the ice dwindles, that will significantly change the timing and amount of water available for hydropower production and agriculture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Along with disrupting ecosystems and downstream communities that rely on glacier meltwater, global warming in the mountains will cause emotional and cultural loss as cherished landscapes vanish. In Switzerland, people recently held a memorial service for the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/matthias_huss/status/1176117412997062656\">disappearing Pizol Glacier\u003c/a> as a way of dealing with that grief, a sometimes overlooked component of climate resilience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media media-element-container media-image_full\">\n\u003cp>The physical threats are real and growing, said Swiss glaciologist Matthias Huss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If greenhouse gas emissions peak in the next few years and then start to decline, glaciers in the European Alps will lose two-thirds of their current ice. With continued high emissions, the glaciers will all but vanish, with only 5 percent of the current ice remaining, Huss and colleagues found in recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/1125/2019/\">study\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/26092018/climate-change-mountains-landslide-hazard-thawing-permafrost-rockfall-extreme-weather-glaciers-global-warming\">An increase in rockfall events\u003c/a>, and flooding from glacier lakes, also due to more extreme weather events, is likely,” Huss said. “I think European countries are prepared, and they have the financial means to adapt. It will be much more difficult for developing countries to adapt to the challenges in mountain regions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme storms that destroy forests and damage roads and railroad lines could also become more frequent in the world’s mountains, although climate models aren’t yet localized enough to project such changes accurately, the IPCC assessment concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It won’t be cheap to redesign and rebuild water infrastructure, Huss said. In some snow-dependent communities, the meltdown will also drive wrenching cultural and economic changes. But “one could also see this as a chance for major development toward a more sustainable way to live on our planet,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Adapting Food Crops\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s what University of Colorado researcher Tsegay Wolde-Georgis was thinking when he led a \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/news-events/instaar-news/apple-trees-in-atebes-cultivating-climate-resilience-in-an-ethiopian-villag/\">project\u003c/a> in the early 2000s to cultivate apple trees around Atebe, in the dry highlands of Ethiopia where he grew up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Diversifying local food supplies will help make the region more resilient to global warming, he said. The new IPCC assessment affirms that global warming is driving dangerous changes in mountain environments that threaten food supplies. But along with warnings, the world needs action, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything is getting more extreme, and there is seasonal confusion,” he said. But there is enough scientific and traditional knowledge to find on-the-ground projects and do them, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the apple orchard, he adapted a traditional permaculture technique, using water-filled clay pots to efficiently irrigate the young trees. At the same time, residents enhanced the water-holding capacity of deforested hillsides by building terraces and planting vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such regenerative agriculture is crucial for food security in developing countries, said Wolde-Georgis, who works with the \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/research/programs/consortium-for-capacity-building/\">Consortium for Capacity Building\u003c/a>, part of the University of Colorado’s \u003ca href=\"https://instaar.colorado.edu/\">Institute of Alpine and Arctic Research\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After decades of academic research and projects, he radiates the kind of practical wisdom that can help shape resilience to global warming. His eyes gleam as he recalls the look on a local priest’s face during the first apple harvest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was the first time in his life he tasted an apple. When we plant apples, it’s mitigation [of the climate impact], but at the same time, we are solving problems. We have to find something that’s doable on the ground,” he said. In four years, the farmers planted 1,400 apple trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, communities worked to restore watersheds by building terraces and replanting clear-cut hillsides. Wolde-Georgis said the work was successful. Streams that had been dry by the end of December now hold water through the end of May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a larger scale, Wolde-Georgis helps build physical and information infrastructure to boost resilience, including new roads and railroads to help transport food when climate extremes cause crop failures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ethiopia and other developing countries also need more institutional science-based infrastructure to inform good governance across jurisdictional boundaries, he said. To meet the challenges ahead requires working in an atmosphere of trust and a spirit of collaboration, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Disrupting Plants\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab in Gothic, Colorado, David Inouye’s cabin near a patch of shimmering gold aspens is marked by wisps of chimney smoke. For nearly 50 years, he’s been recording plant and animal activity while other observers tally snowfall and snowmelt data day by day — a scientific deep dive into time and space.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Compared to the 1970s, spring is coming earlier. There is more winter rain, and summers are longer and drier. It all adds up to disruption for mountain ecosystems, where most plants only have a few weeks to bloom. And the plants are tightly linked with pollinating insects in \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/15062018/climate-change-impacts-pollen-pollination-flowers-bees-butterflies-europe-heat-wave-global-warming-research\">a delicately timed cycle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The ecology of this altitude is driven largely by how much snow we get in the winter and when that snow melts,” Inouye said. “As the climate changes, we’re tending to get less snow and warmer and earlier springs. A paradoxical consequence is that we’re getting more frost damage,” he said. The effects ripple through the ecosystem as global warming disrupts plants and seed production, which, in turn, means less food for small mammals and birds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graceful yellow glacier lilies are \u003ca href=\"https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/12-0255.1\">blooming 17 days earlier\u003c/a> than they did in the 1970s, but migrating hummingbirds that depend on the flower nectar aren’t keeping up. By the time they arrive, many of the plants have withered away, and if current trends continue, in two decades the hummingbirds will miss the first flowers entirely. Ecosystems could collapse as global warming continues to decouple \u003ca href=\"https://www.rmbl.org/article/science-story-june-2019/\">complex ecological relationships\u003c/a>, showing why global warming is a threat to biodiversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01766.x\">study\u003c/a> documented how earlier spring snowmelt makes mountain daisies bloom earlier, when they are more susceptible to frost. The research showed how the frost damage reduces the amount of nectar for a species of butterfly that depends on that particular flower for feeding during the egg-laying season.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they don’t get nectar, they can’t make eggs, and the population declines,” Inouye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping Points\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The research at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab helps connect the dots in complex ecosystems and how global warming can make them unravel, said lab executive director Ian Billick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What people don’t realize is that we’re changing multiple things at the same time. People don’t realize how drastically things are going to change,” he said. Massive disturbance events linked with global warming like the early 2000s bark beetle outbreak that killed trees across millions of acres will happen again and again. Multiple stressors are driving mountain ecosystems past tipping points, leading to fundamental change, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our agricultural productivity depends on these ecosystems functioning in a highly integrated way, so it’s like if you throw a screwdriver in the middle of an engine, the whole thing falls apart, and I think it’s like with ag, where these finely tuned things are going to fall apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC report represents only the tiny tip of a “massive global change iceberg,” said Steltzer, the Colorado biologist and lead author of the mountain chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nine-tenths is what we haven’t seen, measured and documented. We know things are changing for which we have no peer-reviewed scientific articles, and things are changing too fast to keep up,” she said. “There’s no reason to wait to act. We know enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just this past winter, both Europe and parts of the Rockies experienced \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08032019/avalanche-climate-change-risk-snow-storm-forecast-colorado-switzerland\">unprecedented avalanche cycles\u003c/a> after record snowfalls, surprising scientists as well as public safety managers charged with keeping mountain roads open. Recently, mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus have been appearing in the high mountains but remain largely untracked, along with other invasive species. And there are likely scores of other ecological cycles being disrupted that haven’t been studied at all, Inouye said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The IPCC assessment also concluded that forest fires are likely to increase in mountain areas where summers become warmer and drier. “Coastal ranges of California, the Blue Mountains of Australia, Mt. Kenya, and mountains on the fringes of the Mediterranean Sea, already subject to frequent fire episodes, would be severely affected,” the assessment said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A 2019 \u003ca href=\"https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001210\">study\u003c/a> showed that the fivefold increase in the extent of California’s wildfires since the 1970s was “very likely driven by drying of fuels promoted by human‐induced warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Snow is decreasing, temperatures are warming, and mountains are changing in ways I never expected I’d live to see,” Steltzer said. “Policy-makers ask for data to show how bad it is. … Instead, they could ask how do we preserve the benefits of nature for each of us and all of us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv class=\"media media-element-container media-image_full\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of KQED Science’s ongoing coverage of the health impacts of extreme heat, which, driven by climate change, is increasingly impacting Californians. \u003c/em>\u003cem>Last year, reporter Molly Peterson gave sensors to 16 employees in order to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1934110/rising-heat-is-making-workers-sick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">measure temperature and humidity inside their workplaces\u003c/a>. Here is an update on one of the workers, a man we’re identifying as “Brandon.” employer we haven’t named due to fear of retaliation.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His mornings all start the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An hour before daybreak, he makes himself a green juice: pineapple, celery, cactus. He’s 51, and lately, he’s been trying to get healthier. He gets behind the wheel of an old compact car for a quick commute to the warehouse where he drives a forklift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A thin band of windows wraps around one corner of the building. That’s where the managers sit. Where Brandon works, it’s uninsulated, with plenty of metal — and there are no windows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote citation=\"'Brandon,' Inland Empire warehouse worker\"]‘It’s an inferno. It’s like hell. The people that are cool work inside the offices. But us, we work with the devil.’[/pullquote]He’s done this kind of work for almost a decade; it’s getting harder, and not just because of his age. “Yo pienso que mas caliente, mas caliente,” he says — “I think it’s getting hotter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even in September, as summer fades into fall, the Inland Empire hits a hundred degrees. Since dawn the sun has pounded Brandon’s warehouse, with the metal containers at hundreds of loading docks, locked around the building like nursing piglets. They feed goods like kitchen mixers and patio furniture from overseas to consumers in California and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While he works, out at the parking lot the heat bakes his car; there’s no air conditioning in there, either. When he clocks out, he drives another 20 minutes back home with the windows down, and he’s back where he started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only at that point, 10 or 12 hours after his green juice, that he finds respite. In a darkened corner of his apartment, he stands under a fan mounted on the wall, with a big grin on his face.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right here. Oh, it’s fresh. It’s my cool area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this tiny, tidy apartment, he knows the enemy. He and his wife keep the window shades pulled down tight against the sun. He sways under the fan, then falls back onto the bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel the difference,” he says. “I even tell my wife, don’t bother me, I’m grabbing some fresh air now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘It’s Like Hell’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon’s right: It is getting hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://cal-adapt.org/tools/extreme-heat/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cal-Adapt\u003c/a>, which provides access to state scientific data, the temperature has hit 95 degrees about 50 days a year, on average, in the Inland Empire. In a couple of decades, even if greenhouse gas emissions level off, that number could almost double. If we keep dragging our feet on global warming, hot days in the Inland Empire could add up to more than four months a year by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]‘The heat is not asking people for their papers.’[/pullquote]For Brandon, heat’s already a real threat. Last year, when at the request of KQED he wore a sensor to work during July and August, he experienced heat above 90 degrees about 40% of the time, enough to make him sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt bad twice a week, I got headaches,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t help that Brandon has high blood pressure, a condition that makes it harder to sweat. Other chronic conditions people have also make sweating more difficult: asthma, heart and lung problems. So do some medications taken for those illnesses. Brandon himself takes a pill each morning for hypertension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s really bad, his company will give out bottles of water, he says. When the temperature spiked above 100 degrees last month, the company offered workers gum; Brandon’s head was aching, so he asked for aspirin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers are supposed to protect workers’ health and safety. But no federal rules limit heat indoors. There are no regulations, yet, in California either — no required rest breaks, water, or places to cool down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers only have to report the very worst cases of heat sickness, when someone dies or goes to the hospital for more than a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health researchers and workers like Brandon say falling ill from the heat is a lot more common, and more punishing, than the numbers show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat is ugly,” Brandon says. “It’s an inferno. It’s like hell. The people that are cool work inside the offices. But us, we work with the devil.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State lawmakers agree it’s too hot. Three years ago, the governor signed a law that requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to make a rule protecting workers from indoor heat. Under a proposal circulating now, if it’s not feasible to prevent hot conditions, employers have to limit workers’ exposure or offer them protective cooling gear to wear on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule was due in January, but state regulators may not finish it until next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All employees are covered by worker’s compensation insurance, according to Dr. Robert Harrison, who founded UC San Francisco’s occupational health clinic and formerly served on the state’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> That means if workers get heat-sick, they can report their illness and go to a health care provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In practice, though, workers fear that if they get sick on the job, the boss might see them as a problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last October, Brandon had made it through most of the day, driving his forklift in and out of steel containers, moving pallets of electronics and boxes of kitchen goods. But he recognized that familiar feeling of heat building up in his body, and he knew he would soon be sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He asked if he could leave to see his doctor. But a manager said no, the company’s policy was to call an ambulance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a situation workers often try to avoid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An Expensive Ambulance Ride\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambulance trips like the one offered Brandon can cost workers money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doctors underdiagnose heat sickness. When workers report symptoms like headaches and nausea, a doctor might pin them on a pre-existing condition, with no linkage to heat. As a result, the diagnosis code might indicate an old ailment had simply flared up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"alignnone\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1934253\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-674x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-674x1200.jpg 674w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-160x285.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-240x427.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-375x668.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-520x926.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\">An emergency room doctor blamed Brandon’s symptoms on hypertension. That ER visit cost him $300, and his health insurance didn’t cover the rest of the bill: $3,000 more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says he talked with his employers about the bill, and he asked them to cover it. “It wasn’t my idea [to go to the ER], I was going to go to my doctor,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turned him down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of now, he hasn’t filed for worker’s compensation. From Brandon’s perspective, it’s a gamble. Insurers might deny his claim that heat sickness was a work-related injury, especially because the paperwork attributes it to a pre-existing condition. So he might not get paid. Meanwhile, he worries that the claim itself would put a target on his back, identifying him as a troublemaker with the bosses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pledging Allegiance, Feeling the Heat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The business of moving goods through the Inland Empire keeps growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost a century ago, this area was famous for oranges. Chinese, Japanese and Mexican workers earned pennies and breathed oily smoke from fires that kept the trees from freezing. During World War II, the Kaiser steel plant in Fontana where Brandon lives, employed thousands of union workers. It closed in the 1980s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays the Inland Empire is rich in warehouse jobs. But they’re almost all nonunion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles together were the nation’s busiest; most of their cargo heads to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. On average, the region adds about a football field’s worth of warehouse space a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jobs grow fast, here, too. Eighty-five thousand men and women now work in warehouses in the Inland Empire — mostly Latino, like Brandon. Some make as little as $12 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says his company can always find someone to take his place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What can we do?” he says. “They tell us: ‘If you don’t like it here, there’s the door, you can walk out.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-wage and immigrant workers say they fear retaliation. When they complain about heat, when they get sick, when they ask for aspirin, and definitely when they file for worker’s compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A small American flag is clipped to the wall in Brandon’s kitchen, above the microwave. He’s a U.S. citizen; his naturalization ceremony was last year. For a long time he hoped pledging allegiance might help him get better conditions at work. He doesn’t think that anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If there are people who were born here, people who, because they were born here, know all their rights, maybe someone can listen to them,” he says. “If I put myself next to that person, they will listen more to him than to me. A hundred percent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon stands well over 6 feet, and during heat season, he loses weight. What’s left is muscle — he’s a bear of a man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You might see me like a bear, but there, they ignore you, they make you smaller than you are, they don’t pay attention,” Brandon says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving a forklift pays Brandon around $18 an hour, just about a \u003ca href=\"https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/40140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">living wage in this region\u003c/a>. The warehouse was sold last year, and the new owners cut his salary a buck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How long have I been working in the warehouse? Years. How long have I been in this country? Years. And it’s always the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon has also worked as a warehouse lumper, moving boxes by hand. He’s been a mover and worked in manufacturing. He knows heavy labor. He came to California from Michoacán, in Mexico, so he knows hot weather. Familiarity with heat and work isn’t enough. There are limits to how fast the human body can acclimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before people reach those limits, these conditions make work more dangerous. Heat makes people irritable. It causes more mistakes and accidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best insulation against heat is money. Money can buy air conditioning, or medical care. But as heat intensifies, that protection starts to thin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat is not asking people for their papers,” says Brandon. “The heat reaches everyone the same. Do you hear me? The heat is fucking us all over.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says nobody has to tell workers when heat becomes unsafe. They’ve been trying to tell anyone who would listen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at the climate,” he says. “It’s changing, it’s getting hotter. But what are they doing about it? The people at the top, the people in charge, they’re not looking for a solution for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>He’s done this kind of work for almost a decade; it’s getting harder, and not just because of his age. “Yo pienso que mas caliente, mas caliente,” he says — “I think it’s getting hotter.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even in September, as summer fades into fall, the Inland Empire hits a hundred degrees. Since dawn the sun has pounded Brandon’s warehouse, with the metal containers at hundreds of loading docks, locked around the building like nursing piglets. They feed goods like kitchen mixers and patio furniture from overseas to consumers in California and beyond.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While he works, out at the parking lot the heat bakes his car; there’s no air conditioning in there, either. When he clocks out, he drives another 20 minutes back home with the windows down, and he’s back where he started.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s only at that point, 10 or 12 hours after his green juice, that he finds respite. In a darkened corner of his apartment, he stands under a fan mounted on the wall, with a big grin on his face.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right here. Oh, it’s fresh. It’s my cool area.