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"content": "\u003cp>In the fight over California’s rooftop solar policy, a coalition that claims to represent lower-income consumers, seniors and environmental leaders is running ads warning about a cost shift that forces consumers to subsidize solar for people who live in mansions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This message, from Affordable Clean Energy for All, is meant to influence the debate as California regulators consider rules that would sharply reduce the financial benefits of owning rooftop systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Affordable Clean Energy for All is not a grassroots movement. It is a public relations campaign sponsored by big utility companies that stand to benefit from policies that hurt rooftop solar. Many of the 100-plus groups that make up the coalition have received charitable donations or other financial support from the utilities. Few of them wanted to talk about the campaign when contacted by Inside Climate News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The utilities’ campaign is using what watchdog groups say is a familiar playbook from across the country, with community groups providing a relatable face for advocacy messages that align with those of the utilities. If the result is a policy that hurts rooftop solar, that could be a big setback for California’s push to get to net-zero emissions, an effort that is counting on a continued expansion of solar and other customer-owned energy systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even as some environmentalists question the coalition’s motives, the group’s message resonates with some consumers because there is little dispute that upper- and middle-income households have gotten a disproportionately large share of solar subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, many community groups say inequities can be addressed in a way that accelerates building rooftop solar and energy storage, with an emphasis on helping people who struggle the most to pay utility bills and are more likely than others to feel the effects of a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is “poppycock” for the utilities to claim to be the ones standing up for equity, said the Rev. Ambrose Carroll, a pastor of an Oakland church and executive director of Green the Church, a nonprofit that works with Black churches on environmental issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is very disingenuous and it is a move of power to, on a whim, decide to co-sign for the name of equity and put its name onto something,” Carroll said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His organization is one of the co-founders of the Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics, or CEEE, which sees rooftop solar as an essential part of democratizing the energy system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For groups like his, Affordable Clean Energy for All is pure “Astroturf,” or fake grassroots, and the latest of many examples of utilities using their philanthropy to nudge community groups to take stances that may be contrary to the groups’ interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1978425\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"678\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png 650w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic-160x167.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nIndeed, there has been a pattern of groups who represent lower-income consumers and communities of color agreeing to sign on as supporters for utilities’ agendas, said Esperanza Vielma, executive director of the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. Her organization is another co-founder of CEEE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not blaming those people who are part of that coalition,” she said, about Affordable Clean Energy for All. “I am blaming [the utilities] for using them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement made on behalf of Affordable Clean Energy for All, spokesperson Kathy Fairbanks called the Astroturf label “ridiculous,” and said that each coalition member chose to join “based on the best interests of the constituencies they represent. To suggest otherwise is offensive and demeaning to these organizations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our coalition was established to educate and engage diverse organizations whose memberships are negatively impacted by the state’s 25-year-old rooftop subsidy,” Fairbanks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the coalition’s members support rooftop solar. “This policy discussion has never been about whether rooftop solar will or should continue in California. It’s about how much the subsidies should be and who should pay for them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Affordable Energy for All has sponsored television and radio ads, and a website, FixtheCostShift.com.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A major flaw in California policy is forcing consumers who can’t afford rooftop solar to subsidize wealthier homeowners who can,” a narrator says in a television ad showing a mansion with solar panels, followed by images of beleaguered consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition spent nearly $840,000 on television and radio ads to air in California from mid-January through late February, according to data compiled by Kantar/CMAG. Christine Arena, a former public relations and marketing executive and founder of a social media impact company, said that figure isn’t unusual, but called it an “aggressive” messaging campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A big step backward’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is the nation’s leader in rooftop solar and home to influential solar business and advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state helped to build its market for rooftop solar with decades of incentive programs. One long-standing incentive is “net metering,” which means that customers with rooftop solar can sell excess electricity back to the grid and receive a utility bill credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California utility regulators have said that the continued growth of rooftop solar has meant that consumers with solar are paying low utility bills, which leads to a shift in which non-solar customers are paying more to help cover the costs of maintaining the grid. The Public Advocates Office, an independent consumer advocate within the California Public Utilities Commission, has estimated that current solar policies lead to billions of dollars of subsidies for rooftop solar owners that are paid for by other consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the benefits have gone to middle- or upper-income households, but solar is becoming more accessible to people with lower incomes, according to several studies, including one issued last year by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission has spent the last few years working on new rules that would aim to reduce or eliminate this cost shift. In December, the panel released a proposed decision that would cut the rates paid to rooftop solar owners for excess electricity and impose a new monthly charge on them that would be the highest in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal is in line with what the state’s major electric utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison — have long wanted. Utilities have campaigned against rooftop solar because they view it as competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the backlash has been strong, with environmental and business groups saying the plan would decimate the rooftop solar industry and damage the push under California law to get to net-zero emissions by 2045. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the people urging the commission to reject the proposal. In a recent New York Times op-ed, he said the PUC proposal would make “solar more expensive for everyone” and do “nothing to help our most vulnerable.” He also said it represented “a big step backward” in meeting the state’s emissions goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Groups representing the solar industry and environmental advocates have said in filings that the utilities and the Public Advocates Office are overestimating the cost shift and are not grasping the importance of rooftop solar as part of a broader strategy to reduce emissions. The solar and environmental groups have proposed their own revisions to net metering rules, which they say would reduce the cost shift while doing less harm to the solar industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission’s proposal would cause lasting damage to the industry. The market research firm Wood Mackenzie issued a report last month saying the California plan will make rooftop solar much more expensive for customers, which would cut the state’s rooftop solar market in half by 2024 compared to what it would have been otherwise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has concerns about the commission’s proposal. He can’t order changes by the commission, which is an independent body, but he did appoint four of the five members, and his comments are likely to have an influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the commission said it would not vote on the proposal at its Feb. 10 meeting and that the issue was being put on hold until further notice. This is because one of the commissioners has asked for extra time to review the voluminous testimony and consider making changes to the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is in this context — a controversial proposal for rooftop solar in the place where rooftop solar is popular — that utilities are working to convince officials and the public that their side is the one standing up for people who struggle to pay utility bills, while the solar industry wants to protect its bottom line.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Charitable donations worth $1.67 million to coalition members\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Affordable Clean Energy for All announced its formation in a news release on Feb. 24, 2021, describing itself as a “diverse group of clean energy, seniors, faith-based, community and business groups.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial release quoted leaders of two groups in the coalition, the California Alliance for Retired Americans and Asians in Energy. It didn’t mention the names of the electricity utilities. (Susie Y. Wong, founder and president of Asians in Energy, said in an email that the organization was an early coalition supporter and is now “neutral” and listening to both sides of the debate.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gil Jaramillo, executive director of the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in California’s Central Valley, recalls that he started receiving emails from the coalition about a year ago. Its stated mission — to protect lower-income energy consumers — sounded worthy of support, so he signed on, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fairbanks, the spokesperson for Affordable Clean Energy, is a partner in a Sacramento public relations firm that says one of its specialties is “grassroots advocacy.” PG&E and Southern California Edison have paid the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past two years, according to lobbying disclosure forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Affordable Clean Energy for All didn’t highlight its ties to utilities, but it didn’t hide them either. The three utilities were all listed as members of the organization, among a list of more than 100 organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a July hearing before the public utilities commission, Carla Peterman, an executive vice president for PG&E, said under cross-examination that she was aware of Affordable Clean Energy for All and that her company had donated to the group. Asked about donations by PG&E to the organizations that are members of the coalition, she said she didn’t have that information available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the donations are public record. A review of the most recent disclosures by utilities of their charitable giving, from 2020, shows that 71 members of the coalition received $1.67 million in donations or some other form of financial support from at least one of the electric utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-three members did not receive money from the utilities, at least not in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The financial ties between the utilities and the members of the coalition are well known by organizations that are part of the case before the commission, and have been reported by the media, including in a Los Angeles Times story in November about the broader debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of members has fluctuated and now is about 125, which includes members listed on the coalition’s website and organizations that are not listed as members but whose leaders signed a Feb. 2 letter to the commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contacted for comment, the utilities referred questions to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Voice to the voiceless’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over several days, Inside Climate News contacted nearly all of the social justice and community advocacy groups listed as coalition members. Most did not respond, though a few either said they didn’t want to discuss their involvement or referred requests for comment to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rev. Frank Jackson Jr., chair and CEO of Village Solutions Foundation, a coalition member based in Southern California, emailed a statement saying Affordable Clean Energy for All provides a “voice to the voiceless,” adding that while his organization supports rooftop solar, “it’s wrong that people from low-income, our most vulnerable, least able to afford it, communities are paying more in their electric bills to cover the costs for who can, most afford, to take advantage of the benefits of solar panels.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked whether Southern California Edison’s recent $50,000 donation to his group influenced his support for the coalition, Jackson said that it was not a factor and that his sole motivation for joining was to relieve the strain of rising utility bills on the lower-income and senior populations he serves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly, The Arc of Riverside County’s executive director, Erin Stream, stated in an email that her organization supports ideas that create a more affordable life for the developmentally disabled people they serve, adding that any further questions should go to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disparate views on equity and energy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to community groups, Affordable Clean Energy for All includes heavyweights of the business community, like the California Chamber of Commerce, and labor unions, like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, whose employees work for the utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition and the utilities are far from alone in supporting big changes to net metering. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading environmental advocacy organization, and The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocate, are among the other prominent groups that say there is a harmful cost shift taking place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side are solar business groups and other environmental advocates, including the California Solar and Storage Association and the Sierra Club, and several coalitions of community groups. The largest coalition is Save California Solar, which includes hundreds of individuals and groups. (Fairbanks, in her emailed statement, noted that utility companies haven’t given only to Affordable Clean Energy for All members. Southern California Edison, she said, had contributed funding to three organizations aligned with Save California Solar.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides have made the case that their views would bring more equity to the energy system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, some community organizations have not fully embraced either side and are talking in a more nuanced way about how to make the energy system more equitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The communities we organize with and advocate alongside speak on their own behalf,” said a letter released last year by nine environmental justice organizations, including the California Environmental Justice Alliance. “Our voices will not be co-opted by external parties and interests that do not directly represent us or speak for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hiding behind community groups?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Utilities have shown a pattern of using charitable donations to encourage community groups to support the utilities’ policy priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group, has investigated these practices, including in a 2019 report, “Strings Attached: How Utilities Use Charitable Giving to Influence Politics and Increase Investor Profits.” The authors found dozens of examples of well-respected community groups that received money from utilities and then took actions to support the utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report did not look closely at California, but David Pomerantz, executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute, said he sees the signs of a familiar dynamic in the rooftop solar debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utilities “hide behind groups whom they’re paying to speak on their behalf,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambrose Carroll, the executive director of Green the Church, said he and his organization view rooftop solar as essential for building a fairer energy system. But he added that solar policy is not near the top of the list of concerns in the Black church and Black communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nowhere in our conversation, nowhere on the ground level, are people looking around and saying, ‘Well, there are people in other communities getting solar and now our bills are going up.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He warns that any group should be careful about claiming to speak for a community, and that people should be skeptical when powerful companies are saying they are the ones who have a community’s best interests at heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\">Inside Climate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter/\">Sign up for the ICN newsletter here.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In the fight over California’s rooftop solar policy, a coalition that claims to represent lower-income consumers, seniors and environmental leaders is running ads warning about a cost shift that forces consumers to subsidize solar for people who live in mansions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This message, from Affordable Clean Energy for All, is meant to influence the debate as California regulators consider rules that would sharply reduce the financial benefits of owning rooftop systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Affordable Clean Energy for All is not a grassroots movement. It is a public relations campaign sponsored by big utility companies that stand to benefit from policies that hurt rooftop solar. Many of the 100-plus groups that make up the coalition have received charitable donations or other financial support from the utilities. Few of them wanted to talk about the campaign when contacted by Inside Climate News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The utilities’ campaign is using what watchdog groups say is a familiar playbook from across the country, with community groups providing a relatable face for advocacy messages that align with those of the utilities. If the result is a policy that hurts rooftop solar, that could be a big setback for California’s push to get to net-zero emissions, an effort that is counting on a continued expansion of solar and other customer-owned energy systems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But even as some environmentalists question the coalition’s motives, the group’s message resonates with some consumers because there is little dispute that upper- and middle-income households have gotten a disproportionately large share of solar subsidies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, many community groups say inequities can be addressed in a way that accelerates building rooftop solar and energy storage, with an emphasis on helping people who struggle the most to pay utility bills and are more likely than others to feel the effects of a changing climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is “poppycock” for the utilities to claim to be the ones standing up for equity, said the Rev. Ambrose Carroll, a pastor of an Oakland church and executive director of Green the Church, a nonprofit that works with Black churches on environmental issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It is very disingenuous and it is a move of power to, on a whim, decide to co-sign for the name of equity and put its name onto something,” Carroll said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His organization is one of the co-founders of the Coalition for Environmental Equity and Economics, or CEEE, which sees rooftop solar as an essential part of democratizing the energy system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For groups like his, Affordable Clean Energy for All is pure “Astroturf,” or fake grassroots, and the latest of many examples of utilities using their philanthropy to nudge community groups to take stances that may be contrary to the groups’ interests.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1978425\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"678\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic.png 650w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2022/02/ICN_AffordableCleanEnergy-graphic-160x167.png 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\">\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\nIndeed, there has been a pattern of groups who represent lower-income consumers and communities of color agreeing to sign on as supporters for utilities’ agendas, said Esperanza Vielma, executive director of the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water. Her organization is another co-founder of CEEE.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not blaming those people who are part of that coalition,” she said, about Affordable Clean Energy for All. “I am blaming [the utilities] for using them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement made on behalf of Affordable Clean Energy for All, spokesperson Kathy Fairbanks called the Astroturf label “ridiculous,” and said that each coalition member chose to join “based on the best interests of the constituencies they represent. To suggest otherwise is offensive and demeaning to these organizations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our coalition was established to educate and engage diverse organizations whose memberships are negatively impacted by the state’s 25-year-old rooftop subsidy,” Fairbanks said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She added that the coalition’s members support rooftop solar. “This policy discussion has never been about whether rooftop solar will or should continue in California. It’s about how much the subsidies should be and who should pay for them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Affordable Energy for All has sponsored television and radio ads, and a website, FixtheCostShift.com.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A major flaw in California policy is forcing consumers who can’t afford rooftop solar to subsidize wealthier homeowners who can,” a narrator says in a television ad showing a mansion with solar panels, followed by images of beleaguered consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition spent nearly $840,000 on television and radio ads to air in California from mid-January through late February, according to data compiled by Kantar/CMAG. Christine Arena, a former public relations and marketing executive and founder of a social media impact company, said that figure isn’t unusual, but called it an “aggressive” messaging campaign.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘A big step backward’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>California is the nation’s leader in rooftop solar and home to influential solar business and advocacy groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state helped to build its market for rooftop solar with decades of incentive programs. One long-standing incentive is “net metering,” which means that customers with rooftop solar can sell excess electricity back to the grid and receive a utility bill credit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California utility regulators have said that the continued growth of rooftop solar has meant that consumers with solar are paying low utility bills, which leads to a shift in which non-solar customers are paying more to help cover the costs of maintaining the grid. The Public Advocates Office, an independent consumer advocate within the California Public Utilities Commission, has estimated that current solar policies lead to billions of dollars of subsidies for rooftop solar owners that are paid for by other consumers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the benefits have gone to middle- or upper-income households, but solar is becoming more accessible to people with lower incomes, according to several studies, including one issued last year by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission has spent the last few years working on new rules that would aim to reduce or eliminate this cost shift. In December, the panel released a proposed decision that would cut the rates paid to rooftop solar owners for excess electricity and impose a new monthly charge on them that would be the highest in the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The proposal is in line with what the state’s major electric utilities — Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison — have long wanted. Utilities have campaigned against rooftop solar because they view it as competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the backlash has been strong, with environmental and business groups saying the plan would decimate the rooftop solar industry and damage the push under California law to get to net-zero emissions by 2045. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the people urging the commission to reject the proposal. In a recent New York Times op-ed, he said the PUC proposal would make “solar more expensive for everyone” and do “nothing to help our most vulnerable.” He also said it represented “a big step backward” in meeting the state’s emissions goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Groups representing the solar industry and environmental advocates have said in filings that the utilities and the Public Advocates Office are overestimating the cost shift and are not grasping the importance of rooftop solar as part of a broader strategy to reduce emissions. The solar and environmental groups have proposed their own revisions to net metering rules, which they say would reduce the cost shift while doing less harm to the solar industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission’s proposal would cause lasting damage to the industry. The market research firm Wood Mackenzie issued a report last month saying the California plan will make rooftop solar much more expensive for customers, which would cut the state’s rooftop solar market in half by 2024 compared to what it would have been otherwise.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has concerns about the commission’s proposal. He can’t order changes by the commission, which is an independent body, but he did appoint four of the five members, and his comments are likely to have an influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, the commission said it would not vote on the proposal at its Feb. 10 meeting and that the issue was being put on hold until further notice. This is because one of the commissioners has asked for extra time to review the voluminous testimony and consider making changes to the plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is in this context — a controversial proposal for rooftop solar in the place where rooftop solar is popular — that utilities are working to convince officials and the public that their side is the one standing up for people who struggle to pay utility bills, while the solar industry wants to protect its bottom line.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Charitable donations worth $1.67 million to coalition members\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Affordable Clean Energy for All announced its formation in a news release on Feb. 24, 2021, describing itself as a “diverse group of clean energy, seniors, faith-based, community and business groups.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial release quoted leaders of two groups in the coalition, the California Alliance for Retired Americans and Asians in Energy. It didn’t mention the names of the electricity utilities. (Susie Y. Wong, founder and president of Asians in Energy, said in an email that the organization was an early coalition supporter and is now “neutral” and listening to both sides of the debate.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gil Jaramillo, executive director of the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in California’s Central Valley, recalls that he started receiving emails from the coalition about a year ago. Its stated mission — to protect lower-income energy consumers — sounded worthy of support, so he signed on, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fairbanks, the spokesperson for Affordable Clean Energy, is a partner in a Sacramento public relations firm that says one of its specialties is “grassroots advocacy.” PG&E and Southern California Edison have paid the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past two years, according to lobbying disclosure forms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Affordable Clean Energy for All didn’t highlight its ties to utilities, but it didn’t hide them either. The three utilities were all listed as members of the organization, among a list of more than 100 organizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a July hearing before the public utilities commission, Carla Peterman, an executive vice president for PG&E, said under cross-examination that she was aware of Affordable Clean Energy for All and that her company had donated to the group. Asked about donations by PG&E to the organizations that are members of the coalition, she said she didn’t have that information available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the donations are public record. A review of the most recent disclosures by utilities of their charitable giving, from 2020, shows that 71 members of the coalition received $1.67 million in donations or some other form of financial support from at least one of the electric utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fifty-three members did not receive money from the utilities, at least not in 2020.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The financial ties between the utilities and the members of the coalition are well known by organizations that are part of the case before the commission, and have been reported by the media, including in a Los Angeles Times story in November about the broader debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The number of members has fluctuated and now is about 125, which includes members listed on the coalition’s website and organizations that are not listed as members but whose leaders signed a Feb. 2 letter to the commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Contacted for comment, the utilities referred questions to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>‘Voice to the voiceless’\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Over several days, Inside Climate News contacted nearly all of the social justice and community advocacy groups listed as coalition members. Most did not respond, though a few either said they didn’t want to discuss their involvement or referred requests for comment to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Rev. Frank Jackson Jr., chair and CEO of Village Solutions Foundation, a coalition member based in Southern California, emailed a statement saying Affordable Clean Energy for All provides a “voice to the voiceless,” adding that while his organization supports rooftop solar, “it’s wrong that people from low-income, our most vulnerable, least able to afford it, communities are paying more in their electric bills to cover the costs for who can, most afford, to take advantage of the benefits of solar panels.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked whether Southern California Edison’s recent $50,000 donation to his group influenced his support for the coalition, Jackson said that it was not a factor and that his sole motivation for joining was to relieve the strain of rising utility bills on the lower-income and senior populations he serves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Similarly, The Arc of Riverside County’s executive director, Erin Stream, stated in an email that her organization supports ideas that create a more affordable life for the developmentally disabled people they serve, adding that any further questions should go to Fairbanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disparate views on equity and energy\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In addition to community groups, Affordable Clean Energy for All includes heavyweights of the business community, like the California Chamber of Commerce, and labor unions, like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, whose employees work for the utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The coalition and the utilities are far from alone in supporting big changes to net metering. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading environmental advocacy organization, and The Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocate, are among the other prominent groups that say there is a harmful cost shift taking place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side are solar business groups and other environmental advocates, including the California Solar and Storage Association and the Sierra Club, and several coalitions of community groups. The largest coalition is Save California Solar, which includes hundreds of individuals and groups. (Fairbanks, in her emailed statement, noted that utility companies haven’t given only to Affordable Clean Energy for All members. Southern California Edison, she said, had contributed funding to three organizations aligned with Save California Solar.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides have made the case that their views would bring more equity to the energy system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, some community organizations have not fully embraced either side and are talking in a more nuanced way about how to make the energy system more equitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The communities we organize with and advocate alongside speak on their own behalf,” said a letter released last year by nine environmental justice organizations, including the California Environmental Justice Alliance. “Our voices will not be co-opted by external parties and interests that do not directly represent us or speak for us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Hiding behind community groups?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Utilities have shown a pattern of using charitable donations to encourage community groups to support the utilities’ policy priorities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group, has investigated these practices, including in a 2019 report, “Strings Attached: How Utilities Use Charitable Giving to Influence Politics and Increase Investor Profits.” The authors found dozens of examples of well-respected community groups that received money from utilities and then took actions to support the utilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report did not look closely at California, but David Pomerantz, executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute, said he sees the signs of a familiar dynamic in the rooftop solar debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Utilities “hide behind groups whom they’re paying to speak on their behalf,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ambrose Carroll, the executive director of Green the Church, said he and his organization view rooftop solar as essential for building a fairer energy system. But he added that solar policy is not near the top of the list of concerns in the Black church and Black communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nowhere in our conversation, nowhere on the ground level, are people looking around and saying, ‘Well, there are people in other communities getting solar and now our bills are going up.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He warns that any group should be careful about claiming to speak for a community, and that people should be skeptical when powerful companies are saying they are the ones who have a community’s best interests at heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\">Inside Climate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter/\">Sign up for the ICN newsletter here.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "2022 Promises Continued Climate Extremes, But Also A Glimmer of Hope for Californians",