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this tiny, tidy apartment, he knows the enemy. He and his wife keep the window shades pulled down tight against the sun. He sways under the fan, then falls back onto the bed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel the difference,” he says. “I even tell my wife, don’t bother me, I’m grabbing some fresh air now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>‘It’s Like Hell’\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon’s right: It is getting hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to \u003ca href=\"https://cal-adapt.org/tools/extreme-heat/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cal-Adapt\u003c/a>, which provides access to state scientific data, the temperature has hit 95 degrees about 50 days a year, on average, in the Inland Empire. In a couple of decades, even if greenhouse gas emissions level off, that number could almost double. If we keep dragging our feet on global warming, hot days in the Inland Empire could add up to more than four months a year by the end of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>For Brandon, heat’s already a real threat. Last year, when at the request of KQED he wore a sensor to work during July and August, he experienced heat above 90 degrees about 40% of the time, enough to make him sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I felt bad twice a week, I got headaches,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It doesn’t help that Brandon has high blood pressure, a condition that makes it harder to sweat. Other chronic conditions people have also make sweating more difficult: asthma, heart and lung problems. So do some medications taken for those illnesses. Brandon himself takes a pill each morning for hypertension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s really bad, his company will give out bottles of water, he says. When the temperature spiked above 100 degrees last month, the company offered workers gum; Brandon’s head was aching, so he asked for aspirin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers are supposed to protect workers’ health and safety. But no federal rules limit heat indoors. There are no regulations, yet, in California either — no required rest breaks, water, or places to cool down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Employers only have to report the very worst cases of heat sickness, when someone dies or goes to the hospital for more than a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Health researchers and workers like Brandon say falling ill from the heat is a lot more common, and more punishing, than the numbers show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat is ugly,” Brandon says. “It’s an inferno. It’s like hell. The people that are cool work inside the offices. But us, we work with the devil.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State lawmakers agree it’s too hot. Three years ago, the governor signed a law that requires the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to make a rule protecting workers from indoor heat. Under a proposal circulating now, if it’s not feasible to prevent hot conditions, employers have to limit workers’ exposure or offer them protective cooling gear to wear on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rule was due in January, but state regulators may not finish it until next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All employees are covered by worker’s compensation insurance, according to Dr. Robert Harrison, who founded UC San Francisco’s occupational health clinic and formerly served on the state’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> That means if workers get heat-sick, they can report their illness and go to a health care provider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In practice, though, workers fear that if they get sick on the job, the boss might see them as a problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last October, Brandon had made it through most of the day, driving his forklift in and out of steel containers, moving pallets of electronics and boxes of kitchen goods. But he recognized that familiar feeling of heat building up in his body, and he knew he would soon be sick.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He asked if he could leave to see his doctor. But a manager said no, the company’s policy was to call an ambulance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a situation workers often try to avoid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>An Expensive Ambulance Ride\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambulance trips like the one offered Brandon can cost workers money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Doctors underdiagnose heat sickness. When workers report symptoms like headaches and nausea, a doctor might pin them on a pre-existing condition, with no linkage to heat. As a result, the diagnosis code might indicate an old ailment had simply flared up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"alignnone\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1934253\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-674x1200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-674x1200.jpg 674w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-160x285.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-240x427.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-375x668.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic-520x926.jpg 520w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/11/KQED_Heat_graphic.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\">An emergency room doctor blamed Brandon’s symptoms on hypertension. That ER visit cost him $300, and his health insurance didn’t cover the rest of the bill: $3,000 more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says he talked with his employers about the bill, and he asked them to cover it. “It wasn’t my idea [to go to the ER], I was going to go to my doctor,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turned him down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of now, he hasn’t filed for worker’s compensation. From Brandon’s perspective, it’s a gamble. Insurers might deny his claim that heat sickness was a work-related injury, especially because the paperwork attributes it to a pre-existing condition. So he might not get paid. Meanwhile, he worries that the claim itself would put a target on his back, identifying him as a troublemaker with the bosses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pledging Allegiance, Feeling the Heat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The business of moving goods through the Inland Empire keeps growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost a century ago, this area was famous for oranges. Chinese, Japanese and Mexican workers earned pennies and breathed oily smoke from fires that kept the trees from freezing. During World War II, the Kaiser steel plant in Fontana where Brandon lives, employed thousands of union workers. It closed in the 1980s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nowadays the Inland Empire is rich in warehouse jobs. But they’re almost all nonunion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles together were the nation’s busiest; most of their cargo heads to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. On average, the region adds about a football field’s worth of warehouse space a day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jobs grow fast, here, too. Eighty-five thousand men and women now work in warehouses in the Inland Empire — mostly Latino, like Brandon. Some make as little as $12 an hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says his company can always find someone to take his place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What can we do?” he says. “They tell us: ‘If you don’t like it here, there’s the door, you can walk out.’ ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Low-wage and immigrant workers say they fear retaliation. When they complain about heat, when they get sick, when they ask for aspirin, and definitely when they file for worker’s compensation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A small American flag is clipped to the wall in Brandon’s kitchen, above the microwave. He’s a U.S. citizen; his naturalization ceremony was last year. For a long time he hoped pledging allegiance might help him get better conditions at work. He doesn’t think that anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If there are people who were born here, people who, because they were born here, know all their rights, maybe someone can listen to them,” he says. “If I put myself next to that person, they will listen more to him than to me. A hundred percent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon stands well over 6 feet, and during heat season, he loses weight. What’s left is muscle — he’s a bear of a man.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You might see me like a bear, but there, they ignore you, they make you smaller than you are, they don’t pay attention,” Brandon says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Driving a forklift pays Brandon around $18 an hour, just about a \u003ca href=\"https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/40140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">living wage in this region\u003c/a>. The warehouse was sold last year, and the new owners cut his salary a buck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How long have I been working in the warehouse? Years. How long have I been in this country? Years. And it’s always the same.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon has also worked as a warehouse lumper, moving boxes by hand. He’s been a mover and worked in manufacturing. He knows heavy labor. He came to California from Michoacán, in Mexico, so he knows hot weather. Familiarity with heat and work isn’t enough. There are limits to how fast the human body can acclimate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even before people reach those limits, these conditions make work more dangerous. Heat makes people irritable. It causes more mistakes and accidents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The best insulation against heat is money. Money can buy air conditioning, or medical care. But as heat intensifies, that protection starts to thin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The heat is not asking people for their papers,” says Brandon. “The heat reaches everyone the same. Do you hear me? The heat is fucking us all over.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon says nobody has to tell workers when heat becomes unsafe. They’ve been trying to tell anyone who would listen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Look at the climate,” he says. “It’s changing, it’s getting hotter. But what are they doing about it? The people at the top, the people in charge, they’re not looking for a solution for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Slashing Emissions and Saving Money, Penn State Could Be A Model for U.S. Cities",
"headTitle": "Slashing Emissions and Saving Money, Penn State Could Be A Model for U.S. Cities | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In the struggle to end global warming, one community in central Pennsylvania is having remarkable success. It’s growing, with tens of thousands of people, yet its greenhouse emissions have been dropping dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps most amazing: Those reductions have paid for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not your typical town — it’s Penn State University. But in many ways, it’s just like any other town or small city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got 600 major buildings here, over 22 million square feet,” says Rob Cooper, Penn State’s senior director of engineering and energy. “We have our own water system, our own wastewater plant.” Most buildings are heated by steam from two gas-burning plants, delivered through miles of underground pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 14,000 people live on campus. Roughly 65,000 people work or take classes here. Tens of thousands more show up to watch football games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like most U.S. cities, this enterprise runs largely on fossil fuels, releasing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year. The planet-warming gas comes from the steam plants, from power stations far away that supply electricity, from the cars that people drive to campus and from aircraft that faculty members take to conferences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State has \u003ca href=\"http://sustainability.psu.edu/climate-action\">calculated\u003c/a> those emissions, year by year, over the past 25 years and laid them out on a graph. It tells a startling — and hopeful — story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty years ago, the line was going up sharply. The university was growing, with more people and more buildings. It was burning more and more coal and gas — just like the rest of America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2004, the line suddenly changed direction. It started falling like a rock rolling down a mountain. And it has been falling ever since, even though the university is growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1948583 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"791\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM.png 791w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM-160x116.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM-768x558.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did Penn State succeed when the rest of the country has struggled to reduce its greenhouse emissions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It started, according to several old-timers on campus, with a few students, faculty members and administrators who wanted to make the campus a greener place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the mid-1990s, when Penn State’s greenhouse emissions were still soaring, biology professor \u003ca href=\"https://bio.psu.edu/directory/cfu1\">Christopher Uhl\u003c/a> helped to organize a small \u003ca href=\"http://personal.psu.edu/cfu1/CUhlpersonalwebsite/greenpsu.shtml\">environmental movement\u003c/a> on campus. It focused on the university’s own operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students calculated greenhouse emissions from specific buildings, looked at technical alternatives and gave the university mostly \u003ca href=\"https://p2infohouse.org/ref/17/16964.pdf\">poor grades\u003c/a> for its environmental performance. “In a sense, we’re using the university culture,” Uhl says. “It’s data that will speak to an academic institution, not, you know, ‘You \u003cem>should\u003c/em> do this.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we unveiled these different reports, we would meet on the the steps of Old Main, which is like this big center of the university,” he adds. “Lots of people showed up. The press was there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It put the university under pressure. And as it happened, the activists had some allies deep inside the university administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were engineers and maintenance staff at the university’s Office of Physical Plant, people who typically go unnoticed until something breaks. They were led by a retired Navy officer named Ford Stryker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always cared about environmental issues,” says Stryker. “We’d seen a lot of evidence that global warming was a real thing, and we were concerned about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stryker pulled off a classic bureaucratic move. He persuaded the university president to declare “environmental stewardship” an official priority. It gave him leverage with other parts of the administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He got Penn State’s budget and finance offices to set up a revolving fund to pay for upgrades that cut greenhouse emissions. These were loans that had to be paid back, with interest. “It took a while to get the finance guys to agree,” Stryker says with a chuckle. “We had to demonstrate that we were actually saving money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This, in fact, is what reversed that rising line on the graph of greenhouse emissions: a whole bunch of projects that cut the university’s demand for energy. Most of them paid for themselves within 10 years through lower energy bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these projects are surprisingly low-tech, like tuning up heating and air conditioning systems, measuring air flow and temperature, making sure enough air is flowing to keep people comfortable but not so much that extra steam is needed to keep everyone warm. “You don’t open the door of your house on a zero-degree day, right? We don’t want to do that, either,” says John Deffenbaugh, the engineer in charge of the program that gives Penn State’s buildings regular checkups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’d be surprised what you find when you tune up a building’s HVAC system,” says Cooper, the head of of engineering and energy. “It’s one of the shortest paybacks. It’s consistently three to five years [to recoup the costs] on every building that we go into.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State also switched the fuel in its central heating plant from coal to natural gas, which releases less carbon dioxide when burned. Engineers installed energy-saving motors and windows whenever they could justify spending the extra money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, with the cost of solar power falling sharply, Penn State signed a \u003ca href=\"https://news.psu.edu/story/586711/2019/09/06/impact/penn-state-lightsource-bp-break-ground-largest-solar-project\">deal\u003c/a> to buy electricity from a new 500-acre solar farm in Pennsylvania’s Franklin County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every time we looked at [solar power] before, the economics weren’t there,” says Andrew Gutberlet, Penn State’s manager of engineering services. “We could not get solar power, or any renewable power, for less than what we were buying it for off the grid. Until now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State’s greenhouse emissions are now down by a third, compared with the peak in 2004. In a few years, with solar power rolling in, they will likely be down by almost 50%. (For comparison, total carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in the U.S. peaked in 2007 and have since fallen by 12%.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many other universities are on the same path. Some have promised to eliminate greenhouse emissions entirely by 2050. American University, in Washington, D.C., \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/about/sustainability/carbon-neutrality.cfm\">announced\u003c/a> last year that it is already “carbon neutral.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State’s efforts, however, are particularly notable. The university is huge, it has documented its emissions carefully, and it has not resorted to “carbon offsets” that cancel out emissions by capturing carbon dioxide elsewhere, such as by planting trees. Plus, it’s doing this on a tight budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In principle, any city could follow Penn State’s example. As Gutberlet puts it: “We are demonstrating that this can be done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its experience, however, also offers two notes of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Penn State isn’t a regular city. “We are the creators of the heating energy and the consumers of the heating energy. We can take a holistic view of the entire process,” Gutberlet says. The university also can afford to take the long view, making decisions that take 10 years to pay off. Many homeowners and businesses can not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, cutting emissions in half is good, but it’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/03/11/688876374/its-2050-and-this-is-how-we-stopped-climate-change\">not enough\u003c/a> to stop global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State actually has a more ambitious goal: an 80% cut in greenhouse emissions by 2050. Some people on campus are pushing to cut those emissions to zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will they actually meet that goal? “We need to!” says Shelley McKeague, the person in Penn State’s administration who’s responsible for monitoring the university’s greenhouse emissions. “Do we have a concrete plan to get there? We do not, and the reality is, the country doesn’t either.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re looking at lots of possibilities, Cooper says. More solar power, new ways to store the clean power so it’s available when needed. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Super-efficient buildings. A massive reconstruction of the heating system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have options in front of us,” he says. “We just don’t know which ones we’ll pull the trigger on yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2019 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=How+Penn+State+Is+Cutting+Greenhouse+Emissions+In+Half+%E2%80%94+And+Saving+Money&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the struggle to end global warming, one community in central Pennsylvania is having remarkable success. It’s growing, with tens of thousands of people, yet its greenhouse emissions have been dropping dramatically.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps most amazing: Those reductions have paid for themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is not your typical town — it’s Penn State University. But in many ways, it’s just like any other town or small city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve got 600 major buildings here, over 22 million square feet,” says Rob Cooper, Penn State’s senior director of engineering and energy. “We have our own water system, our own wastewater plant.” Most buildings are heated by steam from two gas-burning plants, delivered through miles of underground pipes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 14,000 people live on campus. Roughly 65,000 people work or take classes here. Tens of thousands more show up to watch football games.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like most U.S. cities, this enterprise runs largely on fossil fuels, releasing hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide every year. The planet-warming gas comes from the steam plants, from power stations far away that supply electricity, from the cars that people drive to campus and from aircraft that faculty members take to conferences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State has \u003ca href=\"http://sustainability.psu.edu/climate-action\">calculated\u003c/a> those emissions, year by year, over the past 25 years and laid them out on a graph. It tells a startling — and hopeful — story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Twenty years ago, the line was going up sharply. The university was growing, with more people and more buildings. It was burning more and more coal and gas — just like the rest of America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then, in 2004, the line suddenly changed direction. It started falling like a rock rolling down a mountain. And it has been falling ever since, even though the university is growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1948583 alignright\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"791\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM.png 791w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM-160x116.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-04-at-10.41.52-AM-768x558.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So how did Penn State succeed when the rest of the country has struggled to reduce its greenhouse emissions?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It started, according to several old-timers on campus, with a few students, faculty members and administrators who wanted to make the campus a greener place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the mid-1990s, when Penn State’s greenhouse emissions were still soaring, biology professor \u003ca href=\"https://bio.psu.edu/directory/cfu1\">Christopher Uhl\u003c/a> helped to organize a small \u003ca href=\"http://personal.psu.edu/cfu1/CUhlpersonalwebsite/greenpsu.shtml\">environmental movement\u003c/a> on campus. It focused on the university’s own operations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Students calculated greenhouse emissions from specific buildings, looked at technical alternatives and gave the university mostly \u003ca href=\"https://p2infohouse.org/ref/17/16964.pdf\">poor grades\u003c/a> for its environmental performance. “In a sense, we’re using the university culture,” Uhl says. “It’s data that will speak to an academic institution, not, you know, ‘You \u003cem>should\u003c/em> do this.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we unveiled these different reports, we would meet on the the steps of Old Main, which is like this big center of the university,” he adds. “Lots of people showed up. The press was there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It put the university under pressure. And as it happened, the activists had some allies deep inside the university administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They were engineers and maintenance staff at the university’s Office of Physical Plant, people who typically go unnoticed until something breaks. They were led by a retired Navy officer named Ford Stryker.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I always cared about environmental issues,” says Stryker. “We’d seen a lot of evidence that global warming was a real thing, and we were concerned about it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stryker pulled off a classic bureaucratic move. He persuaded the university president to declare “environmental stewardship” an official priority. It gave him leverage with other parts of the administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He got Penn State’s budget and finance offices to set up a revolving fund to pay for upgrades that cut greenhouse emissions. These were loans that had to be paid back, with interest. “It took a while to get the finance guys to agree,” Stryker says with a chuckle. “We had to demonstrate that we were actually saving money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This, in fact, is what reversed that rising line on the graph of greenhouse emissions: a whole bunch of projects that cut the university’s demand for energy. Most of them paid for themselves within 10 years through lower energy bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of these projects are surprisingly low-tech, like tuning up heating and air conditioning systems, measuring air flow and temperature, making sure enough air is flowing to keep people comfortable but not so much that extra steam is needed to keep everyone warm. “You don’t open the door of your house on a zero-degree day, right? We don’t want to do that, either,” says John Deffenbaugh, the engineer in charge of the program that gives Penn State’s buildings regular checkups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’d be surprised what you find when you tune up a building’s HVAC system,” says Cooper, the head of of engineering and energy. “It’s one of the shortest paybacks. It’s consistently three to five years [to recoup the costs] on every building that we go into.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State also switched the fuel in its central heating plant from coal to natural gas, which releases less carbon dioxide when burned. Engineers installed energy-saving motors and windows whenever they could justify spending the extra money.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, with the cost of solar power falling sharply, Penn State signed a \u003ca href=\"https://news.psu.edu/story/586711/2019/09/06/impact/penn-state-lightsource-bp-break-ground-largest-solar-project\">deal\u003c/a> to buy electricity from a new 500-acre solar farm in Pennsylvania’s Franklin County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every time we looked at [solar power] before, the economics weren’t there,” says Andrew Gutberlet, Penn State’s manager of engineering services. “We could not get solar power, or any renewable power, for less than what we were buying it for off the grid. Until now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State’s greenhouse emissions are now down by a third, compared with the peak in 2004. In a few years, with solar power rolling in, they will likely be down by almost 50%. (For comparison, total carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels in the U.S. peaked in 2007 and have since fallen by 12%.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many other universities are on the same path. Some have promised to eliminate greenhouse emissions entirely by 2050. American University, in Washington, D.C., \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/about/sustainability/carbon-neutrality.cfm\">announced\u003c/a> last year that it is already “carbon neutral.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State’s efforts, however, are particularly notable. The university is huge, it has documented its emissions carefully, and it has not resorted to “carbon offsets” that cancel out emissions by capturing carbon dioxide elsewhere, such as by planting trees. Plus, it’s doing this on a tight budget.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In principle, any city could follow Penn State’s example. As Gutberlet puts it: “We are demonstrating that this can be done.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its experience, however, also offers two notes of caution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, Penn State isn’t a regular city. “We are the creators of the heating energy and the consumers of the heating energy. We can take a holistic view of the entire process,” Gutberlet says. The university also can afford to take the long view, making decisions that take 10 years to pay off. Many homeowners and businesses can not.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Second, cutting emissions in half is good, but it’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/03/11/688876374/its-2050-and-this-is-how-we-stopped-climate-change\">not enough\u003c/a> to stop global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Penn State actually has a more ambitious goal: an 80% cut in greenhouse emissions by 2050. Some people on campus are pushing to cut those emissions to zero.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Will they actually meet that goal? “We need to!” says Shelley McKeague, the person in Penn State’s administration who’s responsible for monitoring the university’s greenhouse emissions. “Do we have a concrete plan to get there? We do not, and the reality is, the country doesn’t either.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re looking at lots of possibilities, Cooper says. More solar power, new ways to store the clean power so it’s available when needed. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells. Super-efficient buildings. A massive reconstruction of the heating system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have options in front of us,” he says. “We just don’t know which ones we’ll pull the trigger on yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2019 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=How+Penn+State+Is+Cutting+Greenhouse+Emissions+In+Half+%E2%80%94+And+Saving+Money&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "Century-Old Records Show Bird Species Have Seriously Declined in a Hotter Mojave Desert | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It’s easy to imagine deserts as barren landscapes. Hot, punishing and absent of life. When we do think of life in the desert, it’s often cacti, snakes or other reptiles that come to mind. But turn your attention skyward, you’ll see birds play a role in desert ecosystems as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]A new study finds climate change has caused a decline in the populations of 39 bird species compared to those surveyed by groundbreaking field biologist Joseph Grinnell. The common raven was the only species whose population increased over the last century.[/pullquote]Desert birds help pollinate flowers and disperse seeds, control insect outbreaks, and keep rodent populations in check. They also fill the silence with the sound of their calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As UC Berkeley ecologist Steven Beissinger puts it: “A desert without birds is half empty. A desert without birds is a quiet place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Beissinger and his colleagues at Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology have been\u003ca href=\"http://mvz.berkeley.edu/Grinnell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> studying changes\u003c/a> in wildlife populations across California’s diverse landscapes. Their research found that nearly 30 percent of the 135 bird species that once flourished in the Mojave Desert have suffered significant declines over the past century. And more than 40 percent fewer species were observed, on average, across individual fields sites when compared with surveys from the museum’s archives — meaning even more birds have disappeared in pockets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/09/30/1908791116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study\u003c/a> published this week in \u003cem>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/em> links the disappearance of Mojave’s desert birds to heat stress from climate change, and helps explain why some species are more vulnerable than others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mojave occupies nearly 50,000 square miles, mostly in southeastern California and Nevada, and it’s considered to be North America’s driest desert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948511\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948511\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunrise in the Mojave Desert, where average temperatures have increased roughly 2 degrees Celsius over the last century. \u003ccite>(Eric Riddell/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the last 100 years, average temperatures in the Mojave have risen about 2 degrees Celsius. The extra heat means birds require more water to keep their core body temperatures low enough to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Simply put, what we’ve found is that birds don’t have enough water to keep themselves cool anymore,” said Eric Riddell, a physiological ecologist at UC Berkeley and the study’s lead author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all species were affected equally. The American kestrel, prairie falcon, western meadowlark and violet-green swallow were among those whose populations have declined most. Populations of canyon wren, verdin, blue-gray gnatcatcher and ruby-crowned kinglet were more stable. The common raven was the only species whose population increased over the last century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Water Needed = Bigger Decline\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds lower their temperature through a process of evaporative cooling, akin to perspiration in humans. But instead of sweating moisture, birds expel it in their breath. As they breath, moisture evaporates off their throats, releasing excess body heat and cooling them down. This cooling can be sped up by panting (similar to dogs) or vibrating their throat muscles in a gesture called gular fluttering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Riddell says different species need different amounts of water to meet the demands of evaporative cooling. This need for water is determined by characteristics like size, shape, feather density and color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948513\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948513\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A violet-green swallow in the California desert. Larger insectivores have been hit hard by hotter conditions in the Mojave. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sean Peterson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In general, Riddell says, larger birds will need more water to keep cool, as will darker birds, whose feathers absorb more heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand the relationship between climate change and bird decline, Riddell created computational models, or “virtual birds,” to measure how the water demand of different species changed with the temperature increases of the last century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we found was that the more water that a certain species needed to cool off, the more that that species has declined over the last hundred years,” Riddell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the species most affected were the larger insectivores and carnivorous birds, like hawks and raptors, which get most of their water not by drinking, but from what they eat. And those types of birds have particularly high cooling requirements, Riddell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In hotter climates, these species will need to eat more to stay cool. An insectivore, for example, might need to catch 70 more bugs per day to fulfill its water demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948490\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948490\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-800x618.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-800x618.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-160x124.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-768x593.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1020x788.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1200x927.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1920x1482.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An increased need to hunt means some birds will face more exposure to the hotter climate. \u003ccite>(Eric Riddell/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The increased need to hunt and forage means these species must expel more energy and face even more exposure to sun and heat. The end result is heat stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell say birds that rely on seeds for their diet typically get their water by drinking from springs or pools found in desert oases. While the Mojave has been getting drier with climate change, the continued presence of at least some surface water appears to have mitigated population declines in certain herbivore species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What 100 Year-Old Field Notes Tell Us\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell and Beissinger say the insights gained from their research would not be possible without the work of groundbreaking field biologist \u003ca href=\"http://mvz.berkeley.edu/Grinnell.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joseph Grinnell\u003c/a>, the first director of Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, who headed the institution from 1908 until his death in 1939. Surveys of birds and mammals conducted by Grinnell and his colleagues, along with meticulously kept field field notes, have given researchers a baseline from which to measure changes over the past century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beissinger says he recognizes this cache as a “rare opportunity,” considering how many climate change studies must rely on data just three or four decades old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These field notebooks would be sort of like an (inventory) of what life was like in California and the West,” Beissigner said. “[Grinnell] recognized that the value of this would likely, as he wrote, not be known for a century … and that the student of the future would have an opportunity to see what the original faunal conditions were like in California. And we were that student of the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell says that a lot of climate change research is focused on forecasting the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we sit around and we talk about the effects of climate change, we’re often focused on the future, and we rarely think about what’s happened in the last hundred years,” he said. “We think that these birds are going to experience this in the future. This sort of lethal wall that they can’t get past and they’re all going to essentially drop from the sky. But what our research has shown is that even the climate change that’s already occurred is too hot for these birds and too much for them to deal with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal, Riddell says, is to better understand how and why climate change is affecting bird and other wildlife populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell says some birds may be able to adapt. For example, there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/content/114/49/12976\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">evidence to suggest\u003c/a> that some species may be shifting their nesting periods to earlier in the year in response to warming temperatures.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting smaller is another way birds can combat heat stress. Smaller birds, Riddell says, will need less water to keep themselves cool. But, he says, there’s a limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found, depending on the climate scenario, that birds would have to shrink by as much as 35 to 50 percent over the next century, which is just not possible.” With deserts getting hotter and desert-like conditions becoming more common in western North America, he expects bird populations will continue to decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So that means that when we go out to the Mojave or Joshua Tree or the Sonoran Desert, that over the next century we can expect to see far fewer birds as we’re walking around in the desert environment.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s easy to imagine deserts as barren landscapes. Hot, punishing and absent of life. When we do think of life in the desert, it’s often cacti, snakes or other reptiles that come to mind. But turn your attention skyward, you’ll see birds play a role in desert ecosystems as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Desert birds help pollinate flowers and disperse seeds, control insect outbreaks, and keep rodent populations in check. They also fill the silence with the sound of their calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As UC Berkeley ecologist Steven Beissinger puts it: “A desert without birds is half empty. A desert without birds is a quiet place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For 15 years, Beissinger and his colleagues at Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology have been\u003ca href=\"http://mvz.berkeley.edu/Grinnell/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> studying changes\u003c/a> in wildlife populations across California’s diverse landscapes. Their research found that nearly 30 percent of the 135 bird species that once flourished in the Mojave Desert have suffered significant declines over the past century. And more than 40 percent fewer species were observed, on average, across individual fields sites when compared with surveys from the museum’s archives — meaning even more birds have disappeared in pockets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/09/30/1908791116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study\u003c/a> published this week in \u003cem>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/em> links the disappearance of Mojave’s desert birds to heat stress from climate change, and helps explain why some species are more vulnerable than others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mojave occupies nearly 50,000 square miles, mostly in southeastern California and Nevada, and it’s considered to be North America’s driest desert.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948511\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948511\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_5.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunrise in the Mojave Desert, where average temperatures have increased roughly 2 degrees Celsius over the last century. \u003ccite>(Eric Riddell/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the last 100 years, average temperatures in the Mojave have risen about 2 degrees Celsius. The extra heat means birds require more water to keep their core body temperatures low enough to survive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Simply put, what we’ve found is that birds don’t have enough water to keep themselves cool anymore,” said Eric Riddell, a physiological ecologist at UC Berkeley and the study’s lead author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But not all species were affected equally. The American kestrel, prairie falcon, western meadowlark and violet-green swallow were among those whose populations have declined most. Populations of canyon wren, verdin, blue-gray gnatcatcher and ruby-crowned kinglet were more stable. The common raven was the only species whose population increased over the last century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>More Water Needed = Bigger Decline\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Birds lower their temperature through a process of evaporative cooling, akin to perspiration in humans. But instead of sweating moisture, birds expel it in their breath. As they breath, moisture evaporates off their throats, releasing excess body heat and cooling them down. This cooling can be sped up by panting (similar to dogs) or vibrating their throat muscles in a gesture called gular fluttering.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Riddell says different species need different amounts of water to meet the demands of evaporative cooling. This need for water is determined by characteristics like size, shape, feather density and color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948513\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948513\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_10.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A violet-green swallow in the California desert. Larger insectivores have been hit hard by hotter conditions in the Mojave. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Sean Peterson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In general, Riddell says, larger birds will need more water to keep cool, as will darker birds, whose feathers absorb more heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To understand the relationship between climate change and bird decline, Riddell created computational models, or “virtual birds,” to measure how the water demand of different species changed with the temperature increases of the last century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we found was that the more water that a certain species needed to cool off, the more that that species has declined over the last hundred years,” Riddell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the species most affected were the larger insectivores and carnivorous birds, like hawks and raptors, which get most of their water not by drinking, but from what they eat. And those types of birds have particularly high cooling requirements, Riddell says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In hotter climates, these species will need to eat more to stay cool. An insectivore, for example, might need to catch 70 more bugs per day to fulfill its water demand.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948490\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948490\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-800x618.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-800x618.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-160x124.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-768x593.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1020x788.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1200x927.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/10/IMG_12-1920x1482.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An increased need to hunt means some birds will face more exposure to the hotter climate. \u003ccite>(Eric Riddell/UC Berkeley)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The increased need to hunt and forage means these species must expel more energy and face even more exposure to sun and heat. The end result is heat stress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell say birds that rely on seeds for their diet typically get their water by drinking from springs or pools found in desert oases. While the Mojave has been getting drier with climate change, the continued presence of at least some surface water appears to have mitigated population declines in certain herbivore species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What 100 Year-Old Field Notes Tell Us\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell and Beissinger say the insights gained from their research would not be possible without the work of groundbreaking field biologist \u003ca href=\"http://mvz.berkeley.edu/Grinnell.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Joseph Grinnell\u003c/a>, the first director of Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, who headed the institution from 1908 until his death in 1939. Surveys of birds and mammals conducted by Grinnell and his colleagues, along with meticulously kept field field notes, have given researchers a baseline from which to measure changes over the past century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beissinger says he recognizes this cache as a “rare opportunity,” considering how many climate change studies must rely on data just three or four decades old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These field notebooks would be sort of like an (inventory) of what life was like in California and the West,” Beissigner said. “[Grinnell] recognized that the value of this would likely, as he wrote, not be known for a century … and that the student of the future would have an opportunity to see what the original faunal conditions were like in California. And we were that student of the future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell says that a lot of climate change research is focused on forecasting the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we sit around and we talk about the effects of climate change, we’re often focused on the future, and we rarely think about what’s happened in the last hundred years,” he said. “We think that these birds are going to experience this in the future. This sort of lethal wall that they can’t get past and they’re all going to essentially drop from the sky. But what our research has shown is that even the climate change that’s already occurred is too hot for these birds and too much for them to deal with.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The goal, Riddell says, is to better understand how and why climate change is affecting bird and other wildlife populations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Riddell says some birds may be able to adapt. For example, there’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/content/114/49/12976\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">evidence to suggest\u003c/a> that some species may be shifting their nesting periods to earlier in the year in response to warming temperatures.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Getting smaller is another way birds can combat heat stress. Smaller birds, Riddell says, will need less water to keep themselves cool. But, he says, there’s a limit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found, depending on the climate scenario, that birds would have to shrink by as much as 35 to 50 percent over the next century, which is just not possible.” With deserts getting hotter and desert-like conditions becoming more common in western North America, he expects bird populations will continue to decline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So that means that when we go out to the Mojave or Joshua Tree or the Sonoran Desert, that over the next century we can expect to see far fewer birds as we’re walking around in the desert environment.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "New Fire Retardant Acts Like 'Vaccine' Against Wildfires",