"headTitle": "2022 Promises Continued Climate Extremes, But Also A Glimmer of Hope for Californians | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It’s a brand new year, and perhaps you have hopeful resolutions in mind—losing weight, getting politically active, leaving your house more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when you look over your shoulder, the demon that was 2021 is lurking behind you. In its eyes is the pandemic that kept you in your house for way too long, on its breath are the flames that nearly burned down your favorite part of the Sierra, the sweltering heat from last summer, and the wildfire smoke choking out the space in your lungs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Kristina Hill, UC Berkeley']“We should be planning now while things are stable, instead of running around treating it as a disaster in 20 years.”[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We can’t promise 2022 will be that much better, but we can let you in on a little secret: There’s a lot of work happening and billions of dollars available to help Californians withstand the worst of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/staff/AssignmentDetail/223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Ehlers\u003c/a>, principal fiscal and policy analyst for the Legislative Analyst’s Office, says billions are set aside in the state budget over three years for adapting to climate change, including money for drought, wildfire, and environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What got climate on the front of everyone’s mind is that we had so many climate disasters last summer,” she said. “The silver lining is it is being taken as a big priority, to help avoid some of the bad impacts on the horizon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there are impacts on the horizon. Stanford climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/people/noah-diffenbaugh#gs.kvl2oc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/a> says Californians should get used to climate extremes like flooding, minimal snowpacks, and extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are in a climate where we’ve had so much warming already that some of these factors are becoming much more reliable predictions,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With years of inclement weather and climate events, Ehlers says Californians know what’s coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What can we do now to prepare,” she asked. “So, we don’t have people losing their homes in big wildfires or have significant health impacts because it’s too hot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Michael Méndez, UC Irvine']‘If we really want to tackle climate change and our dependence on fossil fuel as an economy, directly addressing our oil production and oil imports is a key factor for our state.’[/pullquote] Ehlers says billions of dollars in the federal infrastructure bill could \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CALIFORNIA_The-Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">infuse California\u003c/a> with money to ready roads and bridges for a changing climate. There are also millions to protect infrastructure against wildfires, deliver clean drinking water to communities, and expand an electric vehicle charging network across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with the infusion of cash, Ehlers cautions that throwing money at climate impacts isn’t a cure for the root cause of atmospheric warming — burning fossil fuels. And just because we have the dollars doesn’t preclude \u003ca class=\"c-link\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977844/im-ready-to-act-on-climate-do-i-start-big-or-small\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977844/im-ready-to-act-on-climate-do-i-start-big-or-small\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" data-remove-tab-index=\"true\">actions each of us can take to calm the storm ahead of us\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.michaelanthonymendez.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Méndez\u003c/a>, author of the book “\u003ca href=\"https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300232158/climate-change-streets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Change from the Streets\u003c/a>,” says people can vote and pressure local, state and federal leaders to act on climate change and phasing out fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If people care about climate change and environmental issues, it’s important, they stay active and educated about who’s running for office,” he said. “Many people think that their vote doesn’t count, but we see it does count.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a glimpse of what 2022 holds for California climate-wise, click the links below.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"backtotop\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"#question1\">Weather\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question2\">Drought\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question3\">Wildfire\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question4\">Environmental Justice\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question5\">Oil & Gas\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question6\">Energy\u003c/a>| \u003ca href=\"#question7\">Electric Cars\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question8\">Sea Level Rise\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Weather\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1978125\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1978125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"Curtains of water spray up on both sides of a truck driving on a flooded street in October 2021 in Mill Valley. \" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1020x675.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1536x1016.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-2048x1355.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1920x1270.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water kicks up as a truck drives on a flooded street in October 2021 in Mill Valley. A category 5 atmospheric river brought heavy precipitation, high winds and power outages to the San Francisco Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>2021 has been a year: A dry winter, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-09/california-records-hottest-summer-amid-heat-wave-flex-alert\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hottest summer on record\u003c/a>, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers. Brian Garcia, a warning meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bay Area\u003c/a> office, says he’s excited to see California start the year soggy and wet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For 2022, I would expect much more normal conditions than we’ve seen over the past few years, but also expect a warmer-than-normal summer,” Garcia said. He also says long-term climate models signal a dry-out in late January or February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there may be less time to prepare for storms and heat waves. A \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/2021/12/14/warming-makes-weather-less-predictable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent study\u003c/a> from Stanford professor \u003ca href=\"https://profiles.stanford.edu/aditi-sheshadri\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aditi Sheshadri\u003c/a> found warming is making it harder to predict 10-day forecasts accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, if we know that the window of accurate predictability is going to reduce as we go forward, that is valuable knowledge for anyone who has to respond to changing weather conditions, whether it’s extreme or not,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question2\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Drought\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975263\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1975263\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/oroville-drought_custom-21f30a6c6bd7d461408a015ffe94746ec6b5cd7e-1020x679.jpg\" alt=\"In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on April 27, 2021 in Oroville, California.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Low water levels were visible at Lake Oroville on April 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While 2022 is starting as wet and balmy, California needs \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977196/newsom-declares-drought-emergency-across-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">140% of average rain\u003c/a> and snow to get reservoir levels back to average. Even with recent rains, large reservoirs the state relies on for water supply, such as Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, are still below average. But the rain has filled some small reservoirs to above-average levels; for example, Marin’s reservoir levels noticeably rise with each storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One person who’d like to see stricter drought restrictions this year is \u003ca href=\"https://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/about/people/newsha-ajami\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsha Ajami\u003c/a>. She’s the director of urban water policy for Stanford University’s Water in the West initiative. She says all the bouncing between weather extremes is just not working for California’s aging water system, built for a climate that does not exist anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s concerned heat waves will melt the Sierra Nevada snowpack and dry out wildlands early. That’s a large part of what exacerbated the scale of the drought and wildfires in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking into 2022, thinking, this is great, we are seeing another atmospheric river, lots of rain, some snow in the mountains, but I’m hoping and praying that we are not going to be hit with another heatwave that would melt all of this,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question3\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Wildfire\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975975\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1975975\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1020x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1020x671.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1536x1010.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A home burns as flames from the Dixie fire tear through the Indian Falls neighborhood of unincorporated Plumas County, California on July 24, 2021. Rising temperatures are drying out forests, priming them for big fires. \u003ccite>(JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 2021 fire season was truly ferocious, and over the past year, the sheer scale of the fires shifted the public consciousness. Californians realized how we fight wildfires isn’t working. As a result, state leaders created policy goals and \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/09/16/prescribed-burns-could-help-reduce-californias-wildfires-a-new-bill-could-help-make-planned-fires-more-frequent/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">laws\u003c/a> to make it easier for fire experts to light controlled \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">good fires\u003c/a> that clear excess vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfire experts are still concerned that large, impossible-to-control wildfires will ignite again in the early summer months through the fall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eri.ucsb.edu/people/leila-m-v-carvalho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leila Carvalho\u003c/a>, a UC Santa Barbara professor of meteorology and climatology, says long-term climate trends—like heat waves drying out vegetation early in the year or drier springs—will continue throughout 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Major fires will happen,” she said. “The cycles tend to repeat when we have the right conditions of winds and ignitions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Carvalho is hopeful for two significant reasons. First, the state has set aside more than a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-fires-climate-california-eec48e6279099449851b3c7f150cda33\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">billion dollars\u003c/a> to strategically remove brush and trees to rescue catastrophic wildfires. Second, so many scientists are studying the effects climate change and historic fire suppression has on drying wildland areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are trying to find solutions to mitigate and adapt because we have to deal with these swinging extremes in climate,” she said. “I’m hopeful that we are perhaps dealing with problems in ways we haven’t been doing before.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question4\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Environmental Justice\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Communities already dealing with the effects of climate change stand to benefit from $100 million in state funds to establish community resilience hubs where people can go when climate emergencies strike. The hubs will be permanent neighborhood-based facilities — youth centers, churches, senior centers — that can provide emergency response, including backup power, food, economic assistance, internet services and a respite from smoke-filled air.[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Alvaro Sanchez, Greenlining Institute']“The fact that we’re still hitting up against political barriers to make the progress that we need to make just indicates how hard this is and how much growth we still need to have when it comes to addressing these challenges head-on.”[/pullquote]Still, \u003ca href=\"https://greenlining.org/about/our-team/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alvaro Sanchez\u003c/a>, policy director for the Greenlining Institute, says the funds only “scratch the surface” of what’s needed for low-income communities as swings in weather increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the legislature failed to advance a bill that would have sped up meeting California’s climate goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that we’re still hitting up against political barriers to make the progress that we need to make just indicates how hard this is and how much growth we still need to have when it comes to addressing these challenges head-on,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez is excited that the state and two environmental justice-oriented groups are collaborating to develop a mapping platform that identifies the places most likely to flood, burn, dry out, etc. The maps will consider socioeconomic status, a factor that puts some populations at a greater risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is going to take some time to develop, but it’s going to be what keeps California in the forefront on the way that we’re addressing climate change and bringing intersectional perspectives into the climate conversation,” he said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question5\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Oil & Gas\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1946654\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1946654\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1020x701.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1200x824.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke drifts away from a Shell Oil refinery April 1, 2004 in Martinez, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There were two milestones in 2021 for phasing out fossil fuels in California: Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/04/newsom-ban-new-oil-fracking/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">banned new oil fracking by 2024\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.com/2021/12/06/oil-rig-setback-rule-doesnt-go-far-enough/%3famp=1\">drafted\u003c/a> a ban on new oil and gas wells sometime after 2023 within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, or healthcare facilities. Even so, Michael Méndez, an assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at UC Irvine, says California isn’t doing enough. The state is the 7th largest crude oil producer in the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we really want to tackle climate change and our dependence on fossil fuel as an economy, directly addressing our oil production and oil imports is a key factor for our state,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Méndez is also looking forward to California beginning a conversation about updating its climate roadmap this year. He says a crucial part of the plan will be ensuring that California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1972789/california-says-it-will-review-cap-and-trade-amid-growing-criticism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cap-and-trade\u003c/a> system, which puts a price on carbon, actually lowers carbon emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not sure if we should totally scrap the cap-and-trade program, but it needs a thorough public reevaluation in the legislature,” he said. “Are these market based systems happening at the expense of immediate public health outcomes and improvements for low-income communities of color?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Méndez says there’s a growing concern that the cap-and-trade is an insufficient policy because it allows “polluting industries to pay to pollute in communities without changing their practices.” And a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975164/california-not-doing-as-well-as-it-thinks-in-reducing-carbon-investigation-finds\">report\u003c/a> last summer found that millions of carbon credits from the program do not represent real reductions in planet-warming gas emissions.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question6\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Energy\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Decisions that both eased and further complicated renewable energy marked 2021—think of plans for offshore wind and reducing the rate at which homeowners can sell extra electricity from rooftop solar panels—and lots of work around holding PG&E accountable for starting wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size='medium' align='right' citation='Meredith Fowlie Energy Institute, UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business']‘More and more people are coming to understand the urgency of climate action, but we’re coming to terms with deep divides and social inequalities. The choices we make are going to determine how much it costs and who pays the prices.’[/pullquote]Energy experts say there will be a ramping up of greening the grid this year. California is also hosting an in-person offshore wind industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.offshorewindca.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">conference\u003c/a> in March in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.meredithfowlie.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meredith Fowlie\u003c/a>, faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, says as the electricity sector further decarbonizes and renewable energy options expand in 2022, California needs to make sure the clean energy transition is equitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More and more people are coming to understand the urgency of climate action, but we’re coming to terms with deep divides and social inequalities,” she said. “The choices we make are going to determine how much it costs and who pays the prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As companies like PG&E put transmission lines underground to prevent catastrophic wildfires, the cost will likely extend to ratepayers, says \u003ca href=\"https://erg.berkeley.edu/people/callaway-duncan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Duncan Callaway\u003c/a>, an associate professor of Energy and Resources at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be harder for customers to justify purchasing that new electrified appliance or car because the cost to charge or run their electric heat pump will be too high,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last piece of exciting energy news to start off 2022 is that California is beginning to work on a Fifth Climate Assessment. \u003ca href=\"https://erg.berkeley.edu/people/andrew-d-jones/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andy Jones\u003c/a>, an earth scientist in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, is helping build a tool to take the terabytes of data electricity companies and agencies have “about the future climate and extract useful knowledge from all of that.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question7\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Electric Cars\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1931178\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1931178\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Electric cars are growing in the Bay Area but are only 6 percent of new vehicle sales statewide. \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Petty much no one’s trying to kill the electric car these days— at least, not in California — and in 2022, Ford is even releasing an \u003ca href=\"https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2021/05/19/all-electric-ford-f-150-lightning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electric version\u003c/a> of the popular Ford F-150.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the US, where we love trucks, it’s really important that people who drive those vehicles really want to drive the electric versions of them,” said \u003ca href=\"https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/kendall/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alissa Kendall\u003c/a>. She studies electric cars as chair of the Energy Graduate Group at UC Davis. “I think that’s what we’re going to see in 2022, a positive and exciting shift.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kendall says what’s missing from the zero-emission vehicle conversation are ways to make electric vehicles accessible, affordable, and convenient for low-income people. A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2021/11/california-must-ensure-ev-charging-access-for-all/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">coalition\u003c/a> of elected officials, companies, and advocacy groups want all new multi-unit family housing to come with electric vehicle charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendall thinks 2022 could be a year where there’s increased investment in charging stations in areas accessible to all Californians, not just for homeowners or businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still have a big access issue,” she said of both electrified public transportation and electric cars. “How do we deliver transit that actually decreases the burdens of pollution on communities already experiencing disproportionate burdens?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendall says California has a few big things to figure out in 2022, including what to do with car batteries at the end of their lives and how to source and produce materials to make batteries instate.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question8\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Sea Level Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1955614\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1955614\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1020x679.jpg\" alt=\"King Tide along San Francisco's Embarcadero, in February 2011.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">King Tide along San Francisco’s Embarcadero, in February 2011. \u003ccite>(Dave R/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rising tides resulting from warming temperatures globally is a major climate impact the state can prepare for—even with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/world/noaa-climate-change-arctic-report/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">news\u003c/a> late last year that the Arctic is rapidly losing ice—because the worst effects won’t come for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/kristina-hill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristina Hill\u003c/a>, director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley, says it’s essential to plan now for sea-level rise; otherwise, the Bay Area will undergo similar devastation mountain communities are enduring from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be planning now while things are stable, instead of running around treating it as a disaster in 20 years, which it will be if we don’t plan ahead, because the rate of change is accelerating,” she said. “This is the last period when it’s going to feel slow. After this, it’s going to be fast for hundreds of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Bay Area is beginning to prepare for rising tides. Counties, agencies, nonprofits and cities are collaborating \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayadapt.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to prepare for sea level rise as one region\u003c/a>. San Mateo County is planning an entire \u003ca href=\"https://oneshoreline.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shoreline protection project\u003c/a>, and university scientists are researching how to prepare the most vulnerable residents for \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/toxictides\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rising water levels\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/toxictides\"> \u003c/a>(groundwater and the sea).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one area Hill says needs to be taken seriously this year is that sea level rise can cause groundwater flooding and make existing contamination worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re already seeing evidence of that water coming up out of manholes and Alameda and San Leandro,” she said. “That water is rising with the high tides, under contaminated sites. It’s entering sewer pipes, it’s going to cause impacts to infrastructure, and it’s going to expose people to more health risks, from contaminants that are moving in the groundwater.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Take a look back at big climate and environmental events of 2021, and some hopeful forecasts for 2022. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a brand new year, and perhaps you have hopeful resolutions in mind—losing weight, getting politically active, leaving your house more often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when you look over your shoulder, the demon that was 2021 is lurking behind you. In its eyes is the pandemic that kept you in your house for way too long, on its breath are the flames that nearly burned down your favorite part of the Sierra, the sweltering heat from last summer, and the wildfire smoke choking out the space in your lungs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“We should be planning now while things are stable, instead of running around treating it as a disaster in 20 years.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We can’t promise 2022 will be that much better, but we can let you in on a little secret: There’s a lot of work happening and billions of dollars available to help Californians withstand the worst of climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://lao.ca.gov/staff/AssignmentDetail/223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rachel Ehlers\u003c/a>, principal fiscal and policy analyst for the Legislative Analyst’s Office, says billions are set aside in the state budget over three years for adapting to climate change, including money for drought, wildfire, and environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What got climate on the front of everyone’s mind is that we had so many climate disasters last summer,” she said. “The silver lining is it is being taken as a big priority, to help avoid some of the bad impacts on the horizon.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And there are impacts on the horizon. Stanford climate scientist \u003ca href=\"https://earth.stanford.edu/people/noah-diffenbaugh#gs.kvl2oc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noah Diffenbaugh\u003c/a> says Californians should get used to climate extremes like flooding, minimal snowpacks, and extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are in a climate where we’ve had so much warming already that some of these factors are becoming much more reliable predictions,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With years of inclement weather and climate events, Ehlers says Californians know what’s coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What can we do now to prepare,” she asked. “So, we don’t have people losing their homes in big wildfires or have significant health impacts because it’s too hot.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘If we really want to tackle climate change and our dependence on fossil fuel as an economy, directly addressing our oil production and oil imports is a key factor for our state.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp> Ehlers says billions of dollars in the federal infrastructure bill could \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CALIFORNIA_The-Infrastructure-Investment-and-Jobs-Act-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">infuse California\u003c/a> with money to ready roads and bridges for a changing climate. There are also millions to protect infrastructure against wildfires, deliver clean drinking water to communities, and expand an electric vehicle charging network across the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even with the infusion of cash, Ehlers cautions that throwing money at climate impacts isn’t a cure for the root cause of atmospheric warming — burning fossil fuels. And just because we have the dollars doesn’t preclude \u003ca class=\"c-link\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977844/im-ready-to-act-on-climate-do-i-start-big-or-small\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977844/im-ready-to-act-on-climate-do-i-start-big-or-small\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\" data-remove-tab-index=\"true\">actions each of us can take to calm the storm ahead of us\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.michaelanthonymendez.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Méndez\u003c/a>, author of the book “\u003ca href=\"https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300232158/climate-change-streets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Change from the Streets\u003c/a>,” says people can vote and pressure local, state and federal leaders to act on climate change and phasing out fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If people care about climate change and environmental issues, it’s important, they stay active and educated about who’s running for office,” he said. “Many people think that their vote doesn’t count, but we see it does count.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For a glimpse of what 2022 holds for California climate-wise, click the links below.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"backtotop\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"#question1\">Weather\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question2\">Drought\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question3\">Wildfire\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question4\">Environmental Justice\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question5\">Oil & Gas\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question6\">Energy\u003c/a>| \u003ca href=\"#question7\">Electric Cars\u003c/a> | \u003ca href=\"#question8\">Sea Level Rise\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Weather\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1978125\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1978125\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-800x529.jpg\" alt=\"Curtains of water spray up on both sides of a truck driving on a flooded street in October 2021 in Mill Valley. \" width=\"800\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-800x529.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1020x675.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-768x508.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1536x1016.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-2048x1355.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/12/GettyImages-1348746012-1920x1270.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Water kicks up as a truck drives on a flooded street in October 2021 in Mill Valley. A category 5 atmospheric river brought heavy precipitation, high winds and power outages to the San Francisco Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>2021 has been a year: A dry winter, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-09/california-records-hottest-summer-amid-heat-wave-flex-alert\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hottest summer on record\u003c/a>, wildfires, and atmospheric rivers. Brian Garcia, a warning meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bay Area\u003c/a> office, says he’s excited to see California start the year soggy and wet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For 2022, I would expect much more normal conditions than we’ve seen over the past few years, but also expect a warmer-than-normal summer,” Garcia said. He also says long-term climate models signal a dry-out in late January or February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there may be less time to prepare for storms and heat waves. A \u003ca href=\"https://news.stanford.edu/2021/12/14/warming-makes-weather-less-predictable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent study\u003c/a> from Stanford professor \u003ca href=\"https://profiles.stanford.edu/aditi-sheshadri\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aditi Sheshadri\u003c/a> found warming is making it harder to predict 10-day forecasts accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So, if we know that the window of accurate predictability is going to reduce as we go forward, that is valuable knowledge for anyone who has to respond to changing weather conditions, whether it’s extreme or not,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question2\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Drought\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975263\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1975263\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/oroville-drought_custom-21f30a6c6bd7d461408a015ffe94746ec6b5cd7e-1020x679.jpg\" alt=\"In an aerial view, low water levels are visible at Lake Oroville on April 27, 2021 in Oroville, California.