"headTitle": "New Fire Retardant Acts Like ‘Vaccine’ Against Wildfires | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>California’s last two fire seasons were brutal. As the Legislature struggles to fund fire \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948013/california-lawmakers-plans-to-protect-homes-from-wildfire-fall-short\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">safety proposals\u003c/a>, and agencies spend more on firefighting crews, a team of scientists is proposing a novel solution: extinguishing fires before they start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is something we do with vaccines all the time,” said Eric Appel, materials scientist at Stanford. “You have high-risk populations and you vaccinate them against the disease in the first place. As with many things, prevention is cheaper, easier and more effective than treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel is senior author on a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1907855116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study\u003c/a> published in \u003cem>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/em>, reporting on the first field trials of a long-acting, environmentally benign fire retardant that he hopes will reshape the way fires are prevented and fought in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people think that fires just sort of start willy nilly anywhere in the forest. But it turns out that that’s not really true.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that most wildfires start in the same locations, and that the retardant will protect an area for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So what that means,” Appel says, “is that you would only need to treat a very small amount of land in order to prevent a majority of fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Spark of An Idea\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For co-author Jesse Acosta, adjunct professor of Natural Resource Management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a moment of inspiration came years ago, as he stood in the sweltering heat of Hawaii, working for the U.S. Forest Service in a Smokey Bear costume, trying to convince people to care about fire prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I don’t know if it was the actual discomfort of the suit that made me think about things differently, or if it was some sort of late-night epiphany,” said the former Fire Prevention Forester, “but it became very clear to me very quickly that [outreach] was not effective in terms of preventing fires.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Likely, it was both, but it would take a move to Connecticut and a chance meeting with a colleague for the building blocks of a new approach to fall into place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, \u003ca href=\"http://www.supramolecularbiomaterials.com/\">Eric Appel\u003c/a>, now a materials scientist at Stanford University, was studying medical drug delivery at MIT, \u003c/span>“answering the question of ‘H\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ow do we keep these drug molecules stable and get them where they need to go and keep them where they need to be?'”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer lead to the development of a “hydrogel” \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">made of\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">inexpensive, renewable and benign materials that could deliver medications in a human body and keep them stable over time. For example, an early application allowed people with diabetes to receive a single injection that supplied insulin over six months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydrogels themselves may seem an unlikely hero: They’re pale, shapeless blobs reminiscent of thick shampoo or mayonnaise. You mix them up in buckets, foregoing a lab coat for rubber boots. But to Appel, their beauty lies in the thoughtfulness of their design.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The gels we’re making are sophisticated and scalable. They form from simple components,” said Appel. “And they function like molecular Velcro,” meaning they can change their properties to allow them to be sprayed easily from a needle or nozzle.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Acosta was aware of Appel’s hydrogels and thought about what might happen if you replaced medications with a “molecular cargo” of flame retardants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was around midnight when it finally dawned on me to use these hydrogels,” Acosta said\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> pointing out the many commonalities shared between what makes something safe for the human body and what makes something environmentally benign. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Let’s wrap up fire retardant in these hydrogels and see if they are able to stick to fuels and persist through weather.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/ilhFV7DIbxo\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Out of the Lab and Into the Fire\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After this unlikely series of events, Appel, Acosta and collaborators received funding through Stanford’s \u003ca href=\"https://woods.stanford.edu/research/realizing-environmental-innovation-program\">Realizing Environmental Innovation Program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel and his collaborators began working with Cal Fire to identify where fires start each year. They found fires reproducibly start year-after-year in the same places, calculating that 84 percent of wildfires in California in the last 10 years have started at the same high-risk roadside spots or near utilities infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the success of a\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52f83177e4b045fae914ddf2/t/584257b446c3c4f2f7d665e2/1480742837825/Yu_Appel_PNAS.pdf\">pilot study\u003c/a> on small piles of pine shavings, this new study tests hydrogel performance on a larger scale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They treated plots of native grass 10 feet long and 10 feet wide with their product and set both those and untreated control plots alight, watching how they burned. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hey just explode,” Appel said of the control plots. “It’s a pyromaniac’s best afternoon.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel and Acosta also wanted to address a major shortcoming of current retardants — that they are not meant to persist long beyond their initial application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, much of the millions of tons of retardant that planes drop onto fires each year are \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">rendered useless by subsequent dumps of water onto active fire-lines. Even heavy dews and fogs, common along the California coast, can decrease the retardants’ efficiency.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hydrogel, by contrast, stays at full potency and continues delivering fire protection over months of the traditional fire season. The hydrogels also stand up to dew, fog, and moderate rain, although they are intentionally designed to wash away at the start of the wetter fall months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can put 20,000 gallons of this on an area for prevention, or 1 million gallons of the traditional formulation after a fire starts,” said study lead author Anthony Yu, a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering at Stanford, in a media release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The New Reality of Fire in California\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Acosta, a policy of suppression and a cultural view that fire is villainous has pitted the country against a future where extreme fires are guaranteed. This is due to a massive buildup of fuel — dead trees, brush and chaparral — in an ecosystem that has historically required fires as a natural part of the landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every fire we fight, every fire that happens, has the potential to be the Mendocino Complex or the Thomas Fire or the Carr Fire or the Ferguson Fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the economic costs of fighting fires have become enormous. Last year the federal government spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$3 billion\u003c/a> to put out blazes. Local agencies are also strapped. Fighting fires and defending one hot, 4-mile stretch along Highway 118 in Ventura County costs an average of $5.5 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The true importance of hydrogels, Acosta says, extends beyond their use as a long-term, environmentally benign treatment. By stopping fires from ever starting, it pushes the balance of power further into our favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can stop fighting these catastrophic fires in June and July, Acosta said, “and fight them on our terms with prescribed burns in cooler, wetter weather and during times when we have more money freed up for fighting fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the next week, crews will apply the long-term fire retardant to some of Highway 118 and two other stretches of road in San Diego County. These will be the first large projects of a company formed to promote the retardant, which is now sold as Fortify. Appel and Yu are listed as inventors on the Fortify patent. Appel is Chief Technical Advisor for the new company, Ladera Tech. Jesse Acosta is Chief Business Officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wes Bolsen, president and CEO of \u003ca href=\"https://www.ladera.tech/team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ladera\u003c/a>, estimates roadside treatments will cost Cal Fire and the California Department of Transportation between $20,000 and $200,000, depending on the mileage and other factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bolsen says utilities have also expressed interest in the retardant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Projects such as this may signal the first drop in a flood of new tools and methods aimed at developing a more holistic approach to accommodating fires in the state. Acosta feels hopeful because ultimately everyone he has worked with — from politicians to firefighters to loggers — are working toward a common goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These new technological advances,” he said, “are giving us the power to make new and better decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example of this is that Appel and Yu hope that their retardant won’t just help put out fires. The researchers hope products like this will help start controlled burns. Not only can it be used as a tool to limit the area burned, it can protect rare plants within it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they’re out in an area, you can’t just burn through because you might damage those plants,” said Appel. “So these materials can actually be used to provide sort of a protective layer around those plants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California’s last two fire seasons were brutal. As the Legislature struggles to fund fire \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948013/california-lawmakers-plans-to-protect-homes-from-wildfire-fall-short\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">safety proposals\u003c/a>, and agencies spend more on firefighting crews, a team of scientists is proposing a novel solution: extinguishing fires before they start.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is something we do with vaccines all the time,” said Eric Appel, materials scientist at Stanford. “You have high-risk populations and you vaccinate them against the disease in the first place. As with many things, prevention is cheaper, easier and more effective than treatment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel is senior author on a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1907855116\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study\u003c/a> published in \u003cem>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/em>, reporting on the first field trials of a long-acting, environmentally benign fire retardant that he hopes will reshape the way fires are prevented and fought in California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people think that fires just sort of start willy nilly anywhere in the forest. But it turns out that that’s not really true.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The study found that most wildfires start in the same locations, and that the retardant will protect an area for months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So what that means,” Appel says, “is that you would only need to treat a very small amount of land in order to prevent a majority of fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Spark of An Idea\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For co-author Jesse Acosta, adjunct professor of Natural Resource Management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, a moment of inspiration came years ago, as he stood in the sweltering heat of Hawaii, working for the U.S. Forest Service in a Smokey Bear costume, trying to convince people to care about fire prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I don’t know if it was the actual discomfort of the suit that made me think about things differently, or if it was some sort of late-night epiphany,” said the former Fire Prevention Forester, “but it became very clear to me very quickly that [outreach] was not effective in terms of preventing fires.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Likely, it was both, but it would take a move to Connecticut and a chance meeting with a colleague for the building blocks of a new approach to fall into place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time, \u003ca href=\"http://www.supramolecularbiomaterials.com/\">Eric Appel\u003c/a>, now a materials scientist at Stanford University, was studying medical drug delivery at MIT, \u003c/span>“answering the question of ‘H\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ow do we keep these drug molecules stable and get them where they need to go and keep them where they need to be?'”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The answer lead to the development of a “hydrogel” \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">made of\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">inexpensive, renewable and benign materials that could deliver medications in a human body and keep them stable over time. For example, an early application allowed people with diabetes to receive a single injection that supplied insulin over six months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hydrogels themselves may seem an unlikely hero: They’re pale, shapeless blobs reminiscent of thick shampoo or mayonnaise. You mix them up in buckets, foregoing a lab coat for rubber boots. But to Appel, their beauty lies in the thoughtfulness of their design.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The gels we’re making are sophisticated and scalable. They form from simple components,” said Appel. “And they function like molecular Velcro,” meaning they can change their properties to allow them to be sprayed easily from a needle or nozzle.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Acosta was aware of Appel’s hydrogels and thought about what might happen if you replaced medications with a “molecular cargo” of flame retardants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It was around midnight when it finally dawned on me to use these hydrogels,” Acosta said\u003cstrong>,\u003c/strong> pointing out the many commonalities shared between what makes something safe for the human body and what makes something environmentally benign. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Let’s wrap up fire retardant in these hydrogels and see if they are able to stick to fuels and persist through weather.”\u003c/span>\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/ilhFV7DIbxo'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ilhFV7DIbxo'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Out of the Lab and Into the Fire\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After this unlikely series of events, Appel, Acosta and collaborators received funding through Stanford’s \u003ca href=\"https://woods.stanford.edu/research/realizing-environmental-innovation-program\">Realizing Environmental Innovation Program\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel and his collaborators began working with Cal Fire to identify where fires start each year. They found fires reproducibly start year-after-year in the same places, calculating that 84 percent of wildfires in California in the last 10 years have started at the same high-risk roadside spots or near utilities infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the success of a\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/52f83177e4b045fae914ddf2/t/584257b446c3c4f2f7d665e2/1480742837825/Yu_Appel_PNAS.pdf\">pilot study\u003c/a> on small piles of pine shavings, this new study tests hydrogel performance on a larger scale. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They treated plots of native grass 10 feet long and 10 feet wide with their product and set both those and untreated control plots alight, watching how they burned. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“T\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">hey just explode,” Appel said of the control plots. “It’s a pyromaniac’s best afternoon.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Appel and Acosta also wanted to address a major shortcoming of current retardants — that they are not meant to persist long beyond their initial application.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In fact, much of the millions of tons of retardant that planes drop onto fires each year are \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">rendered useless by subsequent dumps of water onto active fire-lines. Even heavy dews and fogs, common along the California coast, can decrease the retardants’ efficiency.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hydrogel, by contrast, stays at full potency and continues delivering fire protection over months of the traditional fire season. The hydrogels also stand up to dew, fog, and moderate rain, although they are intentionally designed to wash away at the start of the wetter fall months.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can put 20,000 gallons of this on an area for prevention, or 1 million gallons of the traditional formulation after a fire starts,” said study lead author Anthony Yu, a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering at Stanford, in a media release.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The New Reality of Fire in California\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Acosta, a policy of suppression and a cultural view that fire is villainous has pitted the country against a future where extreme fires are guaranteed. This is due to a massive buildup of fuel — dead trees, brush and chaparral — in an ecosystem that has historically required fires as a natural part of the landscape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every fire we fight, every fire that happens, has the potential to be the Mendocino Complex or the Thomas Fire or the Carr Fire or the Ferguson Fire.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the economic costs of fighting fires have become enormous. Last year the federal government spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/fireInfo_documents/SuppCosts.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$3 billion\u003c/a> to put out blazes. Local agencies are also strapped. Fighting fires and defending one hot, 4-mile stretch along Highway 118 in Ventura County costs an average of $5.5 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The true importance of hydrogels, Acosta says, extends beyond their use as a long-term, environmentally benign treatment. By stopping fires from ever starting, it pushes the balance of power further into our favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can stop fighting these catastrophic fires in June and July, Acosta said, “and fight them on our terms with prescribed burns in cooler, wetter weather and during times when we have more money freed up for fighting fires.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the next week, crews will apply the long-term fire retardant to some of Highway 118 and two other stretches of road in San Diego County. These will be the first large projects of a company formed to promote the retardant, which is now sold as Fortify. Appel and Yu are listed as inventors on the Fortify patent. Appel is Chief Technical Advisor for the new company, Ladera Tech. Jesse Acosta is Chief Business Officer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wes Bolsen, president and CEO of \u003ca href=\"https://www.ladera.tech/team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ladera\u003c/a>, estimates roadside treatments will cost Cal Fire and the California Department of Transportation between $20,000 and $200,000, depending on the mileage and other factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bolsen says utilities have also expressed interest in the retardant.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Projects such as this may signal the first drop in a flood of new tools and methods aimed at developing a more holistic approach to accommodating fires in the state. Acosta feels hopeful because ultimately everyone he has worked with — from politicians to firefighters to loggers — are working toward a common goal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These new technological advances,” he said, “are giving us the power to make new and better decisions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One example of this is that Appel and Yu hope that their retardant won’t just help put out fires. The researchers hope products like this will help start controlled burns. Not only can it be used as a tool to limit the area burned, it can protect rare plants within it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they’re out in an area, you can’t just burn through because you might damage those plants,” said Appel. “So these materials can actually be used to provide sort of a protective layer around those plants.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Scientists are searching for pockets of ecological resistance in the face of climate change, places that seem to be warming less quickly than others due to unique natural conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hope is that as the earth continues to get hotter, these “climate refugia” could serve as strongholds for plants and animals\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/climate\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-800x799.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-768x767.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png 1116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\">\u003c/a>For a decade, scientists have been studying this phenomenon in a steep mountain valley in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/depo/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Devils Postpile National Monument\u003c/a> is known for its distinct geologic formations, where the crumbling columns of rock from an ancient lava bed resemble, well, a pile of posts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Deanna Dulen began working there almost 20 years ago, she noticed something else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was even colder than I ever anticipated,” said Dulen, who is now superintendent of the monument. The chill was especially noticeable on the floor of the valley, which was colder than the peaks thousands of feet above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the opposite of what you’d expect,” she said. “Usually you expect as you go up in elevation, it will be getting colder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='left' citation=\"Toni Lynn Morelli, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center\"]‘I feel like it gives people some hope. Or at least something positive to focus on.’[/pullquote]Dulen began working with several scientists to investigate. After installing dozens of temperature sensors around the valley, they discovered it undergoes “cold air pooling,” a phenomenon that keeps a mass of cool air sitting on the valley floor for about half the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It happens thanks to the Postpile’s special topography. The valley is aligned north-south, surrounded by high granite walls, which block the sunlight and cast huge shadows across the valley floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the morning it stays shadier in the valley much later, and then it gets shadier earlier in the afternoon,” Dulen said. “That shade helps to make it cooler.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cold air also gets trapped, especially in the Soda Springs meadow, where the granite walls come together at one end, leaving only a narrow opening for the air to escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially that cold air bottlenecks up,” Dulen said. In the early morning, the meadow can be 18 degrees cooler than locations just a few hundred feet above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen and her colleagues realized that this effect could prove particularly important in a warming climate. From her time working in Alaska, Dulen knew about “paleoclimate refugia,” the spots that remained relatively free of ice during the last ice age, allowing plants and animals to endure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948174\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948174\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The high valley walls around Soda Springs meadow cast deep shadows, keeping it cooler. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Devils Postpile could be a modern “climate refugia,” she thinks, where plants and animals would be somewhat buffered from the effects of rising temperatures. That’s especially important for mountain meadow habitat, which supports a huge number of Sierra Nevada species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re very concerned about the impacts of a warming climate,” said Dulen. “We have a very high concentration of biodiversity here. We actually have 400 species of plants in just 800 acres; a hundred species of birds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen says knowing where climate refugia are can help land managers conserve them. The park service is looking at protecting Soda Springs meadow by keeping out invasive species and making sure the forests around it don’t become overgrown and fire-prone. She may also have to defend against “conifer encroachment,” where pine trees invade mountain meadows in search of water in a hotter, drier climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948173\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948173\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-800x688.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"688\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-800x688.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-160x138.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-768x660.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-1020x877.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-1200x1031.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devils Postpile Superintendent Deanna Dulen. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dulen says knowing where climate refugia are can help land managers conserve them. The park service is looking at protecting Soda Springs meadow by keeping out invasive species and making sure the forests around it don’t become overgrown and fire-prone. She may also have to defend against “conifer encroachment,” where pine trees invade mountain meadows in search of water in a hotter, drier climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no easy answers, but it’s the challenge that we’ve been called to do, and it’s part of working for the National Park Service,” she said. “Parks are living labs for understanding our natural world and how to become better stewards so we can have this for our generation and future generations of all species.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen is hopeful their efforts will become a model for finding other climate refugia. Initiatives are already underway in Acadia National Park in Maine, where researchers have mapped climate havens for 30 different plants and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s urgency in identifying these places so we can protect them,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eco.umass.edu/people/adjunct-faculty/morelli-toni-lyn/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toni Lyn Morelli\u003c/a>, who led the work in Acadia and is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the \u003ca href=\"https://necsc.umass.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center\u003c/a> in Massachusetts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given how fast the climate is changing, though, scientists believe refugia can protect plants and animals for only so long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know there are clearly limits,” she said. “In one sense, this is just buying time for us as a society to come up with better solutions and stop climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Morelli says, climate refugia could be an important strategy for land managers to lessen climate impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like it gives people some hope. Or at least something positive to focus on. I think climate change is really hard to think about and to be experiencing. And it’s especially hard for natural resource managers to be responsible for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of KQED Science’s partnership with Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 300 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Scientists are searching for pockets of ecological resistance in the face of climate change, places that seem to be warming less quickly than others due to unique natural conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hope is that as the earth continues to get hotter, these “climate refugia” could serve as strongholds for plants and animals\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/climate\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-800x799.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-768x767.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png 1116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\">\u003c/a>For a decade, scientists have been studying this phenomenon in a steep mountain valley in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/depo/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Devils Postpile National Monument\u003c/a> is known for its distinct geologic formations, where the crumbling columns of rock from an ancient lava bed resemble, well, a pile of posts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Deanna Dulen began working there almost 20 years ago, she noticed something else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was even colder than I ever anticipated,” said Dulen, who is now superintendent of the monument. The chill was especially noticeable on the floor of the valley, which was colder than the peaks thousands of feet above it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s the opposite of what you’d expect,” she said. “Usually you expect as you go up in elevation, it will be getting colder.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Dulen began working with several scientists to investigate. After installing dozens of temperature sensors around the valley, they discovered it undergoes “cold air pooling,” a phenomenon that keeps a mass of cool air sitting on the valley floor for about half the day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It happens thanks to the Postpile’s special topography. The valley is aligned north-south, surrounded by high granite walls, which block the sunlight and cast huge shadows across the valley floor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the morning it stays shadier in the valley much later, and then it gets shadier earlier in the afternoon,” Dulen said. “That shade helps to make it cooler.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cold air also gets trapped, especially in the Soda Springs meadow, where the granite walls come together at one end, leaving only a narrow opening for the air to escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Essentially that cold air bottlenecks up,” Dulen said. In the early morning, the meadow can be 18 degrees cooler than locations just a few hundred feet above.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen and her colleagues realized that this effect could prove particularly important in a warming climate. From her time working in Alaska, Dulen knew about “paleoclimate refugia,” the spots that remained relatively free of ice during the last ice age, allowing plants and animals to endure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948174\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948174\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/soda-springs-shadow-web.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The high valley walls around Soda Springs meadow cast deep shadows, keeping it cooler. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Devils Postpile could be a modern “climate refugia,” she thinks, where plants and animals would be somewhat buffered from the effects of rising temperatures. That’s especially important for mountain meadow habitat, which supports a huge number of Sierra Nevada species.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re very concerned about the impacts of a warming climate,” said Dulen. “We have a very high concentration of biodiversity here. We actually have 400 species of plants in just 800 acres; a hundred species of birds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen says knowing where climate refugia are can help land managers conserve them. The park service is looking at protecting Soda Springs meadow by keeping out invasive species and making sure the forests around it don’t become overgrown and fire-prone. She may also have to defend against “conifer encroachment,” where pine trees invade mountain meadows in search of water in a hotter, drier climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948173\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948173\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-800x688.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"688\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-800x688.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-160x138.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-768x660.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-1020x877.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen-1200x1031.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Deanna-Dulen.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Devils Postpile Superintendent Deanna Dulen. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Dulen says knowing where climate refugia are can help land managers conserve them. The park service is looking at protecting Soda Springs meadow by keeping out invasive species and making sure the forests around it don’t become overgrown and fire-prone. She may also have to defend against “conifer encroachment,” where pine trees invade mountain meadows in search of water in a hotter, drier climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no easy answers, but it’s the challenge that we’ve been called to do, and it’s part of working for the National Park Service,” she said. “Parks are living labs for understanding our natural world and how to become better stewards so we can have this for our generation and future generations of all species.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dulen is hopeful their efforts will become a model for finding other climate refugia. Initiatives are already underway in Acadia National Park in Maine, where researchers have mapped climate havens for 30 different plants and animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s urgency in identifying these places so we can protect them,” said \u003ca href=\"https://eco.umass.edu/people/adjunct-faculty/morelli-toni-lyn/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Toni Lyn Morelli\u003c/a>, who led the work in Acadia and is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the \u003ca href=\"https://necsc.umass.edu/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center\u003c/a> in Massachusetts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Given how fast the climate is changing, though, scientists believe refugia can protect plants and animals for only so long.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know there are clearly limits,” she said. “In one sense, this is just buying time for us as a society to come up with better solutions and stop climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Morelli says, climate refugia could be an important strategy for land managers to lessen climate impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I feel like it gives people some hope. Or at least something positive to focus on. I think climate change is really hard to think about and to be experiencing. And it’s especially hard for natural resource managers to be responsible for.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of KQED Science’s partnership with Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 300 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Youth Climate Activists Block the Entrance to Chevron HQ in San Ramon",
"headTitle": "Youth Climate Activists Block the Entrance to Chevron HQ in San Ramon | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>About 200 climate activists rallied in front of Chevron’s corporate headquarters in San Ramon. The protesters urged the oil company to get off fossil fuels by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High school and middle school students of color from across the Bay Area led this action. They call themselves \u003ca href=\"http://youthvsapocalypse.org/\">Youth vs. Apocalypse\u003c/a> and maintain the company is jeopardizing their future. That’s why, they say, they’re demanding a rapid shift away from carbon-intensive energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron is a billion-dollar company that is poisoning our communities,” said Isha Clarke, an organizer and a junior from MetWest High in Oakland. “Their refineries are in low-income communities of color. We are here to tell them that you cannot keep killing our planet. And you can’t keep doing it in a way that completely disrespects people of color and low-income people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says Chevron disproportionately pollutes places like Richmond, a city that is home to more than 200,000 people. U.S. Census \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/richmondcityvirginiacounty\">figures\u003c/a> indicate that nearly half of them are black. Chevron operates a 2,900-acre refinery there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 8:30 a.m. adults from the Sunrise Movement and other environmental groups hastily erected garden boxes and mockups of oil derricks. They moved the organic planter beds in front of the parking lot entrance to “represent true solutions, not ones that destroy the planet,” organizers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948158 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 9:00 a.m. the students arrived on a black bus, carrying banners and protest signs, to lead the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They need to be accountable,” said Seray Cemre Gönen, a senior at California High School, a public school in San Ramon. “They’ve known that climate change exists for 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948156 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its Facebook \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/391260904922285/\">page\u003c/a>, the activist group says the company must “stop using their influence to harm frontline communities and our future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group is also pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to “hold Chevron accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 10:00 a.m., the company invited Clarke, Gönen, and two other students inside to talk with representatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We spoke truth to power, and however they take that, is how they take it,” Clarke said afterward. “We will continue to push for radical action.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ten years ago we probably would have heard them say climate change is not real,” she said. “Now they’re being forced to, at least, show or pretend that they are taking steps towards being better. We got their cards and we definitely will be contacting them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948160\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948160 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-800x548.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-800x548.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-768x526.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-1020x699.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-1200x823.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seray Cemre Gönen (left), and Sarah Goody. (Lindsey Moore/KQED) \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sean Comey, a spokesman for Chevron, met with the students. He said the company believes that climate change is real and that human activity contributes to it, “including the use of some of our products.” Comey said that the company is taking action to address climate change by investing in technology and low-carbon business opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that the company disagrees with the protesters on how quickly Chevron should transition away from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are open to a dialogue with people from a variety of viewpoints, including them,” he said. “We’re hoping events like this will drive an honest dialogue about how we balance the needs of the world for energy to fuel economic development and rising standards of living with protecting the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can read more about the company’s stance on climate change on their website \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/corporate-responsibility/climate-change\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Union of Concerned Scientists’ latest \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/gw-accountability-scorecard18-Chevron.pdf\">assessment\u003c/a> of how leading fossil fuel companies are addressing climate change, the group found Chevron continues a pattern of misrepresenting climate science in its public statements, holding leadership positions in trade and industry groups that spread climate disinformation and “avoids doing its part to bring about a world free from carbon pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Union gave Chevron a score of “egregious” for its public statements on climate change. The company “downplayed the role of human activity and the need to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases, stressed uncertainties regarding climate impacts, and continued to insist that only global climate action is constructive or effective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, the group also found that Chevron “responded to pressure by improving its disclosures of global warming emissions and political contributions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, one of the largest oil companies in the world, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/stories/chevron-reports-fourth-quarter-net-income-of-3-7-billion-annual-earnings-of-14-8-billion\">made\u003c/a> $14.8 billion in net earnings in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s action took place during several days of protests across the region, and a week after a worldwide youth climate strike. Organizers for Youth vs. Apocalypse \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1947584/live-blog-bay-area-climate-strike\">led\u003c/a> the march in San Francisco a week ago that snarled traffic in the financial district and completely shut down a stretch of Market St. On Wednesday, climate activists and artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948027/climate-activists-artists-take-over-san-franciscos-wall-street-west\">created\u003c/a> murals in front of San Francisco’s largest financial institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>About 200 climate activists rallied in front of Chevron’s corporate headquarters in San Ramon. The protesters urged the oil company to get off fossil fuels by 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>High school and middle school students of color from across the Bay Area led this action. They call themselves \u003ca href=\"http://youthvsapocalypse.org/\">Youth vs. Apocalypse\u003c/a> and maintain the company is jeopardizing their future. That’s why, they say, they’re demanding a rapid shift away from carbon-intensive energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Chevron is a billion-dollar company that is poisoning our communities,” said Isha Clarke, an organizer and a junior from MetWest High in Oakland. “Their refineries are in low-income communities of color. We are here to tell them that you cannot keep killing our planet. And you can’t keep doing it in a way that completely disrespects people of color and low-income people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says Chevron disproportionately pollutes places like Richmond, a city that is home to more than 200,000 people. U.S. Census \u003ca href=\"https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/richmondcityvirginiacounty\">figures\u003c/a> indicate that nearly half of them are black. Chevron operates a 2,900-acre refinery there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 8:30 a.m. adults from the Sunrise Movement and other environmental groups hastily erected garden boxes and mockups of oil derricks. They moved the organic planter beds in front of the parking lot entrance to “represent true solutions, not ones that destroy the planet,” organizers said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948158 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39313_Chevron_003.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At 9:00 a.m. the students arrived on a black bus, carrying banners and protest signs, to lead the action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They need to be accountable,” said Seray Cemre Gönen, a senior at California High School, a public school in San Ramon. “They’ve known that climate change exists for 40 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948156 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39323_Chevron_013.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On its Facebook \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/events/391260904922285/\">page\u003c/a>, the activist group says the company must “stop using their influence to harm frontline communities and our future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group is also pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom to “hold Chevron accountable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 10:00 a.m., the company invited Clarke, Gönen, and two other students inside to talk with representatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We spoke truth to power, and however they take that, is how they take it,” Clarke said afterward. “We will continue to push for radical action.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ten years ago we probably would have heard them say climate change is not real,” she said. “Now they’re being forced to, at least, show or pretend that they are taking steps towards being better. We got their cards and we definitely will be contacting them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948160\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948160 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-800x548.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-800x548.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-768x526.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-1020x699.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008-1200x823.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/RS39318_Chevron_008.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Seray Cemre Gönen (left), and Sarah Goody. (Lindsey Moore/KQED) \u003ccite>(Lindsey Moore/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sean Comey, a spokesman for Chevron, met with the students. He said the company believes that climate change is real and that human activity contributes to it, “including the use of some of our products.” Comey said that the company is taking action to address climate change by investing in technology and low-carbon business opportunities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He added that the company disagrees with the protesters on how quickly Chevron should transition away from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are open to a dialogue with people from a variety of viewpoints, including them,” he said. “We’re hoping events like this will drive an honest dialogue about how we balance the needs of the world for energy to fuel economic development and rising standards of living with protecting the environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can read more about the company’s stance on climate change on their website \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/corporate-responsibility/climate-change\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the Union of Concerned Scientists’ latest \u003ca href=\"https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/10/gw-accountability-scorecard18-Chevron.pdf\">assessment\u003c/a> of how leading fossil fuel companies are addressing climate change, the group found Chevron continues a pattern of misrepresenting climate science in its public statements, holding leadership positions in trade and industry groups that spread climate disinformation and “avoids doing its part to bring about a world free from carbon pollution.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Union gave Chevron a score of “egregious” for its public statements on climate change. The company “downplayed the role of human activity and the need to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases, stressed uncertainties regarding climate impacts, and continued to insist that only global climate action is constructive or effective.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, the group also found that Chevron “responded to pressure by improving its disclosures of global warming emissions and political contributions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company, one of the largest oil companies in the world, \u003ca href=\"https://www.chevron.com/stories/chevron-reports-fourth-quarter-net-income-of-3-7-billion-annual-earnings-of-14-8-billion\">made\u003c/a> $14.8 billion in net earnings in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s action took place during several days of protests across the region, and a week after a worldwide youth climate strike. Organizers for Youth vs. Apocalypse \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1947584/live-blog-bay-area-climate-strike\">led\u003c/a> the march in San Francisco a week ago that snarled traffic in the financial district and completely shut down a stretch of Market St. On Wednesday, climate activists and artists \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948027/climate-activists-artists-take-over-san-franciscos-wall-street-west\">created\u003c/a> murals in front of San Francisco’s largest financial institutions.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "These Big Plans to Protect California Homes From Wildfire Fell Short in the Legislature",
"headTitle": "These Big Plans to Protect California Homes From Wildfire Fell Short in the Legislature | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>After 86 people in the town of Paradise lost their lives in a massive wildfire last year, California lawmakers vowed to prepare the state for future infernos. But while millions of dollars are going toward new firefighting crews and technology, some say the state is overlooking an area in dire need of help: making homes and buildings safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align='right' citation='State Sen. Bob Wieckowski']‘I’m concerned that a lot of localities are going to be making a lot of bad decisions because we haven’t rung the bell that you can’t do this any longer.’[/pullquote]Several bills in the state Legislature were drafted to help millions of homeowners in high fire-risk areas retrofit their homes with fire-resistant materials. This was considered critical because most of these homes were built before California enacted its modern wildfire building codes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bills required stepped-up inspections of fire-prone vegetation around structures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But due to a lack of funding in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state budget, the bills were scaled back. They now await Newsom’s signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another bill, SB 182, would have directed cities and counties to limit how much housing is built in very high fire-hazard zones absent adequate firefighting capacity, evacuation routes and defensible space enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to concerns it could reduce the state’s housing stock, the bill failed to pass by the time legislators adjourned in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many fire experts have warned that California must make existing communities safer, if it’s going to tackle wildfire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I personally believe that spending money upfront to prevent wildfires is a better use of funds than having to spend a lot more money later on to deal with a tragedy,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who authored one of the bills, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AB 1516\u003c/a>, now on Newsom’s desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Awaiting Newsom’s Signature: Improving Defensible Space, But No Cal-Fire Inspection Requirement\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many houses destroyed in wildfires aren’t consumed by advancing flames; they’re ignited by embers that are blown ahead of the fire and land on brush, trees or grasses next to a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State law requires homeowners in fire zones to minimize and clear vegetation to create “defensible space” within 100 feet of their home. In fire zones outside city limits, Cal Fire inspects homes and can issue citations for homeowners who don’t comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Cal Fire has a goal of inspecting 33 percent of structures in its jurisdiction each year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943058/whos-checking-homes-for-flammable-brush-in-some-high-risk-areas-maybe-no-one\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED investigation \u003c/a>found the agency only did half that in 2018. In some parts of the state, only 6 percent of homes in risky areas were inspected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s become really clear that our defensible space has been insufficient to protect homes from embers,” said Yana Valachovic, a fire expert with UC Cooperative Extension. “What’s immediately adjacent to a structure affects the probability of a structure’s survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first draft of AB 1516 would have required Cal Fire to reach its 33 percent inspection goal. That would have meant hiring dozens of additional inspectors, potentially costing millions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But without support from Gov. Newsom to fund the bill, its supporters struck a compromise. Local groups, like fire safe councils, the California Conservation Corps and those affiliated with Native American tribes, would be empowered to make defensible space assessments of communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those groups could look at vegetation around homes but would not have the same authorization as Cal Fire to write citations requiring homeowners to reduce it. The groups would instead send that information to Cal Fire to inform its inspection program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that this will get Cal Fire to its 33 percent inspection goal,” said Assemblymember Friedman. “I would like to see 100 percent, which will mean more funding, but I do think that using these trained third parties is a really good, cost-effective way to get statewide inspections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Newsom signs the bill, it will also create new defensible space requirements within 5 feet of homes and buildings in high-risk fire zones. Cal Fire would develop the guidelines for these “ember-resistant” areas, potentially limiting the kinds of vegetation and mulch that can touch a building, something fire experts strongly recommend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The science has been clear for quite a while, but it’s been slow to incorporate into codes, standards and practices,” said Valachovic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Awaiting Newsom’s Signature: Home Retrofitting Fund Created … With No Money\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wind-driven fire embers can also ignite a home by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1917346/wildfires-can-attack-your-house-from-the-inside-heres-how-to-prevent-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">landing on its wood roof or even entering an attic vent\u003c/a>. Some communities, like Big Bear, have provided residents with grants to replace wood roofs with those that are fire-resistant. Fire experts say even more affordable retrofits, like covering attic vents with mesh, can also make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help homeowners across the state, Assemblymember Jim Wood introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AB 38\u003c/a>, a bill that would create a $1 billion fund for no- or low-interest loans for home retrofits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when it became clear the funding wasn’t prioritized in the state budget, the bill was amended. The retrofitting program would be created, but the actual funding would have to be found at a later date, potentially relying on federal hazard funds from FEMA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This year we made some very good steps in the right direction to help protect homes and communities,” said Wood. “But we still have a massive hill to climb and we need to climb it much faster to make sure communities are as safe as they can be as soon as they can be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Housing vs. Wildfire Protection: Restrictions on New Construction Stalls\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers also took up one of the biggest debates around wildfire: balancing the state’s desperate need for new housing with the need to keep housing out of fire zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imposing development restrictions has been a third-rail of fire policy. When asked about it in April, Newsom responded that he wouldn’t advocate for a ban on building in high-risk areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve never seen a deep analysis,” Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.apnews.com/b17b5c9200a64466b49f3f605f9202fe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told the Associated Press\u003c/a>. “And I think one has to be cautious about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This session, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SB 182\u003c/a>, a bill that sought to dissuade local governments from building in very high fire hazard zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill required areas in which multiunit developments are approved to have a funded defensible space enforcement program, adequate emergency response capacity, and low-risk areas where residents can shelter from fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have to build, but on the other hand, we don’t want to see another Paradise,” said Jackson. “This bill is designed to work with those competing interests and is designed to meet the needs of both.