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Low water levels were visible at Lake Oroville on April 27, 2021. \u003ccite>(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While 2022 is starting as wet and balmy, California needs \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1977196/newsom-declares-drought-emergency-across-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">140% of average rain\u003c/a> and snow to get reservoir levels back to average. Even with recent rains, large reservoirs the state relies on for water supply, such as Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville, are still below average. But the rain has filled some small reservoirs to above-average levels; for example, Marin’s reservoir levels noticeably rise with each storm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One person who’d like to see stricter drought restrictions this year is \u003ca href=\"https://waterinthewest.stanford.edu/about/people/newsha-ajami\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsha Ajami\u003c/a>. She’s the director of urban water policy for Stanford University’s Water in the West initiative. She says all the bouncing between weather extremes is just not working for California’s aging water system, built for a climate that does not exist anymore.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s concerned heat waves will melt the Sierra Nevada snowpack and dry out wildlands early. That’s a large part of what exacerbated the scale of the drought and wildfires in 2021.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking into 2022, thinking, this is great, we are seeing another atmospheric river, lots of rain, some snow in the mountains, but I’m hoping and praying that we are not going to be hit with another heatwave that would melt all of this,” she said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question3\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Wildfire\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975975\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1975975\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1020x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"421\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1020x671.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-800x526.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-768x505.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut-1536x1010.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/RS50400_GettyImages-1234171316-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A home burns as flames from the Dixie fire tear through the Indian Falls neighborhood of unincorporated Plumas County, California on July 24, 2021. Rising temperatures are drying out forests, priming them for big fires. \u003ccite>(JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The 2021 fire season was truly ferocious, and over the past year, the sheer scale of the fires shifted the public consciousness. Californians realized how we fight wildfires isn’t working. As a result, state leaders created policy goals and \u003ca href=\"https://www.capradio.org/articles/2021/09/16/prescribed-burns-could-help-reduce-californias-wildfires-a-new-bill-could-help-make-planned-fires-more-frequent/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">laws\u003c/a> to make it easier for fire experts to light controlled \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11887158/in-california-restoring-our-relationship-with-fire-is-possible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">good fires\u003c/a> that clear excess vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wildfire experts are still concerned that large, impossible-to-control wildfires will ignite again in the early summer months through the fall. \u003ca href=\"https://www.eri.ucsb.edu/people/leila-m-v-carvalho\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leila Carvalho\u003c/a>, a UC Santa Barbara professor of meteorology and climatology, says long-term climate trends—like heat waves drying out vegetation early in the year or drier springs—will continue throughout 2022.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Major fires will happen,” she said. “The cycles tend to repeat when we have the right conditions of winds and ignitions.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Carvalho is hopeful for two significant reasons. First, the state has set aside more than a \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/business-health-fires-climate-california-eec48e6279099449851b3c7f150cda33\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">billion dollars\u003c/a> to strategically remove brush and trees to rescue catastrophic wildfires. Second, so many scientists are studying the effects climate change and historic fire suppression has on drying wildland areas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People are trying to find solutions to mitigate and adapt because we have to deal with these swinging extremes in climate,” she said. “I’m hopeful that we are perhaps dealing with problems in ways we haven’t been doing before.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question4\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Environmental Justice\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Communities already dealing with the effects of climate change stand to benefit from $100 million in state funds to establish community resilience hubs where people can go when climate emergencies strike. The hubs will be permanent neighborhood-based facilities — youth centers, churches, senior centers — that can provide emergency response, including backup power, food, economic assistance, internet services and a respite from smoke-filled air.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "“The fact that we’re still hitting up against political barriers to make the progress that we need to make just indicates how hard this is and how much growth we still need to have when it comes to addressing these challenges head-on.”",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Still, \u003ca href=\"https://greenlining.org/about/our-team/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alvaro Sanchez\u003c/a>, policy director for the Greenlining Institute, says the funds only “scratch the surface” of what’s needed for low-income communities as swings in weather increase.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says the legislature failed to advance a bill that would have sped up meeting California’s climate goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that we’re still hitting up against political barriers to make the progress that we need to make just indicates how hard this is and how much growth we still need to have when it comes to addressing these challenges head-on,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez is excited that the state and two environmental justice-oriented groups are collaborating to develop a mapping platform that identifies the places most likely to flood, burn, dry out, etc. The maps will consider socioeconomic status, a factor that puts some populations at a greater risk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is going to take some time to develop, but it’s going to be what keeps California in the forefront on the way that we’re addressing climate change and bringing intersectional perspectives into the climate conversation,” he said.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question5\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Oil & Gas\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1946654\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1946654\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1020x701.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1020x701.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-160x110.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-800x550.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-768x528.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut-1200x824.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2019/08/RS23868_GettyImages-3188665-qut.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke drifts away from a Shell Oil refinery April 1, 2004 in Martinez, California. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>There were two milestones in 2021 for phasing out fossil fuels in California: Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/04/newsom-ban-new-oil-fracking/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">banned new oil fracking by 2024\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.com/2021/12/06/oil-rig-setback-rule-doesnt-go-far-enough/%3famp=1\">drafted\u003c/a> a ban on new oil and gas wells sometime after 2023 within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, or healthcare facilities. Even so, Michael Méndez, an assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at UC Irvine, says California isn’t doing enough. The state is the 7th largest crude oil producer in the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If we really want to tackle climate change and our dependence on fossil fuel as an economy, directly addressing our oil production and oil imports is a key factor for our state,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Méndez is also looking forward to California beginning a conversation about updating its climate roadmap this year. He says a crucial part of the plan will be ensuring that California’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1972789/california-says-it-will-review-cap-and-trade-amid-growing-criticism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cap-and-trade\u003c/a> system, which puts a price on carbon, actually lowers carbon emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not sure if we should totally scrap the cap-and-trade program, but it needs a thorough public reevaluation in the legislature,” he said. “Are these market based systems happening at the expense of immediate public health outcomes and improvements for low-income communities of color?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Méndez says there’s a growing concern that the cap-and-trade is an insufficient policy because it allows “polluting industries to pay to pollute in communities without changing their practices.” And a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975164/california-not-doing-as-well-as-it-thinks-in-reducing-carbon-investigation-finds\">report\u003c/a> last summer found that millions of carbon credits from the program do not represent real reductions in planet-warming gas emissions.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question6\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Energy\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Decisions that both eased and further complicated renewable energy marked 2021—think of plans for offshore wind and reducing the rate at which homeowners can sell extra electricity from rooftop solar panels—and lots of work around holding PG&E accountable for starting wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘More and more people are coming to understand the urgency of climate action, but we’re coming to terms with deep divides and social inequalities. The choices we make are going to determine how much it costs and who pays the prices.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Energy experts say there will be a ramping up of greening the grid this year. California is also hosting an in-person offshore wind industry \u003ca href=\"https://www.offshorewindca.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">conference\u003c/a> in March in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.meredithfowlie.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meredith Fowlie\u003c/a>, faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, says as the electricity sector further decarbonizes and renewable energy options expand in 2022, California needs to make sure the clean energy transition is equitable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More and more people are coming to understand the urgency of climate action, but we’re coming to terms with deep divides and social inequalities,” she said. “The choices we make are going to determine how much it costs and who pays the prices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As companies like PG&E put transmission lines underground to prevent catastrophic wildfires, the cost will likely extend to ratepayers, says \u003ca href=\"https://erg.berkeley.edu/people/callaway-duncan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Duncan Callaway\u003c/a>, an associate professor of Energy and Resources at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It will be harder for customers to justify purchasing that new electrified appliance or car because the cost to charge or run their electric heat pump will be too high,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last piece of exciting energy news to start off 2022 is that California is beginning to work on a Fifth Climate Assessment. \u003ca href=\"https://erg.berkeley.edu/people/andrew-d-jones/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andy Jones\u003c/a>, an earth scientist in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, is helping build a tool to take the terabytes of data electricity companies and agencies have “about the future climate and extract useful knowledge from all of that.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question7\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Electric Cars\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1931178\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1931178\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1020x574.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-1180x664.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-960x540.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-240x135.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-375x211.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2018/09/ElectricCars_AW_06-520x293.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Electric cars are growing in the Bay Area but are only 6 percent of new vehicle sales statewide. \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Petty much no one’s trying to kill the electric car these days— at least, not in California — and in 2022, Ford is even releasing an \u003ca href=\"https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2021/05/19/all-electric-ford-f-150-lightning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electric version\u003c/a> of the popular Ford F-150.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the US, where we love trucks, it’s really important that people who drive those vehicles really want to drive the electric versions of them,” said \u003ca href=\"https://faculty.engineering.ucdavis.edu/kendall/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alissa Kendall\u003c/a>. She studies electric cars as chair of the Energy Graduate Group at UC Davis. “I think that’s what we’re going to see in 2022, a positive and exciting shift.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kendall says what’s missing from the zero-emission vehicle conversation are ways to make electric vehicles accessible, affordable, and convenient for low-income people. A \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2021/11/california-must-ensure-ev-charging-access-for-all/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">coalition\u003c/a> of elected officials, companies, and advocacy groups want all new multi-unit family housing to come with electric vehicle charging.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendall thinks 2022 could be a year where there’s increased investment in charging stations in areas accessible to all Californians, not just for homeowners or businesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We still have a big access issue,” she said of both electrified public transportation and electric cars. “How do we deliver transit that actually decreases the burdens of pollution on communities already experiencing disproportionate burdens?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kendall says California has a few big things to figure out in 2022, including what to do with car batteries at the end of their lives and how to source and produce materials to make batteries instate.\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003ca id=\"question8\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Sea Level Rise\u003c/h3>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1955614\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-1955614\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1020x679.jpg\" alt=\"King Tide along San Francisco's Embarcadero, in February 2011.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides-1200x799.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/kingtides.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">King Tide along San Francisco’s Embarcadero, in February 2011. \u003ccite>(Dave R/Flickr)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rising tides resulting from warming temperatures globally is a major climate impact the state can prepare for—even with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/14/world/noaa-climate-change-arctic-report/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">news\u003c/a> late last year that the Arctic is rapidly losing ice—because the worst effects won’t come for decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/kristina-hill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kristina Hill\u003c/a>, director of the Institute for Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley, says it’s essential to plan now for sea-level rise; otherwise, the Bay Area will undergo similar devastation mountain communities are enduring from wildfires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We should be planning now while things are stable, instead of running around treating it as a disaster in 20 years, which it will be if we don’t plan ahead, because the rate of change is accelerating,” she said. “This is the last period when it’s going to feel slow. After this, it’s going to be fast for hundreds of years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the Bay Area is beginning to prepare for rising tides. Counties, agencies, nonprofits and cities are collaborating \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayadapt.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to prepare for sea level rise as one region\u003c/a>. San Mateo County is planning an entire \u003ca href=\"https://oneshoreline.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shoreline protection project\u003c/a>, and university scientists are researching how to prepare the most vulnerable residents for \u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/toxictides\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rising water levels\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/toxictides\"> \u003c/a>(groundwater and the sea).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The one area Hill says needs to be taken seriously this year is that sea level rise can cause groundwater flooding and make existing contamination worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re already seeing evidence of that water coming up out of manholes and Alameda and San Leandro,” she said. “That water is rising with the high tides, under contaminated sites. It’s entering sewer pipes, it’s going to cause impacts to infrastructure, and it’s going to expose people to more health risks, from contaminants that are moving in the groundwater.”\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"#backtotop\">Back to top\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Deserts Could Hold The Key to a Future With Less Fossil Fuel (Hint: It's Lithium)",
"headTitle": "California Deserts Could Hold The Key to a Future With Less Fossil Fuel (Hint: It’s Lithium) | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>The COP26 climate conference is underway in Glasgow, Scotland. Here in the Bay Area, KQED’s climate reporters are talking with locals who are working on solutions.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There could be enough lithium stored across California and the West to supply all the batteries the U.S. demands, researchers \u003ca href=\"https://eesa.lbl.gov/event/media-roundtable-powering-a-sustainable-future-through-lithium-extraction-from-unconventional-sources/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate\u003c/a>, plus more to export.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that demand for lithium — a crucial part of the batteries that power electric cars and store extra energy from solar and wind — is heading in one direction: \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jiec.12949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem is that California’s lithium is trapped in desert sediments, ocean water and deep underground, in natural deposits of saltwater called brine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has a trove of the stuff beneath the Salton Sea in Southern California, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/02/california-desert-lithium-valley/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">efforts to extract it are fledgling\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland-based \u003ca href=\"https://lilacsolutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lilac Solutions\u003c/a> is one of the companies trying to use domestic lithium to make batteries that could power the U.S. toward a future without fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave Snydacker, the company’s CEO, says a tricky part is to capture the lithium without damaging the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The environmental challenges associated with lithium production today relate to land use and water consumption,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lithium extraction in South America and Australia has \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-batteries-environment-impact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">created serious environmental issues\u003c/a>. Advocates around the Salton Sea have \u003ca href=\"https://holtvilletribune.com/2021/08/06/guest-column-lithium-boom-needs-public-input/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">raised concerns\u003c/a> about harmful impacts and extra waste from extracting and processing lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lilac’s solution is vastly limiting the physical footprint of its lithium plant from “10,000 acres down to tens of acres, and that’s limited the surface impacts associated with lithium production,” Snydacker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He spoke with KQED climate reporter Laura Klivans during a tour of his manufacturing space in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What climate problem are you trying to solve?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The big environmental problem that we’re addressing is gasoline. And to replace gasoline, we need to increase production of batteries, and lithium is now the critical bottleneck to battery production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no way to meet climate targets without lithium, it’s essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would success of your company mean for California’s economy?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Salton Sea is a very large lithium resource capable of producing billions of dollars per year of lithium. That means hundreds of permanent jobs in the Salton Sea and permanent jobs here in Oakland as we scale up the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What initially inspired you to get into this kind of work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I grew up in Rhode Island, near the beach, where the ocean was a really important part of the community. Looking at forecasts for sea level rise as we lose the Greenland ice sheet was fairly shocking and horrifying. You think, OK, my entire community will be completely underwater by the time my children or my grandchildren are able to enjoy this place. And that’s just an unacceptable outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How will what happens at COP affect your work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If COP is successful, this will mean more demand for electric vehicles. But meeting that demand will only be possible with more lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Even if things go south at COP, how’s that going to impact your company?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lost a lot of faith in the ability of the government to deliver solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve seen the private sector really step up, make big commitments to innovate toward electric vehicles, to finance the supply chain and to start new companies capable of making all that happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m confident we will solve climate change and decarbonize the economy, the question in my mind is how fast does that happen? It needs to happen soon.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>The COP26 climate conference is underway in Glasgow, Scotland. Here in the Bay Area, KQED’s climate reporters are talking with locals who are working on solutions.\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There could be enough lithium stored across California and the West to supply all the batteries the U.S. demands, researchers \u003ca href=\"https://eesa.lbl.gov/event/media-roundtable-powering-a-sustainable-future-through-lithium-extraction-from-unconventional-sources/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate\u003c/a>, plus more to export.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that demand for lithium — a crucial part of the batteries that power electric cars and store extra energy from solar and wind — is heading in one direction: \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jiec.12949\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">up\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The problem is that California’s lithium is trapped in desert sediments, ocean water and deep underground, in natural deposits of saltwater called brine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has a trove of the stuff beneath the Salton Sea in Southern California, but \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/environment/2021/02/california-desert-lithium-valley/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">efforts to extract it are fledgling\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland-based \u003ca href=\"https://lilacsolutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lilac Solutions\u003c/a> is one of the companies trying to use domestic lithium to make batteries that could power the U.S. toward a future without fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave Snydacker, the company’s CEO, says a tricky part is to capture the lithium without damaging the environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The environmental challenges associated with lithium production today relate to land use and water consumption,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lithium extraction in South America and Australia has \u003ca href=\"https://www.wired.co.uk/article/lithium-batteries-environment-impact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">created serious environmental issues\u003c/a>. Advocates around the Salton Sea have \u003ca href=\"https://holtvilletribune.com/2021/08/06/guest-column-lithium-boom-needs-public-input/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">raised concerns\u003c/a> about harmful impacts and extra waste from extracting and processing lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lilac’s solution is vastly limiting the physical footprint of its lithium plant from “10,000 acres down to tens of acres, and that’s limited the surface impacts associated with lithium production,” Snydacker said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He spoke with KQED climate reporter Laura Klivans during a tour of his manufacturing space in West Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What climate problem are you trying to solve?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The big environmental problem that we’re addressing is gasoline. And to replace gasoline, we need to increase production of batteries, and lithium is now the critical bottleneck to battery production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is no way to meet climate targets without lithium, it’s essential.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What would success of your company mean for California’s economy?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Salton Sea is a very large lithium resource capable of producing billions of dollars per year of lithium. That means hundreds of permanent jobs in the Salton Sea and permanent jobs here in Oakland as we scale up the technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What initially inspired you to get into this kind of work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I grew up in Rhode Island, near the beach, where the ocean was a really important part of the community. Looking at forecasts for sea level rise as we lose the Greenland ice sheet was fairly shocking and horrifying. You think, OK, my entire community will be completely underwater by the time my children or my grandchildren are able to enjoy this place. And that’s just an unacceptable outcome.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How will what happens at COP affect your work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If COP is successful, this will mean more demand for electric vehicles. But meeting that demand will only be possible with more lithium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Even if things go south at COP, how’s that going to impact your company?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve lost a lot of faith in the ability of the government to deliver solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’ve seen the private sector really step up, make big commitments to innovate toward electric vehicles, to finance the supply chain and to start new companies capable of making all that happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m confident we will solve climate change and decarbonize the economy, the question in my mind is how fast does that happen? It needs to happen soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In Berkeley Visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm Says U.S. Must ‘Act With Urgency’ to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions",