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the bill got tangled up in another controversial California issue: local requirements to build housing, set to help address the state’s housing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Jackson’s bill specified that the wildfire building restrictions couldn’t be used to excuse an overall region from its housing requirement, some lawmakers thought it didn’t go far enough to protect housing mandates in individual cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way the bill is structured right now, it would let cities like Berkeley and some other cities off the hook and reduce their housing obligations when they have plenty of non-wildfire areas to build,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, chair of the Senate Housing Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Wiener agrees with the bill’s provision that regions should consider their fire risk when determining how much housing should be built.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cities where most of the land or all of the land is in a high wildfire risk area?” he said. “We should not be building there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill failed to pass at the end of the legislative session in September, as lawmakers struggled to hammer out a compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we enter another fire season, I’m concerned that a lot of localities are going to be making a lot of bad decisions because we haven’t rung the bell that you can’t do this any longer,” State Sen. Bob Wieckowski said, when it became clear the bill wouldn’t proceed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener says he’s confident the bill can be passed in early 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delay is going to be a very short delay,” he said. “Taking a little bit of extra time to make sure we get it right is not going to harm anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where State Funding Is Going: Emergency Response\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As soon as he took office, Newsom announced that tackling California’s wildfire readiness would be a priority for his administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If anyone is wondering if climate change is real, come to California,” he said in April. “We are in a very precarious state, literally and figuratively. It requires us to adapt. It requires us to be nimble. It requires us to meet the moment and meet the challenge. “\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is spending more than $900 million this year preparing for fires. More than $240 million is being directed at new firefighting crews, purchasing new aircraft and acquiring new technology. Large-scale forest management and vegetation-reduction projects received $225 million. Other funds are directed at improving emergency warning systems and 911 services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Improving existing homes and buildings gets little mention in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2019-20/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/EmergencyPreparednessResponseandRecovery.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">budget document\u003c/a>, only receiving a one-time $5 million infusion for defensible space programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While fire experts say improving emergency response is critical, shoring up existing communities will be as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no single solution that’s going to solve the fire problem,” said Valachovic. “It takes an all-hands-on-deck approach.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>After 86 people in the town of Paradise lost their lives in a massive wildfire last year, California lawmakers vowed to prepare the state for future infernos. But while millions of dollars are going toward new firefighting crews and technology, some say the state is overlooking an area in dire need of help: making homes and buildings safer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Several bills in the state Legislature were drafted to help millions of homeowners in high fire-risk areas retrofit their homes with fire-resistant materials. This was considered critical because most of these homes were built before California enacted its modern wildfire building codes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bills required stepped-up inspections of fire-prone vegetation around structures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But due to a lack of funding in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s state budget, the bills were scaled back. They now await Newsom’s signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another bill, SB 182, would have directed cities and counties to limit how much housing is built in very high fire-hazard zones absent adequate firefighting capacity, evacuation routes and defensible space enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Due to concerns it could reduce the state’s housing stock, the bill failed to pass by the time legislators adjourned in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many fire experts have warned that California must make existing communities safer, if it’s going to tackle wildfire risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I personally believe that spending money upfront to prevent wildfires is a better use of funds than having to spend a lot more money later on to deal with a tragedy,” said Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who authored one of the bills, \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AB 1516\u003c/a>, now on Newsom’s desk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Awaiting Newsom’s Signature: Improving Defensible Space, But No Cal-Fire Inspection Requirement\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many houses destroyed in wildfires aren’t consumed by advancing flames; they’re ignited by embers that are blown ahead of the fire and land on brush, trees or grasses next to a home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State law requires homeowners in fire zones to minimize and clear vegetation to create “defensible space” within 100 feet of their home. In fire zones outside city limits, Cal Fire inspects homes and can issue citations for homeowners who don’t comply.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Cal Fire has a goal of inspecting 33 percent of structures in its jurisdiction each year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1943058/whos-checking-homes-for-flammable-brush-in-some-high-risk-areas-maybe-no-one\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KQED investigation \u003c/a>found the agency only did half that in 2018. In some parts of the state, only 6 percent of homes in risky areas were inspected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s become really clear that our defensible space has been insufficient to protect homes from embers,” said Yana Valachovic, a fire expert with UC Cooperative Extension. “What’s immediately adjacent to a structure affects the probability of a structure’s survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first draft of AB 1516 would have required Cal Fire to reach its 33 percent inspection goal. That would have meant hiring dozens of additional inspectors, potentially costing millions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But without support from Gov. Newsom to fund the bill, its supporters struck a compromise. Local groups, like fire safe councils, the California Conservation Corps and those affiliated with Native American tribes, would be empowered to make defensible space assessments of communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those groups could look at vegetation around homes but would not have the same authorization as Cal Fire to write citations requiring homeowners to reduce it. The groups would instead send that information to Cal Fire to inform its inspection program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We believe that this will get Cal Fire to its 33 percent inspection goal,” said Assemblymember Friedman. “I would like to see 100 percent, which will mean more funding, but I do think that using these trained third parties is a really good, cost-effective way to get statewide inspections.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If Newsom signs the bill, it will also create new defensible space requirements within 5 feet of homes and buildings in high-risk fire zones. Cal Fire would develop the guidelines for these “ember-resistant” areas, potentially limiting the kinds of vegetation and mulch that can touch a building, something fire experts strongly recommend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The science has been clear for quite a while, but it’s been slow to incorporate into codes, standards and practices,” said Valachovic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Awaiting Newsom’s Signature: Home Retrofitting Fund Created … With No Money\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wind-driven fire embers can also ignite a home by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1917346/wildfires-can-attack-your-house-from-the-inside-heres-how-to-prevent-it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">landing on its wood roof or even entering an attic vent\u003c/a>. Some communities, like Big Bear, have provided residents with grants to replace wood roofs with those that are fire-resistant. Fire experts say even more affordable retrofits, like covering attic vents with mesh, can also make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help homeowners across the state, Assemblymember Jim Wood introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AB 38\u003c/a>, a bill that would create a $1 billion fund for no- or low-interest loans for home retrofits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when it became clear the funding wasn’t prioritized in the state budget, the bill was amended. The retrofitting program would be created, but the actual funding would have to be found at a later date, potentially relying on federal hazard funds from FEMA.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This year we made some very good steps in the right direction to help protect homes and communities,” said Wood. “But we still have a massive hill to climb and we need to climb it much faster to make sure communities are as safe as they can be as soon as they can be.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Housing vs. Wildfire Protection: Restrictions on New Construction Stalls\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawmakers also took up one of the biggest debates around wildfire: balancing the state’s desperate need for new housing with the need to keep housing out of fire zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imposing development restrictions has been a third-rail of fire policy. When asked about it in April, Newsom responded that he wouldn’t advocate for a ban on building in high-risk areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve never seen a deep analysis,” Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.apnews.com/b17b5c9200a64466b49f3f605f9202fe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told the Associated Press\u003c/a>. “And I think one has to be cautious about that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This session, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200SB182\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SB 182\u003c/a>, a bill that sought to dissuade local governments from building in very high fire hazard zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill required areas in which multiunit developments are approved to have a funded defensible space enforcement program, adequate emergency response capacity, and low-risk areas where residents can shelter from fire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have to build, but on the other hand, we don’t want to see another Paradise,” said Jackson. “This bill is designed to work with those competing interests and is designed to meet the needs of both.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the bill got tangled up in another controversial California issue: local requirements to build housing, set to help address the state’s housing crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Jackson’s bill specified that the wildfire building restrictions couldn’t be used to excuse an overall region from its housing requirement, some lawmakers thought it didn’t go far enough to protect housing mandates in individual cities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The way the bill is structured right now, it would let cities like Berkeley and some other cities off the hook and reduce their housing obligations when they have plenty of non-wildfire areas to build,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, chair of the Senate Housing Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Wiener agrees with the bill’s provision that regions should consider their fire risk when determining how much housing should be built.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Cities where most of the land or all of the land is in a high wildfire risk area?” he said. “We should not be building there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The bill failed to pass at the end of the legislative session in September, as lawmakers struggled to hammer out a compromise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As we enter another fire season, I’m concerned that a lot of localities are going to be making a lot of bad decisions because we haven’t rung the bell that you can’t do this any longer,” State Sen. Bob Wieckowski said, when it became clear the bill wouldn’t proceed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wiener says he’s confident the bill can be passed in early 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The delay is going to be a very short delay,” he said. “Taking a little bit of extra time to make sure we get it right is not going to harm anyone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Where State Funding Is Going: Emergency Response\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As soon as he took office, Newsom announced that tackling California’s wildfire readiness would be a priority for his administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If anyone is wondering if climate change is real, come to California,” he said in April. “We are in a very precarious state, literally and figuratively. It requires us to adapt. It requires us to be nimble. It requires us to meet the moment and meet the challenge. “\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state is spending more than $900 million this year preparing for fires. More than $240 million is being directed at new firefighting crews, purchasing new aircraft and acquiring new technology. Large-scale forest management and vegetation-reduction projects received $225 million. Other funds are directed at improving emergency warning systems and 911 services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Improving existing homes and buildings gets little mention in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2019-20/pdf/Enacted/BudgetSummary/EmergencyPreparednessResponseandRecovery.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">budget document\u003c/a>, only receiving a one-time $5 million infusion for defensible space programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While fire experts say improving emergency response is critical, shoring up existing communities will be as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There’s no single solution that’s going to solve the fire problem,” said Valachovic. “It takes an all-hands-on-deck approach.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"headTitle": "Climate Activists, Artists Take Over San Francisco’s ‘Wall Street West’ | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Wielding banners and paintbrushes, activists from around the Bay Area shut down four blocks in San Francisco’s Financial District Wednesday in a protest over failure to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today’s rally, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://climatejusticesf.org/\">Strike for Climate Justice\u003c/a>, was organized by a coalition of local environmental groups in an effort to petition big banks to pull their investments out of the fossil fuel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our message to Wall Street West is that we really need climate action right now, no more delays,” said Nancy Roberts, who helped plan the demonstrations for Extinction Rebellion SF Bay. The area Roberts referred to is a stretch of Montgomery Street north of Market Street occupied by financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, as well as consulates from around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roberts called Wednesday’s action a nonviolent way to spread the vision of a sustainable future, using art, music and street theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948042\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948042\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of Idle No More SF Bay leading the march up Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Demonstrators started at just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, marching up Montgomery Street and blocking traffic between Pine and Sacramento streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The march opened with a blessing by members of Idle No More SF Bay, a group focused on the environmental rights of indigenous people. Founding member Pennie Opal Plant says native people around the world are often left out of important discussions about the climate despite having insight about “how to move forward so that the sacred system of life continues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s time for the climate profiteers to stop trying to make money off climate destruction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The centerpiece of Wednesday’s action was more than a dozen circular murals painted directly onto Montgomery Street in front of financial institutions. These included a walkable labyrinth, created by the Bay Area Spiritual Communities group to help the public cope with their frustration and anxiety over climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948063\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948063 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4894-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meg Duff from Bay Area Spiritual Communities group painting a labyrinth on Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Brasil Solidarity Network painted outside of the Consulate General of Brazil, calling for an end to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, which absorbs carbon emission from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While artists painted, a clown troupe calling themselves the Climate Clown Brigade enlightened onlookers about wildfires while dressed as trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948064\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948064\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4815-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Climate Clown Brigade (L-R: Thumper, Hannah, Nick, Putt) performing for the forests. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A stretch of California Street between Kearny and Sansome was also blocked by demonstrators holding signs that read, “Leave the oil in the soil!” and “100 percent renewable energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Wednesday’s action was directed toward Wells Fargo, where protesters blocked an entrance to the branch at 420 Montgomery Street that hosts the bank’s museum exhibits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948066\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948066\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors block the entrance of the Wells Fargo at 420 Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, representatives from Wells Fargo said, “We recognize the growing concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability, and we’re working to find solutions. Wells Fargo is committed to accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Mills, a spokesperson for the California Bankers Association, said in an email that financial institutions “absolutely understand the importance of, and support initiatives, that protect and preserve our environment. Many of them lead by example in taking efforts to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as supporting and financing projects that support that goal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she said, addressing the demand for divestment from fossil fuel companies, “Our industry is generally concerned about government and elected officials trying to dictate who a commercial bank can and cannot do business with, particularly with a lawful business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate demonstrations in downtown San Francisco are expected to continue until 5 p.m. Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Wielding banners and paintbrushes, activists from around the Bay Area shut down four blocks in San Francisco’s Financial District Wednesday in a protest over failure to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today’s rally, dubbed the \u003ca href=\"https://climatejusticesf.org/\">Strike for Climate Justice\u003c/a>, was organized by a coalition of local environmental groups in an effort to petition big banks to pull their investments out of the fossil fuel industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our message to Wall Street West is that we really need climate action right now, no more delays,” said Nancy Roberts, who helped plan the demonstrations for Extinction Rebellion SF Bay. The area Roberts referred to is a stretch of Montgomery Street north of Market Street occupied by financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, as well as consulates from around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roberts called Wednesday’s action a nonviolent way to spread the vision of a sustainable future, using art, music and street theater.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948042\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948042\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4821.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of Idle No More SF Bay leading the march up Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Demonstrators started at just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, marching up Montgomery Street and blocking traffic between Pine and Sacramento streets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The march opened with a blessing by members of Idle No More SF Bay, a group focused on the environmental rights of indigenous people. Founding member Pennie Opal Plant says native people around the world are often left out of important discussions about the climate despite having insight about “how to move forward so that the sacred system of life continues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s time for the climate profiteers to stop trying to make money off climate destruction,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The centerpiece of Wednesday’s action was more than a dozen circular murals painted directly onto Montgomery Street in front of financial institutions. These included a walkable labyrinth, created by the Bay Area Spiritual Communities group to help the public cope with their frustration and anxiety over climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948063\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1948063 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4894-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Meg Duff from Bay Area Spiritual Communities group painting a labyrinth on Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The Brasil Solidarity Network painted outside of the Consulate General of Brazil, calling for an end to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, which absorbs carbon emission from fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While artists painted, a clown troupe calling themselves the Climate Clown Brigade enlightened onlookers about wildfires while dressed as trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948064\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948064\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4815-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the Climate Clown Brigade (L-R: Thumper, Hannah, Nick, Putt) performing for the forests. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A stretch of California Street between Kearny and Sansome was also blocked by demonstrators holding signs that read, “Leave the oil in the soil!” and “100 percent renewable energy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of Wednesday’s action was directed toward Wells Fargo, where protesters blocked an entrance to the branch at 420 Montgomery Street that hosts the bank’s museum exhibits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1948066\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1948066\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/DSCF4882.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors block the entrance of the Wells Fargo at 420 Montgomery Street. \u003ccite>(Peter Arcuni/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In a statement, representatives from Wells Fargo said, “We recognize the growing concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability, and we’re working to find solutions. Wells Fargo is committed to accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beth Mills, a spokesperson for the California Bankers Association, said in an email that financial institutions “absolutely understand the importance of, and support initiatives, that protect and preserve our environment. Many of them lead by example in taking efforts to reduce their own carbon footprint, as well as supporting and financing projects that support that goal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, she said, addressing the demand for divestment from fossil fuel companies, “Our industry is generally concerned about government and elected officials trying to dictate who a commercial bank can and cannot do business with, particularly with a lawful business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate demonstrations in downtown San Francisco are expected to continue until 5 p.m. Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Trade In Your Gas Stove to Save the Planet? Berkeley Bans Natural Gas",