"headTitle": "In Berkeley Visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm Says U.S. Must ‘Act With Urgency’ to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In her first official visit as the nation’s top energy official, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm returned to Berkeley last week to promote the Biden administration’s clean energy agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Granholm, a UC Berkeley graduate and former scholar at the Goldman School of Public Policy, on Friday reviewed desalination and battery storage technology innovations at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), where she once worked as a project scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lab is doing amazing research on some of the biggest problems facing California,” she said. “There’s research that they’re doing here that is directly applicable to people’s lives. We want to take these solutions to scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a subsequent interview with KQED, Granholm said the U.S. needs to “act with urgency” to reduce its massive consumption of fossil fuels that produce planet-warming gas emissions, sparking more frequent extreme weather events, like the devastating wildfires now burning across California and throughout the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her visit, which included a tour of several solar-powered homes in Berkeley, also comes on the heels of the latest climate assessment from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976184/a-major-report-warns-climate-change-is-accelerating-and-humans-must-cut-emissions-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a major report \u003c/a>that details the dangerously accelerating pace of climate change and underscores the urgent need for humans to dramatically reduce emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The West is on fire, our hair should be on fire,” Granholm said. “If this [report] isn’t an exclamation point, if this isn’t a flashing code red on the fact that we have to act with urgency, I don’t know what is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A banner takeaway from the report, she noted: We still have time to stave off catastrophic warming this century. And doing so, she said, requires major infrastructure upgrades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have got to get clean energy technology on our transmission grid,” Granholm said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976455\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976455 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (third from right) and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland (third from left), speak with scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Aug. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Residential solar, she added, is crucial to meeting the Biden administration’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Solar is part of the lowest hanging fruit of how we’re going to deploy the number of gigawatts that the United States needs,” said Granholm, who visited California less than two weeks after the U.S. Senate passed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/10/1026081880/senate-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill\">$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package\u003c/a> that would send billions of dollars to the state for highway, bridges, and public transportation projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976456\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976456 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a scientific user facility at the Berkeley Lab. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Berkeley Lab estimates that 40% of U.S. electricity generation could come from solar by 2035. It’s roughly 3% today. How do we get from here to there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to make sure that we have the level of resiliency and capacity on the electric grid, that it is able to take on that clean energy generation. We need to be able to empower people to be able to put solar on their homes, seamlessly and affordably, so that we have distributed electricity [on-site generation] through solar on people’s homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One of the most successful California climate policies is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/renewables-portfolio-standard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Renewables Portfolio Standard\u003c/a>, which requires all utilities in the state to source half of their electricity sales from clean, renewable sources\u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/renewables-portfolio-standard\">.\u003c/a> The U.S. Senate’s infrastructure bill left out a similar type of policy. Will the Biden administration support an infrastructure bill without a mandate for utilities to buy clean energy?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The president 100% supports a clean electricity standard that is similar to what you have in California. He could not get bipartisan agreement for it in the bipartisan bill. But there is a second step, which is the Build Back Better agenda, which is also known as reconciliation. Ridiculous word, but nonetheless, it is in that [Senate bill that can pass by a simple majority], and the president is very much pushing for a robust electricity standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s pushing for it because it’s great for the planet, but he also sees the economic opportunity for the country in that. All of the nation’s solar panels now that are on people’s roofs are made elsewhere. And we simply allowed that to happen. And the president is saying no more. We are not going to watch our manufacturing capability just walk away. Incentivizing through tax credits, solar, wind, clean energy technologies, so that we can be competitive globally and we can deploy those technologies in the United States, is all part of that agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976457\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976457 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During a tour of a solar-powered Berkeley home on Aug. 20, 2021, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm discusses the Biden administration’s efforts to streamline the ability of local governments to approve residential solar installation permits. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Another item not in the Senate’s infrastructure bill is the Civilian Climate Corps. In June, California teenagers \u003c/b>\u003ca style=\"font-weight: bold\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975362/young-activists-march-from-paradise-to-sf-in-100-degree-heat-to-protest-climate-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marched for weeks from Paradise to San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003cb>, demanding that Congress pass legislation by the end of summer 2021 to fund this initiative. What do you say to them?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are right and the president agrees with them. And that’s why that policy, too, is in this second step [reconciliation bill]. If a Civilian Climate Corps is funded, [Biden’s] goal is to put a whole new diverse generation of Americans to work conserving our public lands, our waters, to bolster community resilience, to advance environmental justice, all the while paving the way for good-paying union jobs. President Biden sees that as a fundamental element to the climate portions of his agenda. And he’s pushing for that in Congress as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The president signed an order pushing for 50% of vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030. How do you sell folks on electric vehicles who see them as a lifestyle choice for wealthy city dwellers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"clean-energy\"]We need to make sure that these vehicles are affordable for people. And one of the strategies in doing that is at the point of purchase. When you go to a dealer, you don’t want this electric vehicle to be more expensive than a regular gas-powered vehicle. [People should] get a refundable tax credit right there, to bring down the cost so that there is parity between electric vehicle cost and regular gasoline vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You also have to make sure that people in all areas, in lower-income areas, in rural areas, have access to be able to fuel those vehicles. And that means charging stations. In that bipartisan bill that was passed by the Senate, there was $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations. California, by the way, is going to get $384 million for electric vehicle charging out of that bill. The president is all in on making it easy for people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you pushing for a sped up timeline on reducing U.S. carbon emissions based on the release of the IPCC’s latest climate report?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, 1,000%. We have to act with urgency on eliminating methane emissions and carbon emissions. We have to act with urgency on deploying these technologies that are coming out of our labs and our private sector. We have got to get this clean energy technology on our transmission grid. The administration feels this sense of urgency, which is why the president has put out these big, hairy, audacious goals of getting to 100% clean electricity by 2035, getting to a net zero-carbon economy by 2050. And he wants to lead the world and demonstrate that we can do what we are calling others to do, which is, of course, to meet their global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Calling the U.N.’s latest climate assessment a \"flashing code red,\" Granholm said the U.S. needs to immediately reduce carbon and methane emissions. ",
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"description": "Calling the U.N.’s latest climate assessment a "flashing code red," Granholm said the U.S. needs to immediately reduce carbon and methane emissions. ",
"title": "In Berkeley Visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm Says U.S. Must ‘Act With Urgency’ to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions | KQED",
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"headline": "In Berkeley Visit, U.S. Energy Secretary Granholm Says U.S. Must ‘Act With Urgency’ to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In her first official visit as the nation’s top energy official, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm returned to Berkeley last week to promote the Biden administration’s clean energy agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Granholm, a UC Berkeley graduate and former scholar at the Goldman School of Public Policy, on Friday reviewed desalination and battery storage technology innovations at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), where she once worked as a project scientist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This lab is doing amazing research on some of the biggest problems facing California,” she said. “There’s research that they’re doing here that is directly applicable to people’s lives. We want to take these solutions to scale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a subsequent interview with KQED, Granholm said the U.S. needs to “act with urgency” to reduce its massive consumption of fossil fuels that produce planet-warming gas emissions, sparking more frequent extreme weather events, like the devastating wildfires now burning across California and throughout the West.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her visit, which included a tour of several solar-powered homes in Berkeley, also comes on the heels of the latest climate assessment from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1976184/a-major-report-warns-climate-change-is-accelerating-and-humans-must-cut-emissions-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a major report \u003c/a>that details the dangerously accelerating pace of climate change and underscores the urgent need for humans to dramatically reduce emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The West is on fire, our hair should be on fire,” Granholm said. “If this [report] isn’t an exclamation point, if this isn’t a flashing code red on the fact that we have to act with urgency, I don’t know what is.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A banner takeaway from the report, she noted: We still have time to stave off catastrophic warming this century. And doing so, she said, requires major infrastructure upgrades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have got to get clean energy technology on our transmission grid,” Granholm said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976455\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976455 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1278\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-768x511.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50926_030_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm (third from right) and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland (third from left), speak with scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Aug. 20, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Residential solar, she added, is crucial to meeting the Biden administration’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Solar is part of the lowest hanging fruit of how we’re going to deploy the number of gigawatts that the United States needs,” said Granholm, who visited California less than two weeks after the U.S. Senate passed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/08/10/1026081880/senate-passes-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill\">$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package\u003c/a> that would send billions of dollars to the state for highway, bridges, and public transportation projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976456\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976456 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50898_001_Berkeley_LawrenceLaboratory_08202021-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a scientific user facility at the Berkeley Lab. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Berkeley Lab estimates that 40% of U.S. electricity generation could come from solar by 2035. It’s roughly 3% today. How do we get from here to there?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We need to make sure that we have the level of resiliency and capacity on the electric grid, that it is able to take on that clean energy generation. We need to be able to empower people to be able to put solar on their homes, seamlessly and affordably, so that we have distributed electricity [on-site generation] through solar on people’s homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>One of the most successful California climate policies is the \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/renewables-portfolio-standard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Renewables Portfolio Standard\u003c/a>, which requires all utilities in the state to source half of their electricity sales from clean, renewable sources\u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/programs-and-topics/programs/renewables-portfolio-standard\">.\u003c/a> The U.S. Senate’s infrastructure bill left out a similar type of policy. Will the Biden administration support an infrastructure bill without a mandate for utilities to buy clean energy?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The president 100% supports a clean electricity standard that is similar to what you have in California. He could not get bipartisan agreement for it in the bipartisan bill. But there is a second step, which is the Build Back Better agenda, which is also known as reconciliation. Ridiculous word, but nonetheless, it is in that [Senate bill that can pass by a simple majority], and the president is very much pushing for a robust electricity standard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s pushing for it because it’s great for the planet, but he also sees the economic opportunity for the country in that. All of the nation’s solar panels now that are on people’s roofs are made elsewhere. And we simply allowed that to happen. And the president is saying no more. We are not going to watch our manufacturing capability just walk away. Incentivizing through tax credits, solar, wind, clean energy technologies, so that we can be competitive globally and we can deploy those technologies in the United States, is all part of that agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976457\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976457 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/RS50982_051_Berkeley_SolarHomeGranholmLee_08202021-qut-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">During a tour of a solar-powered Berkeley home on Aug. 20, 2021, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm discusses the Biden administration’s efforts to streamline the ability of local governments to approve residential solar installation permits. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Another item not in the Senate’s infrastructure bill is the Civilian Climate Corps. In June, California teenagers \u003c/b>\u003ca style=\"font-weight: bold\" href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975362/young-activists-march-from-paradise-to-sf-in-100-degree-heat-to-protest-climate-crisis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marched for weeks from Paradise to San Francisco\u003c/a>\u003cb>, demanding that Congress pass legislation by the end of summer 2021 to fund this initiative. What do you say to them?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are right and the president agrees with them. And that’s why that policy, too, is in this second step [reconciliation bill]. If a Civilian Climate Corps is funded, [Biden’s] goal is to put a whole new diverse generation of Americans to work conserving our public lands, our waters, to bolster community resilience, to advance environmental justice, all the while paving the way for good-paying union jobs. President Biden sees that as a fundamental element to the climate portions of his agenda. And he’s pushing for that in Congress as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The president signed an order pushing for 50% of vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2030. How do you sell folks on electric vehicles who see them as a lifestyle choice for wealthy city dwellers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>We need to make sure that these vehicles are affordable for people. And one of the strategies in doing that is at the point of purchase. When you go to a dealer, you don’t want this electric vehicle to be more expensive than a regular gas-powered vehicle. [People should] get a refundable tax credit right there, to bring down the cost so that there is parity between electric vehicle cost and regular gasoline vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You also have to make sure that people in all areas, in lower-income areas, in rural areas, have access to be able to fuel those vehicles. And that means charging stations. In that bipartisan bill that was passed by the Senate, there was $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations. California, by the way, is going to get $384 million for electric vehicle charging out of that bill. The president is all in on making it easy for people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you pushing for a sped up timeline on reducing U.S. carbon emissions based on the release of the IPCC’s latest climate report?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yes, 1,000%. We have to act with urgency on eliminating methane emissions and carbon emissions. We have to act with urgency on deploying these technologies that are coming out of our labs and our private sector. We have got to get this clean energy technology on our transmission grid. The administration feels this sense of urgency, which is why the president has put out these big, hairy, audacious goals of getting to 100% clean electricity by 2035, getting to a net zero-carbon economy by 2050. And he wants to lead the world and demonstrate that we can do what we are calling others to do, which is, of course, to meet their global commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Oakland Latina Who's Leading Newsom's Climate Agenda at 31",
"headTitle": "The Oakland Latina Who’s Leading Newsom’s Climate Agenda at 31 | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/lsanchez020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lauren Sanchez\u003c/a> has worked on climate change issues for about a decade. But the stakes of the crisis became a little more real for her when she received a call from her parents a few months ago during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/11/climate/deaths-pacific-northwest-heat-wave.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deadly Pacific Northwest heat wave\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temperature in their Seattle home rose so high that, in order to find respite from the baking heat, they slept outside on their deck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was over 105 degrees,” she said. “When I was growing up it was barely ever over 80 . It really pulled me back to what I consider the front lines of climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez, 31, has been an Oakland resident since 2017. At the time of the phone call, she was serving as an adviser to John Kerry, who President Biden tapped to be the top U.S. climate diplomat and serve in a newly created Cabinet position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/katenrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kate Gordon\u003c/a>, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior adviser on climate, had recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.opr.ca.gov/news/2021/06-17.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stepped down in June\u003c/a> to work in the U.S. Department of Energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez says she saw an opportunity to make change at the state level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[I] told the president, thank you. But I needed to come back and work for the governor,” she said. “We are experiencing climate impacts at an accelerating rate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gordon, her predecessor, spent two decades working on climate, energy and economic policy, championing the idea that bold climate action is good for the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She worked with Michael Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and California philanthropist Tom Steyer, to found the \u003ca href=\"https://riskybusiness.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Risky Business Project.\u003c/a> An initiative that quantifies the economic impacts of climate change on things like crop yields, energy demands and human health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Newsom’s advisor, Gordon helped establish a \u003ca href=\"https://opr.ca.gov/wildfire/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commission\u003c/a> on the catastrophic cost of wildfires. She also helped create the $12.5 billion “climate budget” Newsom proposed in 2020, which later was scaled back because of the COVID-19 crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez is bringing something different, her global experience to California — which is often touted for its climate targets, rules and influential nature — and a focus on heavily impacted communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We are] already seeing how the most vulnerable are disproportionately impacted here in California,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976309\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976309 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Sanchez. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Lauren Sanchez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She has worked in climate policy roles with the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. She also served on the Paris Agreement negotiation team with former President Barack Obama’s State Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state very much is the tip of the spear,” Sanchez said. “My heart is more energized, by sharpening the tip of that spear and continuing to push forward toward a climate safe future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero spoke with Sanchez about how she plans to advise the governor. This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California has a spectrum of climate policies and big goals, but the state is a major producer of oil. What are you saying to the governor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s clear that the world is not doing enough on this issue. We’ve also reached this inflection point. Californians are looking outside their window, and they know climate change is already happening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has formed targets and ambitious goals, informed by the latest science. We are getting new science almost daily about the state of the climate and just how much more we all need to do collectively. It’s why the governor sent letters last month asking our agencies to turn over every rock [and] to look at what it would mean to accelerate our \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/carbon-neutrality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">big carbon neutrality target\u003c/a> and our \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2021-03/california-releases-report-charting-path-100-percent-clean-electricity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clean energy targets\u003c/a> forward. Targets are incredibly important, but what really matters for Californians is what we’re doing today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The climate crisis is brought on by carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. How are you advising on the phaseout of fossil fuels?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First off, it’s critical to actually saving the planet. We’ve known for a long time sources of carbon pollution and how we need to tackle them. The governor put out a bold end date for oil production here in the state by 2045. We’ve heard from a number of communities that that’s too late. And so we’re very much looking at a path towards ending extraction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A really key and critical part of that, which we take very seriously here in California, is the jobs of our clean energy future. For people in Kern County and in L.A. who are currently working at refineries, we know that there is a clean job for them in our carbon neutral future here in the state. We’re working very closely with industry and with communities to make sure that this just transition is something we can very much embrace here in California and model for the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As a Latina with one of the highest profile climate positions in California, how do you plan to represent the state’s communities of color?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I come at this from a personal angle. My \u003cem>abuelos\u003c/em> came here from Mexico and lived in L.A., where my father was stuck inside during recess because of smog issues. They lived in a redlined community, a front-line community next to sources of pollution. The fight for environmental justice, and climate justice is not something that I think about how I will check a box, but rather how I want to embody every single decision that I’m making, and every phone call and every interview and every budget line item.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re working with the California Legislature on climate investments. We have a statutory minimum that a certain amount of [that spending] be in disadvantaged communities. And I’m very proud that the state has exceeded that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We know we need to not only right historical wrongs across the state and across the nation. But empowering communities of color to craft solutions and lead at the local level, may be our best chance for solving this issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What are your top goals as senior climate adviser to the governor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ninety percent of Californians connect wildfire and drought to climate change. They know climate change is happening, and it’s impacting them today. It’s not a 2045 or 2050 issue. One of my primary goals for this job is to help Californians feel like they are a part of our agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a number of very concrete programs that we need to move forward towards on implementation so that we hit those ambitious targets. Simultaneously looking at if those targets are even enough, knowing what 2021 is, and what 2022 will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a planning exercise, called the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scoping plan\u003c/a>, which will very much chart out how the state will become carbon neutral by 2045. And one of my primary goals is to make sure that we don’t drive up electricity rates or gas prices, or ask Californians to make economic and social trade-offs. But we’re centering equity, and moving to carbon neutrality, or net zero as quickly as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California emits 1% of global climate emissions. [Even if we were] carbon negative tomorrow, we would still have to be preparing for drought and we would still be burning every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How do we build our climate agenda in a way that is a model for other states, countries and other big global emitters, so that they’re continuing to follow California’s lead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What is your advice to the governor about equitably dealing with the impacts of climate change upon the state — heat waves, drought, and wildfire?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we look at the data from across the country, Americans and Californians want the government to take care of climate change. We too often put the communities of color in an impossible trade-off between their health, their work and where their housing is. The role of government is to ensure environmental health; safe and affordable access to drinking water; and protections that create climate resilient communities in a way that isn’t asking them to sacrifice anything economically or socially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a lot of long-term planning that we need to do to make sure we’re protecting the most vulnerable. In the context of the infrastructure plan and the influx of money; the feds set the target at 40% in disadvantaged communities, but here in California [it should be] as high as we possibly can set it. So that those communities that can’t afford an air filter when the air is [polluted with wildfire smoke] are still protected.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/lsanchez020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lauren Sanchez\u003c/a> has worked on climate change issues for about a decade. But the stakes of the crisis became a little more real for her when she received a call from her parents a few months ago during the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/11/climate/deaths-pacific-northwest-heat-wave.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deadly Pacific Northwest heat wave\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The temperature in their Seattle home rose so high that, in order to find respite from the baking heat, they slept outside on their deck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was over 105 degrees,” she said. “When I was growing up it was barely ever over 80 . It really pulled me back to what I consider the front lines of climate change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez, 31, has been an Oakland resident since 2017. At the time of the phone call, she was serving as an adviser to John Kerry, who President Biden tapped to be the top U.S. climate diplomat and serve in a newly created Cabinet position.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/katenrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kate Gordon\u003c/a>, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior adviser on climate, had recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.opr.ca.gov/news/2021/06-17.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stepped down in June\u003c/a> to work in the U.S. Department of Energy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez says she saw an opportunity to make change at the state level.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[I] told the president, thank you. But I needed to come back and work for the governor,” she said. “We are experiencing climate impacts at an accelerating rate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gordon, her predecessor, spent two decades working on climate, energy and economic policy, championing the idea that bold climate action is good for the economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She worked with Michael Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and California philanthropist Tom Steyer, to found the \u003ca href=\"https://riskybusiness.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Risky Business Project.\u003c/a> An initiative that quantifies the economic impacts of climate change on things like crop yields, energy demands and human health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Newsom’s advisor, Gordon helped establish a \u003ca href=\"https://opr.ca.gov/wildfire/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">commission\u003c/a> on the catastrophic cost of wildfires. She also helped create the $12.5 billion “climate budget” Newsom proposed in 2020, which later was scaled back because of the COVID-19 crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sanchez is bringing something different, her global experience to California — which is often touted for its climate targets, rules and influential nature — and a focus on heavily impacted communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[We are] already seeing how the most vulnerable are disproportionately impacted here in California,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976309\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976309 size-large\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1020x1360.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/lauren-sanchez-at-capital-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lauren Sanchez. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Lauren Sanchez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She has worked in climate policy roles with the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. She also served on the Paris Agreement negotiation team with former President Barack Obama’s State Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The state very much is the tip of the spear,” Sanchez said. “My heart is more energized, by sharpening the tip of that spear and continuing to push forward toward a climate safe future.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED climate reporter Ezra David Romero spoke with Sanchez about how she plans to advise the governor. This interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>California has a spectrum of climate policies and big goals, but the state is a major producer of oil. What are you saying to the governor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s clear that the world is not doing enough on this issue. We’ve also reached this inflection point. Californians are looking outside their window, and they know climate change is already happening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has formed targets and ambitious goals, informed by the latest science. We are getting new science almost daily about the state of the climate and just how much more we all need to do collectively. It’s why the governor sent letters last month asking our agencies to turn over every rock [and] to look at what it would mean to accelerate our \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/carbon-neutrality\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">big carbon neutrality target\u003c/a> and our \u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.ca.gov/news/2021-03/california-releases-report-charting-path-100-percent-clean-electricity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clean energy targets\u003c/a> forward. Targets are incredibly important, but what really matters for Californians is what we’re doing today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The climate crisis is brought on by carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. How are you advising on the phaseout of fossil fuels?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First off, it’s critical to actually saving the planet. We’ve known for a long time sources of carbon pollution and how we need to tackle them. The governor put out a bold end date for oil production here in the state by 2045. We’ve heard from a number of communities that that’s too late. And so we’re very much looking at a path towards ending extraction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A really key and critical part of that, which we take very seriously here in California, is the jobs of our clean energy future. For people in Kern County and in L.A. who are currently working at refineries, we know that there is a clean job for them in our carbon neutral future here in the state. We’re working very closely with industry and with communities to make sure that this just transition is something we can very much embrace here in California and model for the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As a Latina with one of the highest profile climate positions in California, how do you plan to represent the state’s communities of color?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I come at this from a personal angle. My \u003cem>abuelos\u003c/em> came here from Mexico and lived in L.A., where my father was stuck inside during recess because of smog issues. They lived in a redlined community, a front-line community next to sources of pollution. The fight for environmental justice, and climate justice is not something that I think about how I will check a box, but rather how I want to embody every single decision that I’m making, and every phone call and every interview and every budget line item.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re working with the California Legislature on climate investments. We have a statutory minimum that a certain amount of [that spending] be in disadvantaged communities. And I’m very proud that the state has exceeded that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We know we need to not only right historical wrongs across the state and across the nation. But empowering communities of color to craft solutions and lead at the local level, may be our best chance for solving this issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What are your top goals as senior climate adviser to the governor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ninety percent of Californians connect wildfire and drought to climate change. They know climate change is happening, and it’s impacting them today. It’s not a 2045 or 2050 issue. One of my primary goals for this job is to help Californians feel like they are a part of our agenda.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a number of very concrete programs that we need to move forward towards on implementation so that we hit those ambitious targets. Simultaneously looking at if those targets are even enough, knowing what 2021 is, and what 2022 will bring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have a planning exercise, called the \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/ab-32-climate-change-scoping-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scoping plan\u003c/a>, which will very much chart out how the state will become carbon neutral by 2045. And one of my primary goals is to make sure that we don’t drive up electricity rates or gas prices, or ask Californians to make economic and social trade-offs. But we’re centering equity, and moving to carbon neutrality, or net zero as quickly as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California emits 1% of global climate emissions. [Even if we were] carbon negative tomorrow, we would still have to be preparing for drought and we would still be burning every year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>How do we build our climate agenda in a way that is a model for other states, countries and other big global emitters, so that they’re continuing to follow California’s lead?