"headTitle": "Trade In Your Gas Stove to Save the Planet? Berkeley Bans Natural Gas | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>To reach its ambitious climate change goals, California will have to entice homeowners to electrify everything. The state is trying to become carbon neutral by 2045 and around a quarter of the state’s emissions come from energy used by buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’ll be a big step, because today, an all-electric home isn’t common in California, as Oakland resident Bruce Nilles found out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" citation=\"Bruce Nilles, Oakland\"]‘I called three different contractors and all three of them tried to persuade me not to get rid of my gas.’[/pullquote]Nilles spent his career working on reducing the country’s use of fossil fuels, first at the Sierra Club and then at the Rocky Mountain Institute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was thinking a lot about coal and how do we transition the United States off of coal,” he said, “and had missed the fact that right in my own home was this big source of fossil fuels.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nilles’ two-story craftsman home had four appliances that ran on natural gas: hot water heater, furnace, dryer and gas stove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It never occurred to me that they were a big piece of my carbon footprint,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Electricity has a lower carbon footprint in California than natural gas, because the state is investing heavily in renewable energy. In 2018, half of the state’s electricity came from sources free of carbon emissions, such as solar and wind, as well as hydropower and nuclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1945660\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1945660\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-800x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-800x717.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-160x143.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-768x689.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-1020x915.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bruce Nilles shows off his electric heat pump at his Oakland home. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I called three different contractors and all three of them tried to persuade me not to get rid of my gas,” Nilles said. He wanted to trade out all four systems, and found some contractors didn’t even have experience switching gas appliances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, he found one who was game to install a new electric induction range. Nilles says it’s a far cry from the old-school electric stoves with coils that heat up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thing this is so fast,” he said, “you put the water on and literally, 120 seconds later, its boiling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nilles also got a new electric dryer, and in the basement, a water heater and heat pump that both heats and cools his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The inspector didn’t actually didn’t sign off on our project, because on a check-box, it said there needed to be a gas shut-off valve on our hot water heater,” he said. Eventually, the city agreed to ignore the check-box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>First-of-a-Kind Ban\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the Berkeley city council voted unanimously to ban natural gas in newly constructed buildings, becoming the first city in the country to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials say new efficient electric appliances have lower carbon footprints than gas-powered furnaces and water heaters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to tackle climate change every way that we can and by doing this, we’re not asking people to change that much,” said Kate Harrison, the Berkeley city council member who led the initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"left\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Bob Raymer, California Building Industry Association\"]‘People love their gas stoves. We don’t want to force something onto the consumer that makes the consumer feel uncomfortable or that they just don’t like.’[/pullquote]The ban starts next year with homes and small apartment buildings, and will rope in other kinds of buildings such as high-rises and commercial space as soon as state officials complete energy efficiency analyses of those building types. Building owners can also apply for an exemption to the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to give us a better life,” Harrison said. “We’re going to have a cleaner environment. We’re going to have less health problems. We’re going to have less danger in our homes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 27% of Berkeley’s greenhouse gas emissions come from natural gas. That’s on par with the nation; buildings, through heating and cooking, use almost a third of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natural gas lines also leak one of the most potent climate pollutants, methane, directly into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change isn’t the only reason for the ban, according to the city. Berkeley sits on an earthquake fault, and a major event could cause natural gas lines to break and create explosions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooking on gas stoves can also cause high levels of indoor air pollution, like nitrogen dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have health effects that have never been considered,” Harrison said, “that come from burning natural gas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1945683\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1945683\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign marking the boundary of the Aliso Canyon storage facility in 2016, in Porter Ranch. California Governor Jerry Brown on January 6, 2016 declared a state of emergency in the Porter Ranch area due to the continuing leak of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon storage facility operated by the Southern California Gas Co. \u003ccite>(Jonathan Alcorn/AFP/Getty Images))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, stoves are the major sticking point, Harrison says. While homeowners may not have strong feelings about their water heaters, cooking is another matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy-duty gas ranges pack appliance showrooms, looking like industrial models made for restaurant kitchens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People love their gas stoves,” said Bob Raymer, technical director with the California Building Industry Association. “We don’t want to force something onto the consumer that makes the consumer feel uncomfortable or that they just don’t like. After all, it’s their home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, he says, not offering those stoves could put builders at a competitive disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t support an outright ban on a particular product,” Raymer said. “What we do support are the use of regulatory and financial incentives to encourage a market to go a particular way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of restaurants today also use gas cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important that restaurants, along with all ratepayers, have a diverse set of energy sources they can turn to – and that includes natural gas,” said Sharokina Shams of the California Restaurant Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Raymer says some builders are already switching to all-electric homes in California, because in new construction, they save $2,000-to-$5,000 by not running gas lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Other Cities Following Suit\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cities including Sacramento, Los Angeles, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=6150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Jose\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://sfenvironment.org/press-release/mayor-london-breed-announces-significant-efforts-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco\u003c/a> are all developing goals to cut emissions from buildings. While Sacramento has \u003ca href=\"https://engagesac.org/blog-civic-engagement/2019/3/15/converting-buildings-from-gas-to-electric-crucial-to-fighting-climate-change-commission-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">started discussing a potential ban\u003c/a> on natural gas in new buildings, other cities are looking at using incentives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state may not be far behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that we have to get away from fossil natural gas combustion,” said Andrew McAllister of the California Energy Commission. “Electricity becomes cleaner and cleaner, and natural gas is methane and it’s just got carbon in it. There’s no way around that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Energy Commission is currently writing a road map for how the state can cut emissions from buildings 40% by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, to meet its goal of becoming carbon-neutral, California will have to tackle natural gas use in existing buildings, not just new ones. That can be costlier. Many older homes don’t have large enough electrical panels or plugs that can handle 220 volts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Electric heat pumps and other electric appliances can be more expensive than gas-powered equivalents, especially because it can be harder to find rebates. Sacramento and San Jose are offering residents up to several thousand dollars to switch from gas to electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a cultural transition that we have to undergo,” said McAllister. “It’s a big lift, but we’re in a powerful state with a big economy and a lot of creativity. So I think if anybody can do it, California can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, McAllister says, a lot of the nation’s energy efficiency rules, including for appliances, were passed by California first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Natural gas appliances are a big target in the fight against global warming. Buildings, through heating and cooking, use almost a third of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>To reach its ambitious climate change goals, California will have to entice homeowners to electrify everything. The state is trying to become carbon neutral by 2045 and around a quarter of the state’s emissions come from energy used by buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’ll be a big step, because today, an all-electric home isn’t common in California, as Oakland resident Bruce Nilles found out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Nilles spent his career working on reducing the country’s use of fossil fuels, first at the Sierra Club and then at the Rocky Mountain Institute.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was thinking a lot about coal and how do we transition the United States off of coal,” he said, “and had missed the fact that right in my own home was this big source of fossil fuels.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nilles’ two-story craftsman home had four appliances that ran on natural gas: hot water heater, furnace, dryer and gas stove.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It never occurred to me that they were a big piece of my carbon footprint,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Electricity has a lower carbon footprint in California than natural gas, because the state is investing heavily in renewable energy. In 2018, half of the state’s electricity came from sources free of carbon emissions, such as solar and wind, as well as hydropower and nuclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1945660\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1945660\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-800x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-800x717.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-160x143.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-768x689.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web-1020x915.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/DSC02303-web.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bruce Nilles shows off his electric heat pump at his Oakland home. \u003ccite>(Lauren Sommer/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I called three different contractors and all three of them tried to persuade me not to get rid of my gas,” Nilles said. He wanted to trade out all four systems, and found some contractors didn’t even have experience switching gas appliances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Eventually, he found one who was game to install a new electric induction range. Nilles says it’s a far cry from the old-school electric stoves with coils that heat up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Thing this is so fast,” he said, “you put the water on and literally, 120 seconds later, its boiling.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nilles also got a new electric dryer, and in the basement, a water heater and heat pump that both heats and cools his home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The inspector didn’t actually didn’t sign off on our project, because on a check-box, it said there needed to be a gas shut-off valve on our hot water heater,” he said. Eventually, the city agreed to ignore the check-box.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>First-of-a-Kind Ban\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In July, the Berkeley city council voted unanimously to ban natural gas in newly constructed buildings, becoming the first city in the country to do so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>City officials say new efficient electric appliances have lower carbon footprints than gas-powered furnaces and water heaters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to tackle climate change every way that we can and by doing this, we’re not asking people to change that much,” said Kate Harrison, the Berkeley city council member who led the initiative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The ban starts next year with homes and small apartment buildings, and will rope in other kinds of buildings such as high-rises and commercial space as soon as state officials complete energy efficiency analyses of those building types. Building owners can also apply for an exemption to the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s going to give us a better life,” Harrison said. “We’re going to have a cleaner environment. We’re going to have less health problems. We’re going to have less danger in our homes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>About 27% of Berkeley’s greenhouse gas emissions come from natural gas. That’s on par with the nation; buildings, through heating and cooking, use almost a third of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Natural gas lines also leak one of the most potent climate pollutants, methane, directly into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate change isn’t the only reason for the ban, according to the city. Berkeley sits on an earthquake fault, and a major event could cause natural gas lines to break and create explosions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cooking on gas stoves can also cause high levels of indoor air pollution, like nitrogen dioxide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have health effects that have never been considered,” Harrison said, “that come from burning natural gas.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1945683\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1945683\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/07/RS18585_GettyImages-503677392-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign marking the boundary of the Aliso Canyon storage facility in 2016, in Porter Ranch. California Governor Jerry Brown on January 6, 2016 declared a state of emergency in the Porter Ranch area due to the continuing leak of natural gas from the Aliso Canyon storage facility operated by the Southern California Gas Co. \u003ccite>(Jonathan Alcorn/AFP/Getty Images))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Still, stoves are the major sticking point, Harrison says. While homeowners may not have strong feelings about their water heaters, cooking is another matter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heavy-duty gas ranges pack appliance showrooms, looking like industrial models made for restaurant kitchens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People love their gas stoves,” said Bob Raymer, technical director with the California Building Industry Association. “We don’t want to force something onto the consumer that makes the consumer feel uncomfortable or that they just don’t like. After all, it’s their home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, he says, not offering those stoves could put builders at a competitive disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t support an outright ban on a particular product,” Raymer said. “What we do support are the use of regulatory and financial incentives to encourage a market to go a particular way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vast majority of restaurants today also use gas cooking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s important that restaurants, along with all ratepayers, have a diverse set of energy sources they can turn to – and that includes natural gas,” said Sharokina Shams of the California Restaurant Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, Raymer says some builders are already switching to all-electric homes in California, because in new construction, they save $2,000-to-$5,000 by not running gas lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Other Cities Following Suit\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cities including Sacramento, Los Angeles, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=6150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Jose\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://sfenvironment.org/press-release/mayor-london-breed-announces-significant-efforts-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions-in-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">San Francisco\u003c/a> are all developing goals to cut emissions from buildings. While Sacramento has \u003ca href=\"https://engagesac.org/blog-civic-engagement/2019/3/15/converting-buildings-from-gas-to-electric-crucial-to-fighting-climate-change-commission-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">started discussing a potential ban\u003c/a> on natural gas in new buildings, other cities are looking at using incentives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state may not be far behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know that we have to get away from fossil natural gas combustion,” said Andrew McAllister of the California Energy Commission. “Electricity becomes cleaner and cleaner, and natural gas is methane and it’s just got carbon in it. There’s no way around that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California’s Energy Commission is currently writing a road map for how the state can cut emissions from buildings 40% by 2030.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still, to meet its goal of becoming carbon-neutral, California will have to tackle natural gas use in existing buildings, not just new ones. That can be costlier. Many older homes don’t have large enough electrical panels or plugs that can handle 220 volts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Electric heat pumps and other electric appliances can be more expensive than gas-powered equivalents, especially because it can be harder to find rebates. Sacramento and San Jose are offering residents up to several thousand dollars to switch from gas to electric.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a cultural transition that we have to undergo,” said McAllister. “It’s a big lift, but we’re in a powerful state with a big economy and a lot of creativity. So I think if anybody can do it, California can.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, McAllister says, a lot of the nation’s energy efficiency rules, including for appliances, were passed by California first.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "'Like a Sunburn on Your Lungs: How Does the Climate Crisis Impact Health?",