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What is your advice to the governor about equitably dealing with the impacts of climate change upon the state — heat waves, drought, and wildfire?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When we look at the data from across the country, Americans and Californians want the government to take care of climate change. We too often put the communities of color in an impossible trade-off between their health, their work and where their housing is. The role of government is to ensure environmental health; safe and affordable access to drinking water; and protections that create climate resilient communities in a way that isn’t asking them to sacrifice anything economically or socially.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a lot of long-term planning that we need to do to make sure we’re protecting the most vulnerable. In the context of the infrastructure plan and the influx of money; the feds set the target at 40% in disadvantaged communities, but here in California [it should be] as high as we possibly can set it. So that those communities that can’t afford an air filter when the air is [polluted with wildfire smoke] are still protected.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s been nearly a decade since the United Nations released its last climate change assessment. That dire \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report\u003c/a>, which was published in 2014, described in detail how the burning of fossil fuels is altering the climate, leading to increasingly severe drought, worsening wildfires, and mass die-offs of coral reefs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week, hundreds of the world’s top scientists hashed out final details of the next U.N. report, as much of the world is tested, again, by scorching heat waves, destructive floods, and megafires.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Lara Kueppers, climate scientist at Berkeley Lab\"]‘This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward.’[/pullquote]The next iteration of the assessment could be published on Aug. 9, pending approval by the researchers convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It will be the sixth edition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest report aims to guide government decisions on addressing global warming and adapting to its impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported\u003c/a> that the new IPCC study will include a set of five hypothetical policy scenarios, “a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.” These scenarios will take into account carbon emissions reductions, population growth, economic development, and technological change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward,” Lara Kueppers, a UC Berkeley professor and climate scientist at Berkeley Lab, told KQED’s Brian Watt last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But given the breakneck pace at which climate science is evolving, and the escalating destruction from warming-driven environmental disasters, Kueppers thinks it’s time for faster, locally focused assessments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really left it up to the IPCC, but it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do the IPCC assessments get used?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At best, this document will spur more concerted policy action on climate. At worst it will be a virtual doorstop. The printed and bound versions of these past assessments are quite weighty. Unfortunately, current climate commitments, including the pledges by the Biden administration and other nations, are still insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to one-and-a-half degrees globally, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://climateactiontracker.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Action Tracker,\u003c/a> which follows all of these commitments closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]My hope is really that all that we’ve learned [since the last assessment published], from the warming that we’ve seen in the ocean, to the rapid changes that we’ve seen in the cryosphere, to even the more finely resolved images of future impacts on human health and livelihoods, spurs the needed policy progress that nations around the world hope to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you describe the pace at which climate science is evolving?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate research and the effects of human economic activity on the climate really have a long history. And the scope and the depth of the science has really advanced quite rapidly in recent decades. But at the same time, the fundamentals have really remained the same for a century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the end of the 1800s, a Swedish scientist named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1903/arrhenius/biographical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Svante Arrhenius\u003c/a> provided the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.rsc.org/images/Arrhenius1896_tcm18-173546.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate \u003c/a> of how increasing global CO2 from burning coal would push up temperatures around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was a grainy black and white photograph of future climate. But the subsequent research has really added important color and resolution to that photograph. And I would say now the state of climate science has provided a high-definition image of what we can expect as the climate continues to evolve. And these recent events, even just the last year, are a trailer of our climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Our governor says California is experiencing climate change fast forward. The impacts are here now and happening fast. Sounds like you agree with him? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label=\"related coverage\" tag=\"climate-change\"]I absolutely agree. California, like everywhere else on the planet, is experiencing the changing climate right now. We know that episodic droughts are natural occurrences in the state, but coupled with higher temperatures, this really puts incredible stress on agriculture and on our natural ecosystems. The warmer temperatures are drying vegetation faster and leading to longer fire seasons. And our firefighters really recognize this as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the warmer winters are allowing populations of tree-damaging insects to multiply faster, and they’re putting drought-stressed forests at greater risk. We are well on the path to a new climate normal. And that path is going to be pretty rocky in nearly every part of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Given all of that, do we need these big U.N. reports to come faster?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think so. In the past decades, we’ve really been content to leave the climate change policy to international diplomats, our federal, and even state representatives. The science input that they get, we’ve left up to the IPCC. But it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing. An influx of information every seven years is not quite adequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the U.N. has asked the IPCC for more specific, policy-directed interim reports. We need to address these needs. And to do that, we require new kinds of partnerships between scientists and communities and new organizational infrastructure as well. This is a pretty tall order, but I know it’s one that many climate researchers are willing to support. And I expect that there are communities around the state who would be very grateful to have more regular input and a clearer vision for what their communities can expect as they make decisions about issues like land-use planning or public safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The next iteration of the assessment could be published on Aug. 9, pending approval by the researchers convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It will be the sixth edition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This latest report aims to guide government decisions on addressing global warming and adapting to its impacts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NPR\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975970/climate-scientists-meet-as-dangerous-fires-floods-and-droughts-test-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported\u003c/a> that the new IPCC study will include a set of five hypothetical policy scenarios, “a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.” These scenarios will take into account carbon emissions reductions, population growth, economic development, and technological change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is our best and most comprehensive update on the state of international climate science, and it provides a foundation for international policy development as we move forward,” Lara Kueppers, a UC Berkeley professor and climate scientist at Berkeley Lab, told KQED’s Brian Watt last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But given the breakneck pace at which climate science is evolving, and the escalating destruction from warming-driven environmental disasters, Kueppers thinks it’s time for faster, locally focused assessments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really left it up to the IPCC, but it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kueppers interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How do the IPCC assessments get used?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At best, this document will spur more concerted policy action on climate. At worst it will be a virtual doorstop. The printed and bound versions of these past assessments are quite weighty. Unfortunately, current climate commitments, including the pledges by the Biden administration and other nations, are still insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit warming to one-and-a-half degrees globally, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://climateactiontracker.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Climate Action Tracker,\u003c/a> which follows all of these commitments closely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>My hope is really that all that we’ve learned [since the last assessment published], from the warming that we’ve seen in the ocean, to the rapid changes that we’ve seen in the cryosphere, to even the more finely resolved images of future impacts on human health and livelihoods, spurs the needed policy progress that nations around the world hope to see.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can you describe the pace at which climate science is evolving?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Climate research and the effects of human economic activity on the climate really have a long history. And the scope and the depth of the science has really advanced quite rapidly in recent decades. But at the same time, the fundamentals have really remained the same for a century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Back at the end of the 1800s, a Swedish scientist named \u003ca href=\"https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1903/arrhenius/biographical/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Svante Arrhenius\u003c/a> provided the first \u003ca href=\"https://www.rsc.org/images/Arrhenius1896_tcm18-173546.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">estimate \u003c/a> of how increasing global CO2 from burning coal would push up temperatures around the globe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was a grainy black and white photograph of future climate. But the subsequent research has really added important color and resolution to that photograph. And I would say now the state of climate science has provided a high-definition image of what we can expect as the climate continues to evolve. And these recent events, even just the last year, are a trailer of our climate future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Our governor says California is experiencing climate change fast forward. The impacts are here now and happening fast. Sounds like you agree with him? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I absolutely agree. California, like everywhere else on the planet, is experiencing the changing climate right now. We know that episodic droughts are natural occurrences in the state, but coupled with higher temperatures, this really puts incredible stress on agriculture and on our natural ecosystems. The warmer temperatures are drying vegetation faster and leading to longer fire seasons. And our firefighters really recognize this as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the same time, the warmer winters are allowing populations of tree-damaging insects to multiply faster, and they’re putting drought-stressed forests at greater risk. We are well on the path to a new climate normal. And that path is going to be pretty rocky in nearly every part of the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Given all of that, do we need these big U.N. reports to come faster?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think so. In the past decades, we’ve really been content to leave the climate change policy to international diplomats, our federal, and even state representatives. The science input that they get, we’ve left up to the IPCC. But it’s clear that scientific support for local planning and decision-making is necessary — and the need for this is only growing. An influx of information every seven years is not quite adequate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even the U.N. has asked the IPCC for more specific, policy-directed interim reports. We need to address these needs. And to do that, we require new kinds of partnerships between scientists and communities and new organizational infrastructure as well. This is a pretty tall order, but I know it’s one that many climate researchers are willing to support. And I expect that there are communities around the state who would be very grateful to have more regular input and a clearer vision for what their communities can expect as they make decisions about issues like land-use planning or public safety.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World",
"headTitle": "Climate Scientists Meet as Dangerous Fires, Floods, and Droughts Test the World | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>More than 200 of the world’s leading climate scientists will begin meeting today to finalize a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landmark report\u003c/a> summarizing how Earth’s climate has already changed, and what humans can expect for the rest of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report is the sixth edition of an assessment of the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that coordinates research about global warming. The last edition of this report \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">came out in 2013\u003c/a> — an eternity in the world of climate science, where the pace of both warming and research are steadily accelerating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The urgency of addressing global warming has never been more clear. The two-week virtual meeting of IPCC scientists coincides with a raft of deadly climate-driven disasters unfolding around the world, from flash floods in Europe, North America and Asia, to intense wildfires in Siberia, to widespread persistent heat waves and droughts that threaten to upend food supplies in the U.S., Middle East and much of Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be a crucial document for world leaders. It represents the international scientific consensus about human-caused climate change. Governments rely on its predictions as they develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage forests and fisheries and decide how to protect their citizens from extreme weather. In November, world leaders will meet for the first time since 2019 to discuss promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions — promises that are still insufficient to prevent catastrophic warming this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes years to put together the IPCC report. It has 12 chapters, covering everything from the heat-trapping properties of individual greenhouse gases to extreme weather events to the regional impacts of global warming. Over the next two weeks, the authors of the report will hash out the final draft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three things to watch for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Climate Science Has Come a Long Way in the Last Decade\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate picture of the global climate ever released. The computer models that scientists use to predict how the climate will change in the future are a lot more advanced than they were a decade ago, when the last edition was published. And the data that feeds those models is also more robust, thanks to satellites, buoys and information about the historical climate gathered from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/974774461/drawing-a-line-in-the-mud-scientists-debate-when-age-of-humans-began\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rock, ice and mud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, those advances allow scientists to say with more certainty how quickly the Earth is heating up, and how the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases will affect everything from sea levels and hurricanes to droughts and heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this report, scientists considered all the climate research published \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/2020/05/29/ipcc-extends-working-group-i-literature-cut-off-date-postpones-final-lead-author-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">before February 2021\u003c/a>. That’s thousands of studies about the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, forests and weather patterns. The meeting that kicks off today will focus on how to phrase key takeaways, such as how quickly the Earth is barreling toward the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold set by the Paris climate agreement in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There Are Five Future Scenarios that Scientists Imagine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A critical goal of the forthcoming report is to help governments make decisions about how to address climate change. The report won’t tell governments what to do, but it is meant to help leaders understand the effects of different policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, if humans stop burning coal immediately, it will dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. But what if humans stop burning coal in the next five years? Or ten years? Or what if solar panels get really cheap and population growth slows down? How does that affect climate change? The new IPCC report is meant to help answer such questions using a set of 5 hypothetical policy scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC has used these scenarios, which are essentially a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, in one world countries work together to develop low-cost, low-carbon technologies and put them into use quickly for everyone. In another, some countries or groups of people transition very quickly to wind, solar and other clean energy sources while others move much more slowly. In a third imaginary world, nationalism surges around the world and governments focus on local energy and food security rather than global economic changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://tntcat.iiasa.ac.at/SspDb/dsd?Action=htmlpage&page=about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Each of the five scenarios\u003c/a> takes into account population growth, GDP and a host of other demographic, economic and technological possibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most of the scenarios, it’s still possible to keep global warming below the 2 degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris agreement, says Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. In other words, there are many ways to address climate change, and the new report will help describe those options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration has promised to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/987667828/how-the-u-s-could-halve-climate-emissions-by-2030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030\u003c/a>, but has not released a specific plan for how to achieve that goal. A major infrastructure package that would invest in cleaner transportation and electricity is facing an uncertain future in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Report Will Include Regional Information for the First Time\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC will break down its global climate science findings by region. That’s a big deal because the climate is changing in different ways depending on where you live. For example, the Arctic is warming about \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/943219856/2020-may-be-the-hottest-year-on-record-heres-the-damage-it-did\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twice as fast\u003c/a> as the rest of the Earth, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/16/968461863/encore-why-sea-level-rise-varies-across-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sea levels\u003c/a> are rising much more quickly in some areas than in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/11/782918005/meteorologists-cant-keep-up-with-climate-change-in-mozambique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">countries don’t have the resources\u003c/a> to systematically study how the climate is changing in their region, or what to expect in the future. That leaves governments in the dark about the rate of local sea level rise, for example, or the likelihood of regional drought or extreme rain. Without localized information, it’s impossible to prioritize infrastructure and housing that’s built for the climate of the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forthcoming IPCC report includes a chapter on regional climate change. The IPCC is also releasing an interactive, online regional dashboard that allows policymakers to choose their region and see current and future climate conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. government will not rely on the new regional data from the IPCC. The U.S. already has access to localized data through the \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a>, which is produced by the federal government every few years. The next edition is scheduled to be published in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+Scientists+Meet+As+Floods%2C+Fires%2C+Droughts+And+Heat+Waves+Batter+Countries&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>More than 200 of the world’s leading climate scientists will begin meeting today to finalize a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landmark report\u003c/a> summarizing how Earth’s climate has already changed, and what humans can expect for the rest of the century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report is the sixth edition of an assessment of the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body that coordinates research about global warming. The last edition of this report \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">came out in 2013\u003c/a> — an eternity in the world of climate science, where the pace of both warming and research are steadily accelerating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The urgency of addressing global warming has never been more clear. The two-week virtual meeting of IPCC scientists coincides with a raft of deadly climate-driven disasters unfolding around the world, from flash floods in Europe, North America and Asia, to intense wildfires in Siberia, to widespread persistent heat waves and droughts that threaten to upend food supplies in the U.S., Middle East and much of Africa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be a crucial document for world leaders. It represents the international scientific consensus about human-caused climate change. Governments rely on its predictions as they develop policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage forests and fisheries and decide how to protect their citizens from extreme weather. In November, world leaders will meet for the first time since 2019 to discuss promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions — promises that are still insufficient to prevent catastrophic warming this century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It takes years to put together the IPCC report. It has 12 chapters, covering everything from the heat-trapping properties of individual greenhouse gases to extreme weather events to the regional impacts of global warming. Over the next two weeks, the authors of the report will hash out the final draft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are three things to watch for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Climate Science Has Come a Long Way in the Last Decade\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new report will be the most comprehensive, detailed and accurate picture of the global climate ever released. The computer models that scientists use to predict how the climate will change in the future are a lot more advanced than they were a decade ago, when the last edition was published. And the data that feeds those models is also more robust, thanks to satellites, buoys and information about the historical climate gathered from \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/03/17/974774461/drawing-a-line-in-the-mud-scientists-debate-when-age-of-humans-began\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rock, ice and mud\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Together, those advances allow scientists to say with more certainty how quickly the Earth is heating up, and how the extra heat being trapped by greenhouse gases will affect everything from sea levels and hurricanes to droughts and heat waves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For this report, scientists considered all the climate research published \u003ca href=\"https://www.ipcc.ch/2020/05/29/ipcc-extends-working-group-i-literature-cut-off-date-postpones-final-lead-author-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">before February 2021\u003c/a>. That’s thousands of studies about the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, forests and weather patterns. The meeting that kicks off today will focus on how to phrase key takeaways, such as how quickly the Earth is barreling toward the 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) warming threshold set by the Paris climate agreement in order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>There Are Five Future Scenarios that Scientists Imagine\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A critical goal of the forthcoming report is to help governments make decisions about how to address climate change. The report won’t tell governments what to do, but it is meant to help leaders understand the effects of different policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, if humans stop burning coal immediately, it will dramatically reduce the rate of global warming. But what if humans stop burning coal in the next five years? Or ten years? Or what if solar panels get really cheap and population growth slows down? How does that affect climate change? The new IPCC report is meant to help answer such questions using a set of 5 hypothetical policy scenarios.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC has used these scenarios, which are essentially a collection of imaginary worlds in which countries pursue different sets of climate policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, in one world countries work together to develop low-cost, low-carbon technologies and put them into use quickly for everyone. In another, some countries or groups of people transition very quickly to wind, solar and other clean energy sources while others move much more slowly. In a third imaginary world, nationalism surges around the world and governments focus on local energy and food security rather than global economic changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://tntcat.iiasa.ac.at/SspDb/dsd?Action=htmlpage&page=about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Each of the five scenarios\u003c/a> takes into account population growth, GDP and a host of other demographic, economic and technological possibilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under most of the scenarios, it’s still possible to keep global warming below the 2 degree Celsius threshold set by the Paris agreement, says Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. In other words, there are many ways to address climate change, and the new report will help describe those options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Biden administration has promised to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/04/16/987667828/how-the-u-s-could-halve-climate-emissions-by-2030\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030\u003c/a>, but has not released a specific plan for how to achieve that goal. A major infrastructure package that would invest in cleaner transportation and electricity is facing an uncertain future in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Report Will Include Regional Information for the First Time\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first time the IPCC will break down its global climate science findings by region. That’s a big deal because the climate is changing in different ways depending on where you live. For example, the Arctic is warming about \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2020/12/18/943219856/2020-may-be-the-hottest-year-on-record-heres-the-damage-it-did\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">twice as fast\u003c/a> as the rest of the Earth, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2021/02/16/968461863/encore-why-sea-level-rise-varies-across-the-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sea levels\u003c/a> are rising much more quickly in some areas than in others.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But many \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/12/11/782918005/meteorologists-cant-keep-up-with-climate-change-in-mozambique\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">countries don’t have the resources\u003c/a> to systematically study how the climate is changing in their region, or what to expect in the future. That leaves governments in the dark about the rate of local sea level rise, for example, or the likelihood of regional drought or extreme rain. Without localized information, it’s impossible to prioritize infrastructure and housing that’s built for the climate of the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The forthcoming IPCC report includes a chapter on regional climate change. The IPCC is also releasing an interactive, online regional dashboard that allows policymakers to choose their region and see current and future climate conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. government will not rely on the new regional data from the IPCC. The U.S. already has access to localized data through the \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Climate Assessment\u003c/a>, which is produced by the federal government every few years. The next edition is scheduled to be published in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=Climate+Scientists+Meet+As+Floods%2C+Fires%2C+Droughts+And+Heat+Waves+Batter+Countries&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs",
"headTitle": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman’s home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator. In late June of this year, the department disconnected the water, too — despite a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/4.2.20-EO-N-42-20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statewide moratorium on water shutoffs\u003c/a> that Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently extended through Sept. 30\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman, his 10-year-old son and his 16-year-old stepdaughter endured 11 days of temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s without water or power. For 11 days, they camped out in air-conditioned grocery stores, Starbucks or his truck. They couchsurfed and used friends’ showers. Hollman played it off with the kids as some kind of fun obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called the department’s customer service, and said a representative told him that he must pay off his utility debt of $9,064.13 — largely consisting of charges that Hollman disputes as erroneous — before water or power could be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been demoralizing, humiliating,” Hollman said on the eighth day. “I have a history of paying my bills, working, being a good provider. You… start having feelings of failure as a parent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately the state’s water agency convinced the LA department to turn on Hollman’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those 11 days without water or power are a window into what could happen to millions of Californians in the coming months and years, depending on how swiftly and effectively the state distributes relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Official estimates of unpaid water and energy bills accumulated during the pandemic verge on $2.7 billion, affecting a few million Californians — and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/SozYyHYaDUI?t=2096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those figures have been growing\u003c/a> rapidly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has so far prioritized rent relief — keeping people housed — over utilities relief. A spokesperson for the state’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program said that of the $158 million distributed as of July 16, less than $40,000 had gone to utilities relief. Utility debt makes up about 6% of all assistance requested so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 11, lawmakers revealed a plan to use one-time federal relief money to address the debt. The deal is a patchwork of new programs to forgive $2 billion of utilities debt and old programs to help households chip away at the rest, with a wide range of eligibility criteria and timelines. But it doesn’t extend current shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re laser-focused on getting this assistance out the door as quickly as possible,” Newsom said in a statement about ongoing rent relief and the utilities relief plan. He has signed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/07/16/governor-newsom-signs-state-budget-legislation-7-16-21/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">energy bills relief into law\u003c/a>, while the water bills relief still awaits his signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will be an important “reboot” to protect Californians and utility companies, said Ellen Hanak, director of the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t want people to be shut off from basic services,” Hanak said, “But it’s also a hit to the entire community if utilities aren’t able to balance their books, because that can have all sorts of ripple effects on the abilities of water and electrical systems to run well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to forgiving California’s utility debt, key questions remain:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Will $2 billion be nearly enough?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Can the money be distributed quickly enough to prevent shutoffs?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“For public health and safety, it’s important for people to have roofs over their heads, clean water and power. Those are all pieces of the puzzle,” Hanak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-catch-22-at-la-s-utilities-department\">\u003cstrong>A Catch-22 at \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>LA’s Utilities Department?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman’s utilities troubles began well before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After opening an account in 2017, he began receiving unusually high electricity charges topping $1,000 — even during months when no one was living in the house because he was staying with his parents — which Hollman attributes to billing errors by the LA utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under financial stress following a messy separation, Hollman said he let the bills pile up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By early 2019, his unpaid balance had mounted to nearly $9,000. He applied for $2,000 of assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services to keep service on. But the water agency insisted on full payment of his bill, according to correspondence from his social worker reviewed by CalMatters. In March of 2019, the department shut off his power due to non-payment. He bought a generator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the power shutoff, the electricity charges continued, labeled as “unmetered estimated consumption” in bills reviewed by CalMatters, meaning the utility generated them without checking Hollman’s meter. In December 2019, a customer service representative credited his account with several thousand dollars, but, according to Hollman, told him that the department couldn’t stop the continuing energy charges or issue more credits until a technician read his meter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which required that the power be turned back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which couldn’t happen until he paid off the debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Hollman tells it, he was caught in a Catch-22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2020, amid the first pandemic surge, the LA utilities department closed Hollman’s account with an unpaid balance of $9,064.13, meaning that he couldn’t open a new account until he paid off the debt, which could affect his credit score or be taken to small claims court. But, Hollman said, a representative promised that water would stay on while the pandemic lasted. For over a year, it did — until a technician arrived unannounced in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The LA utilities department tells a somewhat different story. In a statement, a department spokesperson said that it had disconnected Hollman’s water in October 2017 and power in March 2019 because Hollman had made no payments since opening his account in March 2017. The spokesperson said the department turned off his water twice more after detecting unauthorized use, in April 2019 and again this past June, when it “came to light to LADWP… that water service had illegally been turned back on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While declining to comment on the high “unmetered estimated consumption” charges or Hollman’s apparent Catch-22, the spokesperson said the department restored water service in early July “in an attempt to work out a payment plan… for the water and power that was consumed since 2017.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman disputes that he illegally reconnected the water, saying it never stopped flowing and that he never received notices it would be shut off. He said that a water department representative told him last week that he had to pay a third of his outstanding bill — money that he said he doesn’t have — before he can qualify for a payment plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-mounting-debt-and-shutoffs-despite-protections\">\u003cstrong>Mounting Debt, and Shutoffs Despite Protections\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman is not alone. Despite shutoff protections, the California State Water Resources Control Board has received 308 \u003ca href=\"https://watershut-off.covid19.ca.gov/#:~:text=State%20of%20California%20COVID%2D19%20Water%20Shutoff%20Report&text=If%20you%20require%20translation%20assistance,submitting%20a%20water%20shutoff%20report.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports of water disconnections during the pandemic\u003c/a>. No agency tracks power shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson said the state water board got water restored in each case, including for Hollman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the state water board estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1.6 million households were late on water bills that totaled over $1 billion across California\u003c/a>, and were growing quickly. The California Municipal Utilities Association estimated \u003ca href=\"https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CSDA/b24702e8-8a42-4614-8c45-bc3cba37ea2c/UploadedImages/Advocate/Take_Action/covid19_utility_debt_assistance_coalition_letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unpaid energy bills at publicly owned utilities topped $300 million\u003c/a>, while close to 4 million customers of investor-owned utilities were behind on energy bills, totaling $1.4 billion, as of late June, according to a California Public Utilities Commission spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people don’t know that they are still protected from shutoffs. Some no longer are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the state reopened in mid-June, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quietly extended the moratorium on water shutoffs to Sept. 30.\u003c/a> One water system has already said \u003ca href=\"https://www.padredam.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that it will resume shutoffs the next day.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M389/K401/389401945.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30\u003c/a>, days before it was set to expire on June 30. But that only applies to customers of investor-owned utilities, leaving the quarter of Californians served by publicly owned utilities vulnerable, said Mad Stano, an energy equity attorney at the Greenlining Institute, a racial justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA’s water department is the largest publicly owned utility in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11747148/map-public-power-providers-in-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the United States\u003c/a>. During the pandemic, customers’ unpaid bills there increased more than 10-fold, from $37 million accrued during 2019 to $400 million accrued during the first eight months of the pandemic, according to a state Water Board report. \u003ca href=\"https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0540_misc_05-19-21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More than one in five customers behind on bills had debt over $1,000\u003c/a>. The department has voluntarily chosen to extend its own moratorium on shutoffs for nonpayment, according to a spokesperson, but has not yet announced an end date. It has also not publicized that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deborah Bell-Holt\u003c/a> didn’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975857\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975857\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deborah Bell-Holt sits in front of her house in Jefferson Park near Downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2021, holding her water and power bill. \u003ccite>(Shae Hammond/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her utilities bill ballooned to $19,308.45 during the pandemic as her South Los Angeles household grew to include 12 children, grandchildren and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt assumed that disconnections would start June 30, when evictions were set to begin had lawmakers not made \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/06/california-eviction-moratorium-deal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a last-minute deal.\u003c/a> She scrambled to send the department $500 in late May and $200 on June 25th, hoping a few payments would stave off shutoffs. To afford that, she said she took out a $500 loan with 347% interest, which she’s still paying back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt said that if she’d known she wasn’t at risk on June 30, “I wouldn’t put us in a hole like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state and utilities haven’t done enough to inform Californians about protections, Stano contends. “The state needs to require… communications to people so they don’t make financial decisions that they don’t have to make,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-living-without-water-or-power\">\u003cstrong>Living Without Water or Power\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hollman’s third day this summer without water or power, it hit 100 degrees outside. Inside the house was even hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman and his kids are used to life without air conditioning in one of California’s hottest regions. Their generator — which requires $10 of fuel per day, on average — only powers the lights, electronics and refrigerator. Normally, Hollman might cool the house by hosing down the roof and outdoor plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the family lingered at McDonald’s. “It becomes very difficult to keep your spirit up, but you have to for your kids,” Hollman said. “You can’t crack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the fifth day, his son thanked Hollman for the best day ever, after the two spent the afternoon cutting through the heat on skateboards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the ninth morning, Hollman ran out of generator fuel. He reminded his kids not to open the refrigerator, so the food wouldn’t spoil. He knew his car’s radiator was low, but he was out of coolant and bottled water. He crossed his fingers that the old truck wouldn’t overheat on the way to the gas station. It did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a dance that people shouldn’t have to f—ing do,” Hollman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975859\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Will Hollman’s day typically begins by filling this container with gas for the generator he’s relied on since electricity was shut off to his San Fernando Valley home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp id=\"h-relief-on-the-way-for-california-utility-bills\">\u003cstrong>Relief On the Way\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>for California Utility Bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theoretically, lawmakers’ new deal could prevent more people from that dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsom proposed $2 billion to relieve utilities debt\u003c/a>. Legislators agreed to the price tag in June, but continued negotiating the distribution plan in private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/07/california-budget-legislature/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The result is two budget bills\u003c/a> that would create new programs that pay utilities directly to forgive customer debt accrued during the pandemic, prioritizing those at greatest risk of shutoffs. The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive $994 million in energy debt, while the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$985 million\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, utilities must opt in. They must also offer all customers with pandemic debt a payment plan that would protect them from shutoffs as long as they enroll and stay current on the plan. Plus, the first forbids energy utilities from disconnecting power to a customer for 90 days after applying forgiveness to their account. Neither bill extends the shutoff moratoria, though the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M393/K048/393048062.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Utilities Commission has extended a moratorium\u003c/a> on shutoffs for a segment of water utilities, which cover about 16% of customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending legislation also funnels an unspecified amount of federal relief money into two \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/LIHEAPProgram.aspx\">existing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/lihwap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs\u003c/a> for which households must be income-eligible and apply for the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear whether Hollman will be eligible for the programs, given that he accrued his debt before the COVID-19 pandemic. He may be at risk of another water shutoff soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-repeat-of-rent-relief-troubles\">\u003cstrong>A Repeat of Rent Relief Troubles?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has created countless new assistance programs during the pandemic — many mired by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/12/why-few-farmworkers-isolate-in-californias-free-covid-19-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">delays\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/05/undocumented-immigrants-state-disaster-aid-unreachable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bureaucracy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/01/bank-of-america-lost-hundreds-of-millions-on-california-unemployment-fiasco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scandals\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID rent relief program\u003c/a> is one example. As \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/04/california-rent-relief-tenants/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CalMatters reported\u003c/a>, lengthy online applications available in too few languages initially blocked access to vulnerable renters, while distribution has been painfully slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California utility bill debt forgiveness programs proposed last week sidestep some of these problems by requiring utilities, instead of customers, to apply, and by not requiring customers to prove eligibility. Advocates cheered that choice, but worried lawmakers didn’t go far enough to prevent shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water program legislation requires the water board to start distributing funds by Nov. 1. But that’s a month after the shutoff moratorium ends, said Jennifer Clary, California state director of nonprofit Clean Water Action. “I’m a little concerned about that gap,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stano of the Greenlining Institute said that the bill language doesn’t prevent publicly owned utilities from shutting off power right now. They said it also doesn’t provide enough guidance to ensure that payment plans are sufficiently accessible and reasonable to keep people safe from shutoffs — especially given that only about two-thirds of the debt is expected to be forgiven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not be celebrating anything until the risk of disconnection is removed,” said Stano, who is pushing for the energy shutoff moratorium to be extended past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A life-long Democrat, Hollman finds his faith in government assistance tested. He says he’s never relied much on it until his work as a telecommunications salesman for brick-and-mortar businesses came to a sudden halt last March. He applied for unemployment benefits so that he could focus on overseeing his children’s virtual schooling without any electricity coming to the house, but the checks don’t cover rent, food and generator fuel. He borrowed money, sold assets and made partial rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like millions of Californians, Hollman has run into \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-edd-unemployment-crisis-explained/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unemployment benefits snafus.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last one happened several nights after the water department turned the water back on. Hollman received his unemployment payment to his Bank of America unemployment benefits account, but said when he tried paying bills the next morning, the money had already been withdrawn. He said he filed reports of identity theft with police and the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman also said he called his landlord to tell him he wouldn’t be able to make July’s rent — and that he hasn’t heard back about the $5,000 in rent relief he’s applied for from the city of Los Angeles. He said he planned to find work this summer, but has been in crisis mode since the water shutoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be understated,” Hollman texted, “how delicate the balance of survival is.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake.",
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"description": "Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven’t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what’s at stake.",
"title": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs | KQED",
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"headline": "Unpaid Utility Bills? California Will Pay Off $2 Billion to Avoid Shutoffs",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman’s home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator. In late June of this year, the department disconnected the water, too — despite a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/4.2.20-EO-N-42-20.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statewide moratorium on water shutoffs\u003c/a> that Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently extended through Sept. 30\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman, his 10-year-old son and his 16-year-old stepdaughter endured 11 days of temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s without water or power. For 11 days, they camped out in air-conditioned grocery stores, Starbucks or his truck. They couchsurfed and used friends’ showers. Hollman played it off with the kids as some kind of fun obstacle course.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He called the department’s customer service, and said a representative told him that he must pay off his utility debt of $9,064.13 — largely consisting of charges that Hollman disputes as erroneous — before water or power could be restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been demoralizing, humiliating,” Hollman said on the eighth day. “I have a history of paying my bills, working, being a good provider. You… start having feelings of failure as a parent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately the state’s water agency convinced the LA department to turn on Hollman’s water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those 11 days without water or power are a window into what could happen to millions of Californians in the coming months and years, depending on how swiftly and effectively the state distributes relief.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Official estimates of unpaid water and energy bills accumulated during the pandemic verge on $2.7 billion, affecting a few million Californians — and \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/SozYyHYaDUI?t=2096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">those figures have been growing\u003c/a> rapidly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has so far prioritized rent relief — keeping people housed — over utilities relief. A spokesperson for the state’s COVID-19 Rent Relief program said that of the $158 million distributed as of July 16, less than $40,000 had gone to utilities relief. Utility debt makes up about 6% of all assistance requested so far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On July 11, lawmakers revealed a plan to use one-time federal relief money to address the debt. The deal is a patchwork of new programs to forgive $2 billion of utilities debt and old programs to help households chip away at the rest, with a wide range of eligibility criteria and timelines. But it doesn’t extend current shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re laser-focused on getting this assistance out the door as quickly as possible,” Newsom said in a statement about ongoing rent relief and the utilities relief plan. He has signed the \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/2021/07/16/governor-newsom-signs-state-budget-legislation-7-16-21/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">energy bills relief into law\u003c/a>, while the water bills relief still awaits his signature.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This will be an important “reboot” to protect Californians and utility companies, said Ellen Hanak, director of the Water Policy Center at the Public Policy Institute of California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You don’t want people to be shut off from basic services,” Hanak said, “But it’s also a hit to the entire community if utilities aren’t able to balance their books, because that can have all sorts of ripple effects on the abilities of water and electrical systems to run well.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to forgiving California’s utility debt, key questions remain:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Will $2 billion be nearly enough?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Can the money be distributed quickly enough to prevent shutoffs?\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>“For public health and safety, it’s important for people to have roofs over their heads, clean water and power. Those are all pieces of the puzzle,” Hanak said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-catch-22-at-la-s-utilities-department\">\u003cstrong>A Catch-22 at \u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>LA’s Utilities Department?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman’s utilities troubles began well before the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After opening an account in 2017, he began receiving unusually high electricity charges topping $1,000 — even during months when no one was living in the house because he was staying with his parents — which Hollman attributes to billing errors by the LA utility.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under financial stress following a messy separation, Hollman said he let the bills pile up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By early 2019, his unpaid balance had mounted to nearly $9,000. He applied for $2,000 of assistance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services to keep service on. But the water agency insisted on full payment of his bill, according to correspondence from his social worker reviewed by CalMatters. In March of 2019, the department shut off his power due to non-payment. He bought a generator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the power shutoff, the electricity charges continued, labeled as “unmetered estimated consumption” in bills reviewed by CalMatters, meaning the utility generated them without checking Hollman’s meter. In December 2019, a customer service representative credited his account with several thousand dollars, but, according to Hollman, told him that the department couldn’t stop the continuing energy charges or issue more credits until a technician read his meter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which required that the power be turned back on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which couldn’t happen until he paid off the debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As Hollman tells it, he was caught in a Catch-22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In April 2020, amid the first pandemic surge, the LA utilities department closed Hollman’s account with an unpaid balance of $9,064.13, meaning that he couldn’t open a new account until he paid off the debt, which could affect his credit score or be taken to small claims court. But, Hollman said, a representative promised that water would stay on while the pandemic lasted. For over a year, it did — until a technician arrived unannounced in late June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The LA utilities department tells a somewhat different story. In a statement, a department spokesperson said that it had disconnected Hollman’s water in October 2017 and power in March 2019 because Hollman had made no payments since opening his account in March 2017. The spokesperson said the department turned off his water twice more after detecting unauthorized use, in April 2019 and again this past June, when it “came to light to LADWP… that water service had illegally been turned back on.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While declining to comment on the high “unmetered estimated consumption” charges or Hollman’s apparent Catch-22, the spokesperson said the department restored water service in early July “in an attempt to work out a payment plan… for the water and power that was consumed since 2017.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman disputes that he illegally reconnected the water, saying it never stopped flowing and that he never received notices it would be shut off. He said that a water department representative told him last week that he had to pay a third of his outstanding bill — money that he said he doesn’t have — before he can qualify for a payment plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-mounting-debt-and-shutoffs-despite-protections\">\u003cstrong>Mounting Debt, and Shutoffs Despite Protections\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman is not alone. Despite shutoff protections, the California State Water Resources Control Board has received 308 \u003ca href=\"https://watershut-off.covid19.ca.gov/#:~:text=State%20of%20California%20COVID%2D19%20Water%20Shutoff%20Report&text=If%20you%20require%20translation%20assistance,submitting%20a%20water%20shutoff%20report.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports of water disconnections during the pandemic\u003c/a>. No agency tracks power shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A spokesperson said the state water board got water restored in each case, including for Hollman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In February, the state water board estimated that \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1.6 million households were late on water bills that totaled over $1 billion across California\u003c/a>, and were growing quickly. The California Municipal Utilities Association estimated \u003ca href=\"https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/CSDA/b24702e8-8a42-4614-8c45-bc3cba37ea2c/UploadedImages/Advocate/Take_Action/covid19_utility_debt_assistance_coalition_letter.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unpaid energy bills at publicly owned utilities topped $300 million\u003c/a>, while close to 4 million customers of investor-owned utilities were behind on energy bills, totaling $1.4 billion, as of late June, according to a California Public Utilities Commission spokesperson.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many people don’t know that they are still protected from shutoffs. Some no longer are.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the state reopened in mid-June, Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6.11.21-EO-N-08-21-signed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quietly extended the moratorium on water shutoffs to Sept. 30.\u003c/a> One water system has already said \u003ca href=\"https://www.padredam.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">that it will resume shutoffs the next day.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utilities Commission \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M389/K401/389401945.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">also extended the power shutoff moratorium to Sept. 30\u003c/a>, days before it was set to expire on June 30. But that only applies to customers of investor-owned utilities, leaving the quarter of Californians served by publicly owned utilities vulnerable, said Mad Stano, an energy equity attorney at the Greenlining Institute, a racial justice nonprofit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LA’s water department is the largest publicly owned utility in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11747148/map-public-power-providers-in-california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the United States\u003c/a>. During the pandemic, customers’ unpaid bills there increased more than 10-fold, from $37 million accrued during 2019 to $400 million accrued during the first eight months of the pandemic, according to a state Water Board report. \u003ca href=\"https://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0540_misc_05-19-21.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More than one in five customers behind on bills had debt over $1,000\u003c/a>. The department has voluntarily chosen to extend its own moratorium on shutoffs for nonpayment, according to a spokesperson, but has not yet announced an end date. It has also not publicized that decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/01/water-debt-california-households-face-water-shutoffs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Deborah Bell-Holt\u003c/a> didn’t know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975857\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 683px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975857\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1.jpg 683w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/01212021_WaterDebt_SH_03-scaled-1-160x240.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Deborah Bell-Holt sits in front of her house in Jefferson Park near Downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21, 2021, holding her water and power bill. \u003ccite>(Shae Hammond/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her utilities bill ballooned to $19,308.45 during the pandemic as her South Los Angeles household grew to include 12 children, grandchildren and friends.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt assumed that disconnections would start June 30, when evictions were set to begin had lawmakers not made \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/06/california-eviction-moratorium-deal/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a last-minute deal.\u003c/a> She scrambled to send the department $500 in late May and $200 on June 25th, hoping a few payments would stave off shutoffs. To afford that, she said she took out a $500 loan with 347% interest, which she’s still paying back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bell-Holt said that if she’d known she wasn’t at risk on June 30, “I wouldn’t put us in a hole like that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state and utilities haven’t done enough to inform Californians about protections, Stano contends. “The state needs to require… communications to people so they don’t make financial decisions that they don’t have to make,” they said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-living-without-water-or-power\">\u003cstrong>Living Without Water or Power\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Hollman’s third day this summer without water or power, it hit 100 degrees outside. Inside the house was even hotter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman and his kids are used to life without air conditioning in one of California’s hottest regions. Their generator — which requires $10 of fuel per day, on average — only powers the lights, electronics and refrigerator. Normally, Hollman might cool the house by hosing down the roof and outdoor plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, the family lingered at McDonald’s. “It becomes very difficult to keep your spirit up, but you have to for your kids,” Hollman said. “You can’t crack.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the fifth day, his son thanked Hollman for the best day ever, after the two spent the afternoon cutting through the heat on skateboards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the ninth morning, Hollman ran out of generator fuel. He reminded his kids not to open the refrigerator, so the food wouldn’t spoil. He knew his car’s radiator was low, but he was out of coolant and bottled water. He crossed his fingers that the old truck wouldn’t overheat on the way to the gas station. It did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a dance that people shouldn’t have to f—ing do,” Hollman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975859\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975859\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/07172021_Hollman_PU_Sized_03.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Will Hollman’s day typically begins by filling this container with gas for the generator he’s relied on since electricity was shut off to his San Fernando Valley home. \u003ccite>(Pablo Unzueta/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp id=\"h-relief-on-the-way-for-california-utility-bills\">\u003cstrong>Relief On the Way\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>for California Utility Bills\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Theoretically, lawmakers’ new deal could prevent more people from that dance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, \u003ca href=\"http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/FullBudgetSummary.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Newsom proposed $2 billion to relieve utilities debt\u003c/a>. Legislators agreed to the price tag in June, but continued negotiating the distribution plan in private.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/07/california-budget-legislature/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The result is two budget bills\u003c/a> that would create new programs that pay utilities directly to forgive customer debt accrued during the pandemic, prioritizing those at greatest risk of shutoffs. The \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB135\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive $994 million in energy debt, while the \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB148\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program\u003c/a> would forgive \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$985 million\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In both cases, utilities must opt in. They must also offer all customers with pandemic debt a payment plan that would protect them from shutoffs as long as they enroll and stay current on the plan. Plus, the first forbids energy utilities from disconnecting power to a customer for 90 days after applying forgiveness to their account. Neither bill extends the shutoff moratoria, though the \u003ca href=\"https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M393/K048/393048062.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Utilities Commission has extended a moratorium\u003c/a> on shutoffs for a segment of water utilities, which cover about 16% of customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The pending legislation also funnels an unspecified amount of federal relief money into two \u003ca href=\"https://www.csd.ca.gov/Pages/LIHEAPProgram.aspx\">existing\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/lihwap\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">programs\u003c/a> for which households must be income-eligible and apply for the assistance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear whether Hollman will be eligible for the programs, given that he accrued his debt before the COVID-19 pandemic. He may be at risk of another water shutoff soon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"h-a-repeat-of-rent-relief-troubles\">\u003cstrong>A Repeat of Rent Relief Troubles?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state has created countless new assistance programs during the pandemic — many mired by \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/12/why-few-farmworkers-isolate-in-californias-free-covid-19-hotel-rooms/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">delays\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2020/05/undocumented-immigrants-state-disaster-aid-unreachable/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bureaucracy\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/economy/2021/01/bank-of-america-lost-hundreds-of-millions-on-california-unemployment-fiasco/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">scandals\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s \u003ca href=\"https://housing.ca.gov/covid_rr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID rent relief program\u003c/a> is one example. As \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/housing/2021/04/california-rent-relief-tenants/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CalMatters reported\u003c/a>, lengthy online applications available in too few languages initially blocked access to vulnerable renters, while distribution has been painfully slow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California utility bill debt forgiveness programs proposed last week sidestep some of these problems by requiring utilities, instead of customers, to apply, and by not requiring customers to prove eligibility. Advocates cheered that choice, but worried lawmakers didn’t go far enough to prevent shutoffs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The water program legislation requires the water board to start distributing funds by Nov. 1. But that’s a month after the shutoff moratorium ends, said Jennifer Clary, California state director of nonprofit Clean Water Action. “I’m a little concerned about that gap,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stano of the Greenlining Institute said that the bill language doesn’t prevent publicly owned utilities from shutting off power right now. They said it also doesn’t provide enough guidance to ensure that payment plans are sufficiently accessible and reasonable to keep people safe from shutoffs — especially given that only about two-thirds of the debt is expected to be forgiven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We will not be celebrating anything until the risk of disconnection is removed,” said Stano, who is pushing for the energy shutoff moratorium to be extended past Sept. 30.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A life-long Democrat, Hollman finds his faith in government assistance tested. He says he’s never relied much on it until his work as a telecommunications salesman for brick-and-mortar businesses came to a sudden halt last March. He applied for unemployment benefits so that he could focus on overseeing his children’s virtual schooling without any electricity coming to the house, but the checks don’t cover rent, food and generator fuel. He borrowed money, sold assets and made partial rent payments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like millions of Californians, Hollman has run into \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/explainers/california-edd-unemployment-crisis-explained/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">unemployment benefits snafus.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last one happened several nights after the water department turned the water back on. Hollman received his unemployment payment to his Bank of America unemployment benefits account, but said when he tried paying bills the next morning, the money had already been withdrawn. He said he filed reports of identity theft with police and the Employment Development Department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hollman also said he called his landlord to tell him he wouldn’t be able to make July’s rent — and that he hasn’t heard back about the $5,000 in rent relief he’s applied for from the city of Los Angeles. He said he planned to find work this summer, but has been in crisis mode since the water shutoff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It can’t be understated,” Hollman texted, “how delicate the balance of survival is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Heat-Related Deaths Could One Day Match Those of Infectious Diseases",