"headTitle": "‘Like a Sunburn on Your Lungs: How Does the Climate Crisis Impact Health? | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The climate crisis is making people sicker – worsening illnesses ranging from seasonal allergies to heart and lung disease.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Children, pregnant people and the elderly are the most at risk from extreme weather and rising heat. But the impact of the climate crisis – for patients, doctors and researchers – is already being felt across every specialty of medicine, with worse feared to come.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">[pullquote align='right' size='medium' citation='Dr. Bruce Bekkar, San Diego']‘We’re finding that we have increasing numbers of children born already in a weakened state from heat and air pollution. That’s a totally different story than thinking about climate change as the cause of hurricanes over Florida.’[/pullquote]“There’s research suggesting that our prescription medications may be causing harm because of changing heat patterns,” said Aaron Bernstein, a pediatric hospitalist who is the co-director of the Center for Climate, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/society/health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Health\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the Global Environment at Harvard University.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s evidence that extreme weather events are affecting critical medical supplies so we can’t do things as we normally would do because IV fluids aren’t available.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“And there’s evidence that extreme weather events are knocking out power more and more, and that is a huge issue for providing care in healthcare facilities.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[audio src=\"https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/science/2019/09/ClimateHealthMcClurgWatt2way.mp3\" title=\"Listen to Lesley McClurg's Report on Health Impacts\" program=\"Science\" image=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2017/05/SciencePlayer_BG.jpeg\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a recent example,\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that lung cancer patients undergoing radiation were less likely to survive when hurricane disasters disrupted their treatments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">An August \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1906035\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">article\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out dozens of similar studies to show how the climate crisis affects each practice of medicine. Renee Salas, a co-author of the report, who teaches emergency medicine at Harvard Medical Schoolsaid: “The climate crisis is impacting not only health for our patients but the way we deliver care and our ability to do our jobs. And that’s happening today.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1947700\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-800x800.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\">\u003c/a>Allergies\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/environment/climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> makes allergies worse.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As temperatures increase, plants produce more pollen for longer periods of time, intensifying the allergy seasons. Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can make plants grow more and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25372614?dopt=Abstract\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cause more grass pollen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which causes allergies in about 20% of people. Carbon dioxide can also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.publish.csiro.au/fp/FP05039\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">increase the allergy-causing effects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of pollen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Neelu Tummala, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates in Washington DC, said she sees many patients with allergic rhinitis, or inflammation of the nasal cavity, congestion and post-nasal drip.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It used to be that tree pollens were only in spring, grasses were just in summer, ragweed was just in fall,” Tummala said. “But the timing of those is starting to overlap more.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of Tummala’s patients, Kelly Kenney, had minor seasonal allergies as a child but now suffers from year-round from sinus pains, ear pressure and congestion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The last four years, my symptoms have gotten increasingly worse,” Kenney said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pregnancy and newborn complications\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pregnant people are more vulnerable to heat and the air pollution that is being made worse by climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947702\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"408\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 408px) 100vw, 408px\">\u003c/a>Bruce Bekkar, a San Diego-based obstetrician gynecologist who stopped practicing six years ago to spend more time as a climate activist, has compiled 68 studies from the continental US on the association between heat, smog and the tiny particles of pollution that come from fossil fuels and how they are connected with premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More smog forms when it is hot, and some research suggests particulate matter also increases with the climate crisis, although the data is less robust.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bekkar said he and his co-authors found a significant association in 58 of the 68 studies. The body of research covers 30m births in the US.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bekkar said doctors should talk to their patients about how heat waves could lead to premature births and how staying away from air pollution can help them keep their children healthy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We’re finding that we have increasing numbers of children born already in a weakened state from heat and air pollution. That’s a totally different story than thinking about climate change as the cause of hurricanes over Florida … It’s a much more pervasive and ongoing impact.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the developing world pregnant people can also suffer from food and water scarcity. Insect-borne illnesses – such as the Zika virus, which was spread by mosquitoes – are also a hazard to developing fetuses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"274\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-800x799.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-768x767.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png 1116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px\">\u003c/a>Risks for children\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Children under the age of five experience the majority of the health burden from climate change, according to Salas’ report.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Samantha Ahdoot, a pediatrician in Alexandria, Virginia, treated an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old who moved from Florida after a hurricane destroyed their community and their medical records at their doctor’s office.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One needed surgery for a heart condition and had to start from scratch with a new cardiologist. Both had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that was harder to treat amid the major life disruption and without records on adjustments to medication dosages. Ahdoot, who also founded the group Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, said she has seen an influx of families moving because of weather disasters.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/span>Infectious disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Changing temperature and rainfall patterns allow some insects spread farther and transmit malaria, dengue, Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Waterborne cholera and cryptosporidiosis increase with drought and flooding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Heart and lung disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Air pollution gets worse as temperatures rise, stressing both the heart and lungs. The fossil fuel pollution that causes the climate crisis also is linked with increased hospitalizations and deaths from cardiovascular disease, and it is connected with more asthma attacks and other breathing problems.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More intense wildfires \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/world/2018/aug/02/wildfire-events-air-quality-health-issues-in-western-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">spew dangerous smoke\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> into the air, as documented in the western US this year. And hotter days make more \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/environment/2019/apr/23/americans-unsafe-air-quality-report\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">smog\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which the American Lung Association describes as acting “like a sunburn on your lungs which may trigger an asthma attack”.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dehydration and kidney problems\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Much hotter days make it harder to stay hydrated. They are linked with electrolyte imbalances, kidney stones and kidney failure. Patients who need dialysis as their kidneys fail can have trouble getting treatment during extreme weather events.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1947739\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"356\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\">\u003c/a>Mental health conditions\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The American Psychological Association created a 69-page guide on how climate change can induce stress, depression and anxiety. The group says “the connections with mental health are often not part” of the climate-health discussion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People exposed to or displaced by extreme weather or violent conflict are at higher risk for mental health challenges. Extreme heat can also make some mental illnesses worse.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found emergency calls relating to psychiatric conditions increased about 40% in Baltimore in summer 2018, when the heat index surged above 103F, as reported on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/757034136/how-high-heat-can-impact-mental-health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NPR\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And some psychotropic medications interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature – increasing vulnerability to heat.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Neurologic disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fossil fuel pollution can increase the risk of stroke. Coal combustion also produces mercury – a neurotoxin for fetuses. Diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks increase the chance of neurological problems. Extreme heat is also linked with cerebrovascular disease, a disorder that affects blood supply to the brain.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Skin disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Higher temperatures and the depletion of the ozone layer increase the risk of skin cancer. The same refrigerants and gases that damage the ozone layer contribute to climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"Art showing corn plants growing in dry soil, withering under an orange sun.\" width=\"386\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\">\u003c/a>Nutrition\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carbon dioxide emissions are lowering the nutritional density of food crops, reducing plant levels of protein, zinc and iron and leading to more nutritional deficiencies. Food supplies are also disrupted by drought, societal instability and inequity \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211912418300063\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">linked with climate change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Digestive illnesses\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heat is linked with higher risks for salmonella and campylobacter outbreaks. Extreme rains can contaminate drinking water. Harmful algae blooms that thrive in higher temperatures can cause gastrointestinal problems, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Trauma\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods and wildfires, often cause physical injuries. Doctors see minor fractures, crush injuries and smoke inhalation. Extreme heat is also linked with aggression and violence, and the climate crisis globally is connected with violent conflict and forced migration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/16/climate-crisis-health-risks-extreme-weather\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story\u003c/a> originally appeared in \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guardian\u003c/a>. It is republished here as part of KQED’s partnership with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/climatenow/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Covering Climate Now\u003c/a>, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Children, pregnant people and the elderly are the most at risk from extreme weather and heat – but the impact is already felt across every specialty of medicine.\r\n\r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The climate crisis is making people sicker – worsening illnesses ranging from seasonal allergies to heart and lung disease.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Children, pregnant people and the elderly are the most at risk from extreme weather and rising heat. But the impact of the climate crisis – for patients, doctors and researchers – is already being felt across every specialty of medicine, with worse feared to come.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘We’re finding that we have increasing numbers of children born already in a weakened state from heat and air pollution. That’s a totally different story than thinking about climate change as the cause of hurricanes over Florida.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“There’s research suggesting that our prescription medications may be causing harm because of changing heat patterns,” said Aaron Bernstein, a pediatric hospitalist who is the co-director of the Center for Climate, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/society/health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Health\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and the Global Environment at Harvard University.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">There’s evidence that extreme weather events are affecting critical medical supplies so we can’t do things as we normally would do because IV fluids aren’t available.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“And there’s evidence that extreme weather events are knocking out power more and more, and that is a huge issue for providing care in healthcare facilities.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a recent example,\u003c/span> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that lung cancer patients undergoing radiation were less likely to survive when hurricane disasters disrupted their treatments.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">An August \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1906035\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">article\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the New England Journal of Medicine lays out dozens of similar studies to show how the climate crisis affects each practice of medicine. Renee Salas, a co-author of the report, who teaches emergency medicine at Harvard Medical Schoolsaid: “The climate crisis is impacting not only health for our patients but the way we deliver care and our ability to do our jobs. And that’s happening today.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1947700\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-800x800.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6704.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\">\u003c/a>Allergies\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/environment/climate-change\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Climate change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> makes allergies worse.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As temperatures increase, plants produce more pollen for longer periods of time, intensifying the allergy seasons. Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can make plants grow more and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25372614?dopt=Abstract\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">cause more grass pollen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which causes allergies in about 20% of people. Carbon dioxide can also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://www.publish.csiro.au/fp/FP05039\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">increase the allergy-causing effects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of pollen.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Neelu Tummala, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates in Washington DC, said she sees many patients with allergic rhinitis, or inflammation of the nasal cavity, congestion and post-nasal drip.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It used to be that tree pollens were only in spring, grasses were just in summer, ragweed was just in fall,” Tummala said. “But the timing of those is starting to overlap more.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of Tummala’s patients, Kelly Kenney, had minor seasonal allergies as a child but now suffers from year-round from sinus pains, ear pressure and congestion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The last four years, my symptoms have gotten increasingly worse,” Kenney said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pregnancy and newborn complications\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pregnant people are more vulnerable to heat and the air pollution that is being made worse by climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947702\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"408\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6707.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 408px) 100vw, 408px\">\u003c/a>Bruce Bekkar, a San Diego-based obstetrician gynecologist who stopped practicing six years ago to spend more time as a climate activist, has compiled 68 studies from the continental US on the association between heat, smog and the tiny particles of pollution that come from fossil fuels and how they are connected with premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More smog forms when it is hot, and some research suggests particulate matter also increases with the climate crisis, although the data is less robust.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bekkar said he and his co-authors found a significant association in 58 of the 68 studies. The body of research covers 30m births in the US.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bekkar said doctors should talk to their patients about how heat waves could lead to premature births and how staying away from air pollution can help them keep their children healthy.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We’re finding that we have increasing numbers of children born already in a weakened state from heat and air pollution. That’s a totally different story than thinking about climate change as the cause of hurricanes over Florida … It’s a much more pervasive and ongoing impact.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the developing world pregnant people can also suffer from food and water scarcity. Insect-borne illnesses – such as the Zika virus, which was spread by mosquitoes – are also a hazard to developing fetuses.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947420\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"274\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-1020x1019.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-800x799.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo-768x767.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/Covering-Climate-Now-Logo.png 1116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 274px) 100vw, 274px\">\u003c/a>Risks for children\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Children under the age of five experience the majority of the health burden from climate change, according to Salas’ report.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Samantha Ahdoot, a pediatrician in Alexandria, Virginia, treated an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old who moved from Florida after a hurricane destroyed their community and their medical records at their doctor’s office.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">One needed surgery for a heart condition and had to start from scratch with a new cardiologist. Both had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that was harder to treat amid the major life disruption and without records on adjustments to medication dosages. Ahdoot, who also founded the group Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action, said she has seen an influx of families moving because of weather disasters.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947704\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6709.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/span>Infectious disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Changing temperature and rainfall patterns allow some insects spread farther and transmit malaria, dengue, Lyme disease and West Nile virus. Waterborne cholera and cryptosporidiosis increase with drought and flooding.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Heart and lung disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Air pollution gets worse as temperatures rise, stressing both the heart and lungs. The fossil fuel pollution that causes the climate crisis also is linked with increased hospitalizations and deaths from cardiovascular disease, and it is connected with more asthma attacks and other breathing problems.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More intense wildfires \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/world/2018/aug/02/wildfire-events-air-quality-health-issues-in-western-us\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">spew dangerous smoke\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> into the air, as documented in the western US this year. And hotter days make more \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://viewer.gutools.co.uk/environment/2019/apr/23/americans-unsafe-air-quality-report\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">smog\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which the American Lung Association describes as acting “like a sunburn on your lungs which may trigger an asthma attack”.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Dehydration and kidney problems\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Much hotter days make it harder to stay hydrated. They are linked with electrolyte imbalances, kidney stones and kidney failure. Patients who need dialysis as their kidneys fail can have trouble getting treatment during extreme weather events.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1947739\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"356\" height=\"356\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6703.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 356px) 100vw, 356px\">\u003c/a>Mental health conditions\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The American Psychological Association created a 69-page guide on how climate change can induce stress, depression and anxiety. The group says “the connections with mental health are often not part” of the climate-health discussion.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">People exposed to or displaced by extreme weather or violent conflict are at higher risk for mental health challenges. Extreme heat can also make some mental illnesses worse.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found emergency calls relating to psychiatric conditions increased about 40% in Baltimore in summer 2018, when the heat index surged above 103F, as reported on \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/09/04/757034136/how-high-heat-can-impact-mental-health\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NPR\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And some psychotropic medications interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature – increasing vulnerability to heat.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Neurologic disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fossil fuel pollution can increase the risk of stroke. Coal combustion also produces mercury – a neurotoxin for fetuses. Diseases spread by mosquitoes and ticks increase the chance of neurological problems. Extreme heat is also linked with cerebrovascular disease, a disorder that affects blood supply to the brain.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Skin disease\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Higher temperatures and the depletion of the ozone layer increase the risk of skin cancer. The same refrigerants and gases that damage the ozone layer contribute to climate change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1947705\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1020x1020.png\" alt=\"Art showing corn plants growing in dry soil, withering under an orange sun.\" width=\"386\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1020x1020.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-160x160.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-800x800.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-768x768.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1200x1200.png 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712-1920x1920.png 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/09/IMG_6712.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\">\u003c/a>Nutrition\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carbon dioxide emissions are lowering the nutritional density of food crops, reducing plant levels of protein, zinc and iron and leading to more nutritional deficiencies. Food supplies are also disrupted by drought, societal instability and inequity \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211912418300063\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">linked with climate change\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Digestive illnesses\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Heat is linked with higher risks for salmonella and campylobacter outbreaks. Extreme rains can contaminate drinking water. Harmful algae blooms that thrive in higher temperatures can cause gastrointestinal problems, too.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Trauma\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Extreme weather events, including hurricanes, floods and wildfires, often cause physical injuries. Doctors see minor fractures, crush injuries and smoke inhalation. Extreme heat is also linked with aggression and violence, and the climate crisis globally is connected with violent conflict and forced migration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/16/climate-crisis-health-risks-extreme-weather\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">story\u003c/a> originally appeared in \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guardian\u003c/a>. It is republished here as part of KQED’s partnership with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/tag/climatenow/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Covering Climate Now\u003c/a>, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
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}
},
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"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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}
},
"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": {
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"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 />",
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"meta": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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},
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"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",
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"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",
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}
},
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"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",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"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": {
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"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"
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},
"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.",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"here-and-now": {
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"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.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"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": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"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",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"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": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"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",
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"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)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"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": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
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}
},
"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/",
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"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",
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"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",
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"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.",
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