"headTitle": "Heat-Related Deaths Could One Day Match Those of Infectious Diseases | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>It was the most extreme heat wave on record in the Pacific Northwest. And as officials count the heat-related deaths over the next weeks, it will almost certainly turn out to be one of the deadliest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Vancouver, British Columbia, police responded to at least 65 sudden deaths suspected to be heat-related. And the province’s chief coroner said in late June that at least 486 deaths likely linked to the heat. The residents of one British Columbia community, Lytton, where a temperature of 121 degrees Fahrenheit was higher than any ever recorded in Canada, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC/status/1410414296450748419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">were ordered to evacuate \u003c/a>because of an encroaching wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve never seen anything like this, and it breaks our hearts,” said Sgt. Steve Addison, a spokesman for the Vancouver police department. He said a lot of calls were coming from family members who checked on a loved one in the morning, only to find that they had died overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Washington State, more than 1,300 people flooded emergency rooms suffering from heat exhaustion, dehydration, dizziness or loss of consciousness. At least three people died of suspected heat-related causes, according to the state health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in Oregon, the state medical examiner’s office attributed 63 deaths to the heat wave, with more likely to come. The East Coast was not spared. Newark recorded its hottest ever June day with a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and in New York, thousands of homes were without power and smartphones buzzed with an energy conservation alert from the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As climate change drives up global temperatures, deaths linked to extreme heat are increasing, with some scientists projecting that by 2100, the number of heat deaths will match those from all infectious diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life-threatening extreme heat linked with global warming has broiled parts of every continent over the last few decades, killing at least \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/health-topics/heatwaves#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">166,000 people from 1998 to 2017\u003c/a>, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/health-topics/heatwaves#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World Health Organization\u003c/a>. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16970-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2020 heat wave study\u003c/a> found that, since the 1950s, periods of extreme heat have become more frequent, longer-lasting and hotter, matching, and even exceeding climate projections made 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/analysis/heatwave/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Research\u003c/a> on links between heat waves and global warming suggests that several of the most recent extreme heat waves would have been all but impossible were the climate not being warmed by greenhouse gases. Based on the studies, the Fourth National Climate Assessment \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/search/index.html?query=heat+waves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projects\u003c/a> that dangerous heat waves should be expected across much of the U.S., with big impacts to key economic sectors like transportation and agriculture. In the Pacific Northwest, the heatwave buckled numerous roads, melted power lines and caused airport delays, with air travel affected from Canada down through California, as well as Texas and Arizona.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Perhaps the most important thing for everyone to realize is that extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent and hotter because of human-caused global warming,”said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/umseas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Michigan\u003c/a> climate researcher \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GreatLakesPeck\">Jonathan Overpeck\u003c/a>, who moved from Arizona to the Midwest a few years ago partly based on his concerns about extreme heat and lack of water in the Southwest. “The devastating extremes associated with climate change,” he said, “are only going to get worse and worse until we halt the causes of global warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Clear Threat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the intensification of heat waves is well documented, it’s harder to pinpoint global mortality trends linked to them, because heat wave deaths are not always accurately counted. This is especially true in developing countries that lack the resources for the sophisticated statistical evaluations commonly used to count heat mortality. That also makes it more challenging to prepare for heat threats, said University of Oxford climate scientist Fredi Otto, who has \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13072020/africa-heat-waves-climate-science/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">studied the data gap\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But from regions where there is data, the threat is clear. A severe and long-lasting 2003 heatwave in Europe killed about 70,000 people, mostly in France. Subsequent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/news041129-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research\u003c/a> showed that climate change made that summer’s extreme heat twice as likely and was \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08072016/climate-change-blame-deadliness-2003-heat-wave-new-study-paris-london/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responsible for many of the deaths\u003c/a>, because heat-trapping greenhouse gases made the heat wave more intense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2016 climate monitoring \u003ca href=\"https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/heat-and-health-2/assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report\u003c/a> by the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EU_ENV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Environmental Agency\u003c/a>, the number of heat extremes has substantially increased across Europe in recent decades. “It is virtually certain that the length, frequency and intensity of heat waves will increase in the future,” the report said, leading to a “substantial increase in mortality over the next decades, especially in vulnerable population groups, unless adaptation measures are taken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data from the U.S. Global Change Research program show the average number of heatwaves in major cities across the country has risen from two per year during the 1960s to six per year in the 2010s. The average heatwave season across 50 major cities is now 47 days longer than it was in the 1960s, the data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the United States, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/climatechangeandextremeheatevents.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Centers for Disease Control\u003c/a> and Prevention calculated that extreme heat “caused or contributed to more than 7,800 deaths” from 1999 to 2009, while some studies used by the Environmental Protection Agency show an average of 1,300 heat deaths per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Stone Jr., director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said actual deaths related to excessive heat are much higher, and can only be calculated months after heat waves through statistical analysis. But each heat wave shows the need for more attention to how to adapt to the heat, he said. For all the deserved attention that the Biden administration is putting on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the federal government should also be doing more to help communities handle the deadly consequences of rising temperatures, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Too many people see heat waves as isolated weather events, when they really are a sign of deepening climate change, Stone added. “I try to imagine those current conditions as the normal regime of summer temperatures, because that is where we are headed. We seem to lose sight of the heat once the spiking mercury has subsided.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Deadliest Summer?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lisa Lapointe, the chief coroner in British Columbia, said the almost 500 deaths reported there represented a 195% increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period. She added that she expected the number of deaths to grow, and that the increase was likely to have been caused by extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pacific Northwest heatwave is a major health threat mostly because people who live in the region are not acclimated to extreme heat and are not prepared to deal with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What could sicken or kill people in Seattle might feel like a nice fall day in the Southeast, said Samatha Scarneo-Miller, a health scientist at the West Virginia University School of Medicine who specializes in heat stroke from exertion. Such strokes can kill athletes, like football players during summer practice sessions, and Scarneo-Miller said she is worried that heat-related deaths across the country could soar this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this is about to be the deadliest summer we have ever had with exertion heat stroke,” she said, explaining that student athletes might be overzealous after the pandemic lockdowns and their athletic programs might ignore safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rising heat will “test our human physiology,” and also our health care systems and practices, said Rebecca L. Stearns, the chief operating officer at the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut. The institute conducts research and education on how to keep athletes, soldiers and laborers safe from extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are going to see a lot more issues like we see with this heat wave, and we know the climate is just getting hotter,” Stearns said. “The population needs to be aware that it is not an aberrant issue and will only become more predominant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"icn-donate-block\">\n\u003cp>Laborers will need more rest and water breaks, and working hours may need to shift away from the hottest hours of the day. People may need to learn how to cool themselves down before going outside and exerting themselves, with techniques like chilling their forearms in cold water, drinking slushy ice water or jumping in a pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The health care system also will need to be better equipped, Stearns added. Most hospital emergency rooms don’t have cooling tubs, which have been shown to be effective in treating heat stroke from exertion. And many ambulance crews don’t have rectal thermometers, which she said are the most accurate way to determine whether someone has heat stroke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Elizabeth Haase, chairwoman of the American Psychiatric Association’s climate change committee, said that heat waves also affect mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that violence goes up by about 4 percent and suicide increases by about 1% per degree Celsius of warming. “The reasons for that probably have to do with neurotransmitters in the brain,” she said. “You know, our blood literally boils, in certain ways, when we are exposed to these high temperatures, and there are changes in [messenger chemicals in the brain like] epinephrine and serotonin and all sorts of other physiological things that make us less emotionally stable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat in general raises levels of unease and depression, Haase said. It also “in a completely linear way, raises the incidence of violence and civic conflict, both interpersonal violence, as well as group-on-group violence of all kinds,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat wave threats are widespread and pervasive. For example, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5724a1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>, farmworkers die from heat stroke at a rate nearly 20 times greater than all other U.S. workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/FJED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bruce Goldstein\u003c/a>, president of Farmworker Justice, told Congress during a recent hearing on proposed legislation to protect workers from excessive heat exposure, that many employers do not offer reasonable protections against heat stress, and many farmworkers are reluctant to speak up about unsafe conditions due to fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And based on climate projections, it’s reasonable to expect that many other places in the U.S. will experience similar, and worse, heat extremes in the next few decades, said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MichaelGerrard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Gerrard\u003c/a>, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means sweeping measures to protect a growing number of vulnerable people are needed. He said a national heat standard for workers from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration would be a good first step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Citizen\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the public interest, petitioned the agency for such a safety rule in 2017, but the petition was rejected, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2019 working paper, Gerrard outlined other legal tools that communities use to cope with extreme heat, and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MichaelGerrard/status/1409185156485849089\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted some of the key points on Twitter\u003c/a> as the Pacific Northwest heat wave peaked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Number one on the list is expanding the implicit habitability requirements for landlords to provide protection against heat, as well as cold. “Almost everyone will need air conditioning,” he said, “but not everyone can afford it. There are government programs that will pay for air conditioners, but they don’t pay for the power. There are a lot of poor people who have air conditioning they can’t afford to run.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Revamping the federal energy assistance program to cover that cost would save lives immediately, he said, adding that, “A large percentage of public housing in the U.S. lacks air conditioning, that needs to be corrected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv id=\"mc_embed_signup_60e4a63ac4016\" class=\"icn-newsletter-block icn-block alignwide with-icons hide-email-field\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"mc_embed_signup_scroll_60e4a63ac4016\">\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">InsideClimate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A deadly summer in the Pacific Northwest augurs more heat waves, and more deaths to come",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It was the most extreme heat wave on record in the Pacific Northwest. And as officials count the heat-related deaths over the next weeks, it will almost certainly turn out to be one of the deadliest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Vancouver, British Columbia, police responded to at least 65 sudden deaths suspected to be heat-related. And the province’s chief coroner said in late June that at least 486 deaths likely linked to the heat. The residents of one British Columbia community, Lytton, where a temperature of 121 degrees Fahrenheit was higher than any ever recorded in Canada, \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EmergencyInfoBC/status/1410414296450748419\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">were ordered to evacuate \u003c/a>because of an encroaching wildfire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve never seen anything like this, and it breaks our hearts,” said Sgt. Steve Addison, a spokesman for the Vancouver police department. He said a lot of calls were coming from family members who checked on a loved one in the morning, only to find that they had died overnight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Washington State, more than 1,300 people flooded emergency rooms suffering from heat exhaustion, dehydration, dizziness or loss of consciousness. At least three people died of suspected heat-related causes, according to the state health department.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And in Oregon, the state medical examiner’s office attributed 63 deaths to the heat wave, with more likely to come. The East Coast was not spared. Newark recorded its hottest ever June day with a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and in New York, thousands of homes were without power and smartphones buzzed with an energy conservation alert from the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As climate change drives up global temperatures, deaths linked to extreme heat are increasing, with some scientists projecting that by 2100, the number of heat deaths will match those from all infectious diseases.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Life-threatening extreme heat linked with global warming has broiled parts of every continent over the last few decades, killing at least \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/health-topics/heatwaves#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">166,000 people from 1998 to 2017\u003c/a>, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/health-topics/heatwaves#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">World Health Organization\u003c/a>. A \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16970-7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2020 heat wave study\u003c/a> found that, since the 1950s, periods of extreme heat have become more frequent, longer-lasting and hotter, matching, and even exceeding climate projections made 20 years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/analysis/heatwave/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Research\u003c/a> on links between heat waves and global warming suggests that several of the most recent extreme heat waves would have been all but impossible were the climate not being warmed by greenhouse gases. Based on the studies, the Fourth National Climate Assessment \u003ca href=\"https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/search/index.html?query=heat+waves\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">projects\u003c/a> that dangerous heat waves should be expected across much of the U.S., with big impacts to key economic sectors like transportation and agriculture. In the Pacific Northwest, the heatwave buckled numerous roads, melted power lines and caused airport delays, with air travel affected from Canada down through California, as well as Texas and Arizona.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Perhaps the most important thing for everyone to realize is that extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent and hotter because of human-caused global warming,”said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/umseas\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">University of Michigan\u003c/a> climate researcher \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/GreatLakesPeck\">Jonathan Overpeck\u003c/a>, who moved from Arizona to the Midwest a few years ago partly based on his concerns about extreme heat and lack of water in the Southwest. “The devastating extremes associated with climate change,” he said, “are only going to get worse and worse until we halt the causes of global warming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Clear Threat\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the intensification of heat waves is well documented, it’s harder to pinpoint global mortality trends linked to them, because heat wave deaths are not always accurately counted. This is especially true in developing countries that lack the resources for the sophisticated statistical evaluations commonly used to count heat mortality. That also makes it more challenging to prepare for heat threats, said University of Oxford climate scientist Fredi Otto, who has \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13072020/africa-heat-waves-climate-science/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">studied the data gap\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But from regions where there is data, the threat is clear. A severe and long-lasting 2003 heatwave in Europe killed about 70,000 people, mostly in France. Subsequent \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/news041129-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">research\u003c/a> showed that climate change made that summer’s extreme heat twice as likely and was \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08072016/climate-change-blame-deadliness-2003-heat-wave-new-study-paris-london/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responsible for many of the deaths\u003c/a>, because heat-trapping greenhouse gases made the heat wave more intense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to a 2016 climate monitoring \u003ca href=\"https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/heat-and-health-2/assessment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">report\u003c/a> by the \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/EU_ENV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Environmental Agency\u003c/a>, the number of heat extremes has substantially increased across Europe in recent decades. “It is virtually certain that the length, frequency and intensity of heat waves will increase in the future,” the report said, leading to a “substantial increase in mortality over the next decades, especially in vulnerable population groups, unless adaptation measures are taken.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Data from the U.S. Global Change Research program show the average number of heatwaves in major cities across the country has risen from two per year during the 1960s to six per year in the 2010s. The average heatwave season across 50 major cities is now 47 days longer than it was in the 1960s, the data show.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the United States, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/climatechangeandextremeheatevents.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Centers for Disease Control\u003c/a> and Prevention calculated that extreme heat “caused or contributed to more than 7,800 deaths” from 1999 to 2009, while some studies used by the Environmental Protection Agency show an average of 1,300 heat deaths per year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brian Stone Jr., director of the Urban Climate Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said actual deaths related to excessive heat are much higher, and can only be calculated months after heat waves through statistical analysis. But each heat wave shows the need for more attention to how to adapt to the heat, he said. For all the deserved attention that the Biden administration is putting on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the federal government should also be doing more to help communities handle the deadly consequences of rising temperatures, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Too many people see heat waves as isolated weather events, when they really are a sign of deepening climate change, Stone added. “I try to imagine those current conditions as the normal regime of summer temperatures, because that is where we are headed. We seem to lose sight of the heat once the spiking mercury has subsided.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Deadliest Summer?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lisa Lapointe, the chief coroner in British Columbia, said the almost 500 deaths reported there represented a 195% increase over the approximately 165 deaths that would normally occur in the province over a five-day period. She added that she expected the number of deaths to grow, and that the increase was likely to have been caused by extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Pacific Northwest heatwave is a major health threat mostly because people who live in the region are not acclimated to extreme heat and are not prepared to deal with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What could sicken or kill people in Seattle might feel like a nice fall day in the Southeast, said Samatha Scarneo-Miller, a health scientist at the West Virginia University School of Medicine who specializes in heat stroke from exertion. Such strokes can kill athletes, like football players during summer practice sessions, and Scarneo-Miller said she is worried that heat-related deaths across the country could soar this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think this is about to be the deadliest summer we have ever had with exertion heat stroke,” she said, explaining that student athletes might be overzealous after the pandemic lockdowns and their athletic programs might ignore safety precautions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rising heat will “test our human physiology,” and also our health care systems and practices, said Rebecca L. Stearns, the chief operating officer at the Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut. The institute conducts research and education on how to keep athletes, soldiers and laborers safe from extreme heat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are going to see a lot more issues like we see with this heat wave, and we know the climate is just getting hotter,” Stearns said. “The population needs to be aware that it is not an aberrant issue and will only become more predominant.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"icn-donate-block\">\n\u003cp>Laborers will need more rest and water breaks, and working hours may need to shift away from the hottest hours of the day. People may need to learn how to cool themselves down before going outside and exerting themselves, with techniques like chilling their forearms in cold water, drinking slushy ice water or jumping in a pool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The health care system also will need to be better equipped, Stearns added. Most hospital emergency rooms don’t have cooling tubs, which have been shown to be effective in treating heat stroke from exertion. And many ambulance crews don’t have rectal thermometers, which she said are the most accurate way to determine whether someone has heat stroke.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dr. Elizabeth Haase, chairwoman of the American Psychiatric Association’s climate change committee, said that heat waves also affect mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said that violence goes up by about 4 percent and suicide increases by about 1% per degree Celsius of warming. “The reasons for that probably have to do with neurotransmitters in the brain,” she said. “You know, our blood literally boils, in certain ways, when we are exposed to these high temperatures, and there are changes in [messenger chemicals in the brain like] epinephrine and serotonin and all sorts of other physiological things that make us less emotionally stable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Extreme heat in general raises levels of unease and depression, Haase said. It also “in a completely linear way, raises the incidence of violence and civic conflict, both interpersonal violence, as well as group-on-group violence of all kinds,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heat wave threats are widespread and pervasive. For example, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5724a1.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a>, farmworkers die from heat stroke at a rate nearly 20 times greater than all other U.S. workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/FJED\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bruce Goldstein\u003c/a>, president of Farmworker Justice, told Congress during a recent hearing on proposed legislation to protect workers from excessive heat exposure, that many employers do not offer reasonable protections against heat stress, and many farmworkers are reluctant to speak up about unsafe conditions due to fear of retaliation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And based on climate projections, it’s reasonable to expect that many other places in the U.S. will experience similar, and worse, heat extremes in the next few decades, said \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MichaelGerrard\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Gerrard\u003c/a>, director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University in New York.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means sweeping measures to protect a growing number of vulnerable people are needed. He said a national heat standard for workers from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration would be a good first step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/Public_Citizen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Citizen\u003c/a>, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the public interest, petitioned the agency for such a safety rule in 2017, but the petition was rejected, he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2019 working paper, Gerrard outlined other legal tools that communities use to cope with extreme heat, and \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MichaelGerrard/status/1409185156485849089\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted some of the key points on Twitter\u003c/a> as the Pacific Northwest heat wave peaked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Number one on the list is expanding the implicit habitability requirements for landlords to provide protection against heat, as well as cold. “Almost everyone will need air conditioning,” he said, “but not everyone can afford it. There are government programs that will pay for air conditioners, but they don’t pay for the power. There are a lot of poor people who have air conditioning they can’t afford to run.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Revamping the federal energy assistance program to cover that cost would save lives immediately, he said, adding that, “A large percentage of public housing in the U.S. lacks air conditioning, that needs to be corrected.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv id=\"mc_embed_signup_60e4a63ac4016\" class=\"icn-newsletter-block icn-block alignwide with-icons hide-email-field\">\n\u003cdiv id=\"mc_embed_signup_scroll_60e4a63ac4016\">\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">InsideClimate News\u003c/a> is a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for the ICN newsletter \u003ca href=\"https://insideclimatenews.org/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "California Turns to Solar Coupled With Batteries to Ease Power Outage Disruption",
"headTitle": "California Turns to Solar Coupled With Batteries to Ease Power Outage Disruption | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">When a wildfire tore through Briceburg nearly two years ago, the tiny community on the edge of Yosemite National Park lost the only power line connecting it to the electrical grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Rather than rebuilding poles and wires over increasingly dry hillsides, which could raise the risk of equipment igniting catastrophic fires, the nation’s largest utility decided to give Briceburg a self-reliant power system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The stand-alone grid made of solar panels, batteries and a backup generator began operating this month. It’s the first of potentially hundreds of its kind as Pacific Gas & Electric works to prevent another deadly fire like the one that forced it to file for bankruptcy in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The ramping up of this technology is among a number of strategies to improve energy resilience in California as a cycle of extreme heat, drought and wildfires hammers the U.S. West, triggering massive blackouts and threatening the power supply in the country’s most populous state. Other tactics include raising the cost of electricity during high-demand hours — when it’s most expensive to provide it — and offering cash and prizes to conserve energy when the grid is strained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“I don’t think anyone in the world anticipated how quickly the changes brought on by climate change would manifest. We’re all scrambling to deal with that,” said Peter Lehman, the founding director of the Schatz Energy Research Center, a clean energy institute in Arcata.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The response follows widespread blackouts in California in the past two years that exposed the power grid’s vulnerability to weather. Fierce windstorms led utilities to deliberately shut off power to large swaths of the state to keep high-voltage transmission lines from sparking fire. Then last summer, an oppressive heat wave triggered the first rolling outages in 20 years. More than 800,000 homes and businesses lost power over two days in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">During both crises, a Native American reservation on California’s far northern coast kept the electricity flowing with the help of two microgrids that can disconnect from the larger electrical grid and switch to using solar energy generated and stored in battery banks near its hotel casino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">As most of rural Humboldt County sat in the dark during a planned shutoff in October 2019, the Blue Lake Rancheria became a lifeline for thousands of its neighbors: The gas station and convenience store provided fuel and supplies, the hotel housed patients who needed a place to plug in medical devices, the local newspaper used the conference room to put out the next day’s edition, and a hatchery continued pumping water to keep its fish alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We’ve had outages before, but they were not severe. This one lasted almost three days for us,” said Shad Overton, a manager at Mad River Hatchery. “The electricity from the microgrid pumped the diesel fuel we needed for our generator.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">During a few hours of rolling blackouts last August, the reservation’s microgrids went into “island mode” to help ease stress on the state’s maxed-out grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We seemed to arrive just in time to handle these emergencies, but it’s about good governance over the last decades that paid attention to … what tribal elders were saying about how the conditions were changing, and taking that information and planning for it,” said Jana Ganion, the tribe’s director of sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Energy experts said the tribe’s $8 million microgrids highlight the technology’s potential in providing reliable power to hospitals, fire stations and other small-scale operations that can provide emergency services during a disaster, and to remote communities vulnerable to power loss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“Anything that can give you a little bit of electricity, charge your phone or keep the fridge running when it’s dark is enormously valuable. Microgrids can play a huge part in that,” said Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The state’s energy commission has funded dozens of projects, serving as test beds for policies that might lead to commercialization of microgrids. Regulators are trying to resolve a longstanding rule that prohibits private microgrids from selling their excess electricity “over the fence” because they are not regulated by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">In Briceburg, PG&E determined the cost of installing and maintaining the remote grid outweighed the long-term expense and risk of replacing power lines, utility spokesman Paul Doherty said. The five customers who draw power from it will pay the same rate as they did before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Meanwhile, the state’s grid managers are grappling with the same challenge they faced last year. California routinely buys electricity from neighboring states when it is short on power, but imports are hard to come by when other states are hit by the same heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Bracing for another summer of heat waves, utilities across the U.S. West have been signing contracts for more emergency power supplies and are trying to make sure they aren’t relying on the same suppliers as everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The grid needs to be balanced at all times between electricity supply and demand. On hot days, it is stressed in the late afternoon and early evening, when solar power generation tails off after dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The California Independent System Operator said there have been upgrades in power storage and transmission since last summer, including four times the amount of battery storage from the current 500 megawatts on its system to 2,000 megawatts by August. In all, there will be about 3,500 megawatts of capacity — enough to power some 2.6 million homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">There are setbacks too: \u003ca class=\"\" href=\"http://leads.ap.org/best-of-the-states/drought-saps-california-reservoirs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An intensifying drought is weakening the state’s hydroelectric facilities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Officials warned power shortages could still happen this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We just don’t know how hot it’s going to get and we don’t know how much demand will be,” said Borenstein, who also sits on ISO’s board of governors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">To encourage utility customers to shift some energy use to times when renewable resources are most plentiful, utilities are moving customers to new rate plans where they pay less in the daytime and more during peak demand hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">One company is offering incentives, in the form of cash and gift cards, to people who reduce their household consumption at key times. OhmConnect, a regulated participant on the electricity market, said during a four-day period last summer when ISO issued “FlexAlerts” urging conservation, customers who agreed to let the company manage their smart thermostats and appliances helped take off almost 1 gigawatt-hour of energy — the equivalent of San Francisco’s typical hourly use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Cisco DeVries, CEO of the Oakland-based startup, joked that the opportunity to earn money by saving energy seems too good to be true so the company enlisted \u003ca class=\"\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abiB9oBgHZE&t=12s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">actress Kristen Bell to win over skeptics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“Blackouts feel like a thing that happens that you have no control over, when the reality is that if we work together we actually can prevent it,” DeVries said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">When a wildfire tore through Briceburg nearly two years ago, the tiny community on the edge of Yosemite National Park lost the only power line connecting it to the electrical grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Rather than rebuilding poles and wires over increasingly dry hillsides, which could raise the risk of equipment igniting catastrophic fires, the nation’s largest utility decided to give Briceburg a self-reliant power system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The stand-alone grid made of solar panels, batteries and a backup generator began operating this month. It’s the first of potentially hundreds of its kind as Pacific Gas & Electric works to prevent another deadly fire like the one that forced it to file for bankruptcy in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The ramping up of this technology is among a number of strategies to improve energy resilience in California as a cycle of extreme heat, drought and wildfires hammers the U.S. West, triggering massive blackouts and threatening the power supply in the country’s most populous state. Other tactics include raising the cost of electricity during high-demand hours — when it’s most expensive to provide it — and offering cash and prizes to conserve energy when the grid is strained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“I don’t think anyone in the world anticipated how quickly the changes brought on by climate change would manifest. We’re all scrambling to deal with that,” said Peter Lehman, the founding director of the Schatz Energy Research Center, a clean energy institute in Arcata.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The response follows widespread blackouts in California in the past two years that exposed the power grid’s vulnerability to weather. Fierce windstorms led utilities to deliberately shut off power to large swaths of the state to keep high-voltage transmission lines from sparking fire. Then last summer, an oppressive heat wave triggered the first rolling outages in 20 years. More than 800,000 homes and businesses lost power over two days in August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">During both crises, a Native American reservation on California’s far northern coast kept the electricity flowing with the help of two microgrids that can disconnect from the larger electrical grid and switch to using solar energy generated and stored in battery banks near its hotel casino.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">As most of rural Humboldt County sat in the dark during a planned shutoff in October 2019, the Blue Lake Rancheria became a lifeline for thousands of its neighbors: The gas station and convenience store provided fuel and supplies, the hotel housed patients who needed a place to plug in medical devices, the local newspaper used the conference room to put out the next day’s edition, and a hatchery continued pumping water to keep its fish alive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We’ve had outages before, but they were not severe. This one lasted almost three days for us,” said Shad Overton, a manager at Mad River Hatchery. “The electricity from the microgrid pumped the diesel fuel we needed for our generator.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">During a few hours of rolling blackouts last August, the reservation’s microgrids went into “island mode” to help ease stress on the state’s maxed-out grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We seemed to arrive just in time to handle these emergencies, but it’s about good governance over the last decades that paid attention to … what tribal elders were saying about how the conditions were changing, and taking that information and planning for it,” said Jana Ganion, the tribe’s director of sustainability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Energy experts said the tribe’s $8 million microgrids highlight the technology’s potential in providing reliable power to hospitals, fire stations and other small-scale operations that can provide emergency services during a disaster, and to remote communities vulnerable to power loss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“Anything that can give you a little bit of electricity, charge your phone or keep the fridge running when it’s dark is enormously valuable. Microgrids can play a huge part in that,” said Severin Borenstein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The state’s energy commission has funded dozens of projects, serving as test beds for policies that might lead to commercialization of microgrids. Regulators are trying to resolve a longstanding rule that prohibits private microgrids from selling their excess electricity “over the fence” because they are not regulated by the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">In Briceburg, PG&E determined the cost of installing and maintaining the remote grid outweighed the long-term expense and risk of replacing power lines, utility spokesman Paul Doherty said. The five customers who draw power from it will pay the same rate as they did before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Meanwhile, the state’s grid managers are grappling with the same challenge they faced last year. California routinely buys electricity from neighboring states when it is short on power, but imports are hard to come by when other states are hit by the same heat wave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Bracing for another summer of heat waves, utilities across the U.S. West have been signing contracts for more emergency power supplies and are trying to make sure they aren’t relying on the same suppliers as everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The grid needs to be balanced at all times between electricity supply and demand. On hot days, it is stressed in the late afternoon and early evening, when solar power generation tails off after dark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">The California Independent System Operator said there have been upgrades in power storage and transmission since last summer, including four times the amount of battery storage from the current 500 megawatts on its system to 2,000 megawatts by August. In all, there will be about 3,500 megawatts of capacity — enough to power some 2.6 million homes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">There are setbacks too: \u003ca class=\"\" href=\"http://leads.ap.org/best-of-the-states/drought-saps-california-reservoirs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">An intensifying drought is weakening the state’s hydroelectric facilities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Officials warned power shortages could still happen this summer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“We just don’t know how hot it’s going to get and we don’t know how much demand will be,” said Borenstein, who also sits on ISO’s board of governors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">To encourage utility customers to shift some energy use to times when renewable resources are most plentiful, utilities are moving customers to new rate plans where they pay less in the daytime and more during peak demand hours.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">One company is offering incentives, in the form of cash and gift cards, to people who reduce their household consumption at key times. OhmConnect, a regulated participant on the electricity market, said during a four-day period last summer when ISO issued “FlexAlerts” urging conservation, customers who agreed to let the company manage their smart thermostats and appliances helped take off almost 1 gigawatt-hour of energy — the equivalent of San Francisco’s typical hourly use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">Cisco DeVries, CEO of the Oakland-based startup, joked that the opportunity to earn money by saving energy seems too good to be true so the company enlisted \u003ca class=\"\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abiB9oBgHZE&t=12s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">actress Kristen Bell to win over skeptics\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp class=\"Component-root-0-2-188 Component-p-0-2-179\">“Blackouts feel like a thing that happens that you have no control over, when the reality is that if we work together we actually can prevent it,” DeVries said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Behind the Push to Make Ecocide an International Crime",
"headTitle": "Behind the Push to Make Ecocide an International Crime | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Mass environmental destruction, known as ecocide, would become an international crime similar to genocide and war crimes under a proposed new legal definition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The definition’s unveiling last week by a panel of 12 lawyers from around the world marks a big first step in the global campaign’s efforts to prevent future environmental disasters like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/780408594/amazon-rainforest-sees-biggest-spike-in-deforestation-in-over-a-decade\">deforestation of the Amazon\u003c/a> or actions that contribute to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/tags/125938077/climate-change\">climate change\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are currently four core international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. These crimes are dealt with by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide spent six months preparing the 165-word definition, working with outside experts along the way. In a \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ca2608ab914493c64ef1f6d/t/60d1e6e604fae2201d03407f/1624368879048/SE+Foundation+Commentary+and+core+text+rev+6.pdf\">draft of the definition\u003c/a> by the Stop Ecocide Foundation, a Netherlands-based coalition, panelists said they hoped the proposed definition could provide a basis for the consideration of a new international crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So, What’s The Proposed Definition?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The draft defines ecocide as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975627\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975627\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-800x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-800x525.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-768x504.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5.jpg 838w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proposed definition of ecocide. \u003ccite>(Stop Ecocide Foundation/Screenshot by NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unlike the existing four international crimes, ecocide would be the only crime in which human harm is not a prerequisite for prosecution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are elements of human harm that can be included in (the definition), but it also extends to damage, per se, to ecosystems,” said Jojo Mehta, chair and co-founder of the Stop Ecocide Foundation. “So effectively you’re looking at something that has, at least in part, potential to be a crime against nature, not just a crime against people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Original Ecocide Proposal is Almost 50 Years Old\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intent to make ecocide an international crime isn’t new. The idea was brought up by then-\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0dGIsMEQYgI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme \u003c/a>at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. In his speech, he warned that rapid industrial progress could deplete natural resources at unsustainable levels. But even before that biologist and bioethicist Arthur Galston used the word “ecocide” at the 1970 Conference on War and National Responsibility in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other attempts at formalizing ecocide as an international crime have emerged since then. Ecocide was considered and then dropped during the formal establishment of the ICC in 1998. For 10 years until her death in 2019, Scottish barrister Polly Higgins campaigned for ecocide to be recognized as a crime against humanity. The Stop Ecocide Foundation took up the challenge in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Proposed Definition is Just the Start of a Long Process\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What would it take for the ICC to adopt the ecocide definition and amend the Rome Statute? A lot. Here are the steps that would need to happen:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>One of the International Criminal Court’s 123-member countries (which do not include the U.S., China or India) would have to submit a definition to the United Nations secretary-general.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The proposal must then be voted on by a majority of members of the ICC at the annual assembly in December in order to be considered.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Once the final text for an amendment is discussed and agreed upon, two-thirds of member countries must vote in favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The vote is ratified and must be enforced in countries a year later. While it will become a criminal offense in the countries where it is ratified, ratifying nations may arrest non-nationals on their own soil for ecocide crimes committed elsewhere. This means citizens of countries that are not members of the ICC could still be affected.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Between the formal proposal of an ecocide crime by a member country and ratification, however, an amendment process could take years to decades. The court would hold a vote at their annual meeting in December to take up the proposal, and after that, debates would begin to finalize the crime’s definition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite this, Mehta says that rapidly growing conversations and support around the subject have given the panel confidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see any likelihood of it disappearing. The likelihood is it will actually get proposed,” she said. “However, even if it takes longer than we would like … just the fact that this conversation is happening is already making a difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The International Crime Court has not yet commented on the panel’s proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Josie Fischels is an intern on NPR’s News Desk. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+165+Words+Could+Make+Mass+Environmental+Destruction+An+International+Crime+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Mass environmental destruction, known as ecocide, would become an international crime similar to genocide and war crimes under a proposed new legal definition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The definition’s unveiling last week by a panel of 12 lawyers from around the world marks a big first step in the global campaign’s efforts to prevent future environmental disasters like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/780408594/amazon-rainforest-sees-biggest-spike-in-deforestation-in-over-a-decade\">deforestation of the Amazon\u003c/a> or actions that contribute to \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/tags/125938077/climate-change\">climate change\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are currently four core international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. These crimes are dealt with by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide spent six months preparing the 165-word definition, working with outside experts along the way. In a \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ca2608ab914493c64ef1f6d/t/60d1e6e604fae2201d03407f/1624368879048/SE+Foundation+Commentary+and+core+text+rev+6.pdf\">draft of the definition\u003c/a> by the Stop Ecocide Foundation, a Netherlands-based coalition, panelists said they hoped the proposed definition could provide a basis for the consideration of a new international crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So, What’s The Proposed Definition?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The draft defines ecocide as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975627\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975627\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-800x525.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-800x525.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-160x105.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5-768x504.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/ecocide-definition1_enl-c53abe07f93fb94eda0310ad3dfa64f52a8af6b5.jpg 838w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Proposed definition of ecocide. \u003ccite>(Stop Ecocide Foundation/Screenshot by NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Unlike the existing four international crimes, ecocide would be the only crime in which human harm is not a prerequisite for prosecution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There are elements of human harm that can be included in (the definition), but it also extends to damage, per se, to ecosystems,” said Jojo Mehta, chair and co-founder of the Stop Ecocide Foundation. “So effectively you’re looking at something that has, at least in part, potential to be a crime against nature, not just a crime against people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Original Ecocide Proposal is Almost 50 Years Old\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The intent to make ecocide an international crime isn’t new. The idea was brought up by then-\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/0dGIsMEQYgI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme \u003c/a>at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. In his speech, he warned that rapid industrial progress could deplete natural resources at unsustainable levels. But even before that biologist and bioethicist Arthur Galston used the word “ecocide” at the 1970 Conference on War and National Responsibility in Washington, D.C.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Several other attempts at formalizing ecocide as an international crime have emerged since then. Ecocide was considered and then dropped during the formal establishment of the ICC in 1998. For 10 years until her death in 2019, Scottish barrister Polly Higgins campaigned for ecocide to be recognized as a crime against humanity. The Stop Ecocide Foundation took up the challenge in 2017.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>A Proposed Definition is Just the Start of a Long Process\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What would it take for the ICC to adopt the ecocide definition and amend the Rome Statute? A lot. Here are the steps that would need to happen:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>One of the International Criminal Court’s 123-member countries (which do not include the U.S., China or India) would have to submit a definition to the United Nations secretary-general.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The proposal must then be voted on by a majority of members of the ICC at the annual assembly in December in order to be considered.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Once the final text for an amendment is discussed and agreed upon, two-thirds of member countries must vote in favor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The vote is ratified and must be enforced in countries a year later. While it will become a criminal offense in the countries where it is ratified, ratifying nations may arrest non-nationals on their own soil for ecocide crimes committed elsewhere. This means citizens of countries that are not members of the ICC could still be affected.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>Between the formal proposal of an ecocide crime by a member country and ratification, however, an amendment process could take years to decades. The court would hold a vote at their annual meeting in December to take up the proposal, and after that, debates would begin to finalize the crime’s definition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite this, Mehta says that rapidly growing conversations and support around the subject have given the panel confidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t see any likelihood of it disappearing. The likelihood is it will actually get proposed,” she said. “However, even if it takes longer than we would like … just the fact that this conversation is happening is already making a difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The International Crime Court has not yet commented on the panel’s proposal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Josie Fischels is an intern on NPR’s News Desk. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"fullattribution\">Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=How+165+Words+Could+Make+Mass+Environmental+Destruction+An+International+Crime+&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDAxOTAwOTE4MDEyMTkxMDAzNjczZDljZA004)\">\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A new analysis from an environmental advocacy group highlights a dirty secret about California-produced oil: It is responsible for higher carbon emissions than the oil the state imports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists with the Center for Biological Diversity examined the carbon intensity of the crude oil supplied to California refineries and released their \u003ca href=\"https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/climate_law_institute/pdfs/June-2021-Killer-Crude-Rpt.pdf\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">analysis\u003c/span>\u003c/a> on Monday, which shows that producing gasoline from heavy crude oil drilled in places like Kern County takes a lot of energy and creates tons of pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They found that the carbon intensity of oil produced in California has climbed by 22% since 2012.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California’s oil is getting dirtier and heavier, heating the planet more and requiring more polluting methods to extract it,” said John Fleming, the report’s lead author, in a statement. “The idea that California oil is somehow cleaner or climate-friendly is ludicrous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic//fuels/lcfs/crude-oil/2019_crude_average_ci_value_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tracks\u003c/a> with similar statistics released by California regulators.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dave Clegern, a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board, said agency staff haven’t yet read the environmentalists’ report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But he said California and its regulators are working to drive down consumer demand for gasoline with its policies, like incentivizing the use of electric vehicles. Gov. Gavin Newsom \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1969807/california-to-halt-sales-of-new-gas-cars-by-2035\">announced\u003c/a> last September that California will ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by the year 2035.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote size=\"medium\" align=\"right\" citation=\"John Fleming, Center for Biological Diversity\"]‘The idea that California oil is somehow cleaner or climate-friendly is ludicrous.’[/pullquote]“We know that as you get to the bottom of the barrel, more and more unconventional fuels, from light sweet crude to heavy crude — which California produces a lot off — to tar sands, it takes more effort to make gasoline,” said Dan Kammen, an energy professor at UC Berkeley who helped the state craft its fuel standard more than a decade ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More effort means more energy. It means more pollution. It also typically means removing more impurities, all of that adds up to a dirtier and dirtier product,” he said. “This report really calls that out. California produces in Kern County some very sour, high-toxics fuels. It is not a surprise.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kammen was not involved in the center’s report, but he helped design the methodology behind California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The environmentalists used equations from that state regulation in their report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Proponents of California oil drilling have \u003ca href=\"https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2021/03/08/californias-big-oil-wins-okay-40-500-wells-farmer-vows-sue/4629935001/\">\u003cspan class=\"s2\">argued\u003c/span>\u003c/a> that California-produced oil products are cleaner than the imported alternatives. These statistics undercut that argument — at least, in part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the production of California oil could contribute more planet-warming gas emissions, industry groups and labor groups have \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-04/newsom-california-fracking-ban-vision-exceeds-original-scope\">argued\u003c/a> that California oil is preferable to imported alternatives because it is produced under strict environmental and labor regulations. Limiting drilling here could hurt jobs, they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside label='Related Coverage' tag='oil-drilling']“Foreign oil is not produced with the same environmental protections or humanitarian values that we have here in California; nor do they pay billions in California taxes or hundreds of millions of dollars in fees that are reinvested to advance California’s climate goals,” Rock Zierman, CEO of the California Independent Petroleum Association, told the \u003ca href=\"https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-04/newsom-california-fracking-ban-vision-exceeds-original-scope\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Times\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The environmentalists are using the report to call on California to swiftly stop approving new oil and gas wells, ban fracking and “immediately implement a health-and-safety buffer to prevent oil and gas drilling in communities and protect public health and safety from the air pollution and other harms of oil and gas extraction,” they wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Regulators with the California Geologic Energy Management Division, known as CalGEM, have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975538/california-oil-regulators-delay-health-safety-rules-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">delayed\u003c/a>, for the second time, the release of draft rules that could require oil and gas drilling sites be set back from homes and schools in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
},
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"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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"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.",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
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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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"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",
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"source": "NPR"
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"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.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
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"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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},
"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. ",
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"order": 18
},
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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/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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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"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
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"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"
},
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"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",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
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