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"slug": "bay-area-brewery-pulls-co2-from-the-air-to-keep-beer-flowing",
"title": "Bay Area Brewery Pulls CO2 From the Air to Keep Beer Flowing",
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"content": "\u003cp>Over a sun-baked weekend this month, customers lined up for beer, their numbers overflowing into the palm-treed, and mercifully shaded, garden of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/28916/almanac-beer-company-local-brewers-local-ingredients\">Almanac Beer Co.\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda\">Alameda\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cold lagers and ales in pint glasses bubbled and sparkled, the fizz courtesy of dissolved carbon dioxide. The CO2 gives the beer extra flavor, aroma and a tingly, crisp feeling on the tongue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Customers sampling the beer would have no idea the amber liquid in their hand was in any way trailblazing, but they were drinking what’s believed to be the first beer carbonated with CO2 caught by a direct air capture machine at the brewery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We may often think of carbon dioxide as a waste product that contributes to climate change — something released during combustion, with far too much of it accumulating in the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond being an atmospheric pollutant, carbon dioxide is also an industrial commodity, a material used to produce concrete and fertilizer and for carbonating beverages like beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000421\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000421\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah McGrath tends the bar at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, it is often a byproduct of refining oil or gas. Then it is shipped on trucks to wherever it is needed. The supply chain is fragile and unreliable, forcing businesses that rely on it to halt operations from time to time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley-based Aircapture is changing that by capturing and concentrating CO2 at the site where its customers need it. Over the weekend, the company unveiled its system at Almanac’s Alameda brewery. The beer company has used it in its operations for about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We aim to save our customers money and provide them with a higher reliability of supply, higher purity supply, and of course, a much more sustainable supply,” said Matt Atwood, founder and CEO at Aircapture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000428\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000428\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matt Atwood, CEO at Aircapture, and the Aircapture system installed Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>From a climate perspective, this application isn’t necessarily a game changer, said carbon sequestration expert Klaus Lackner. He founded the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University and is not involved in Aircapture or Almanac.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it’s avoiding the need to industrially produce and ship CO2 on trucks, fundamentally, it’s capturing carbon that is then released into the beer and eventually out into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he said, if niche markets like breweries adopt direct air capture, that could provide the breeding grounds for the technology to be further developed to the point that the price for it drops dramatically.[aside postID=science_2000377 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-ALAMEDA-ISLAND-MD-02-KQED.jpg']“It’s actually critical that if you want technologies which can replace what we have,” Lackner said, “whether this is air capture or something else, that you get affordable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solar panels, he said, used to cost hundreds of times more than they do today and only started meaningfully contributing to renewable energy supplies once their cost came down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fundamentally, this was a business decision,” said Damian Fagan, CEO of Almanac. His company saves 15% on the per-pound cost of CO2. That adds up pretty quickly, Fagan said, in the range of tens of thousands of dollars a year. The additional sustainability is great, he said, and fits in with the company’s goals of locally sourcing ingredients. But his primary interest was avoiding future disruptions in supply. For that, he would even be willing to pay more per pound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac shut down operations for two days last fall when shipments of CO2 didn’t arrive from their suppliers. They couldn’t can beer, so they couldn’t sell it. Their brewing schedule backed up. To catch up, they had to add a third shift and staff worked till midnight. The CO2 industry infrastructure – part of the heavily regulated oil and gas industry – is aging and degrading, so Fagan expects reliability will only get worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The writing’s on the wall: the infrastructure that produces CO2, particularly here in California, is fading quickly,” he said. “And CO2 is literally intrinsic to the brewing process — it’s like electricity or water. If you don’t have them, we are just dead in the water. We can’t operate without it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000423\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000423 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Aircapture system at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Almanac promotes its use of the Aircapture technology through branding on its “Flow” beer, a light and bright West Coast Pale Ale. Eventually, they plan to use it in all their beers and to power their lines that push the beer to the 30 taps in the taproom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While carbonation improves the aroma and taste of the beer, customers won’t notice a difference between the industrially-provided CO2 and the locally-sourced CO2 from the parking lot. There’s no effect on taste, and Aircapture said the purity from their technology significantly exceeds industry standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The direct air capture machine sits in the brewery’s parking lot. A large fan sucks air through a pipe. A ceramic substrate grabs onto the carbon dioxide in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000426\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000426 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brenden Dobel prepares fermenter tanks for brewing beer at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The CO2 is then released via a blast of steam and piped into the brewery and a trailer with Aircapture’s equipment. The CO2 is cooled down, concentrated, turned into liquid, purified and sent to tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac pays for the carbon dioxide it uses, but not directly for the equipment. The machine is designed to last 20 years. If Almanac expands and needs more CO2, it can add additional units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the brewery expects to use around 120,000 pounds to brew 15 thousand barrels of beer — and that number is rising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000429\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damian Fagan, CEO at Almanac Beer Co., at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our usage is only going up,” Fagan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac is, to the best of Aircapture’s knowledge, the first brewery to use direct air capture technology to carbonate its beer. But it almost certainly won’t be the last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s next project is with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, installing the technology at a brewery in the Canary Islands later this year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Over a sun-baked weekend this month, customers lined up for beer, their numbers overflowing into the palm-treed, and mercifully shaded, garden of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/28916/almanac-beer-company-local-brewers-local-ingredients\">Almanac Beer Co.\u003c/a> in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/alameda\">Alameda\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cold lagers and ales in pint glasses bubbled and sparkled, the fizz courtesy of dissolved carbon dioxide. The CO2 gives the beer extra flavor, aroma and a tingly, crisp feeling on the tongue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Customers sampling the beer would have no idea the amber liquid in their hand was in any way trailblazing, but they were drinking what’s believed to be the first beer carbonated with CO2 caught by a direct air capture machine at the brewery.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We may often think of carbon dioxide as a waste product that contributes to climate change — something released during combustion, with far too much of it accumulating in the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beyond being an atmospheric pollutant, carbon dioxide is also an industrial commodity, a material used to produce concrete and fertilizer and for carbonating beverages like beer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000421\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000421\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-04-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sarah McGrath tends the bar at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In California, it is often a byproduct of refining oil or gas. Then it is shipped on trucks to wherever it is needed. The supply chain is fragile and unreliable, forcing businesses that rely on it to halt operations from time to time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley-based Aircapture is changing that by capturing and concentrating CO2 at the site where its customers need it. Over the weekend, the company unveiled its system at Almanac’s Alameda brewery. The beer company has used it in its operations for about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We aim to save our customers money and provide them with a higher reliability of supply, higher purity supply, and of course, a much more sustainable supply,” said Matt Atwood, founder and CEO at Aircapture.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000428\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000428\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-07-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matt Atwood, CEO at Aircapture, and the Aircapture system installed Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>From a climate perspective, this application isn’t necessarily a game changer, said carbon sequestration expert Klaus Lackner. He founded the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University and is not involved in Aircapture or Almanac.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While it’s avoiding the need to industrially produce and ship CO2 on trucks, fundamentally, it’s capturing carbon that is then released into the beer and eventually out into the atmosphere.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, he said, if niche markets like breweries adopt direct air capture, that could provide the breeding grounds for the technology to be further developed to the point that the price for it drops dramatically.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“It’s actually critical that if you want technologies which can replace what we have,” Lackner said, “whether this is air capture or something else, that you get affordable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Solar panels, he said, used to cost hundreds of times more than they do today and only started meaningfully contributing to renewable energy supplies once their cost came down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fundamentally, this was a business decision,” said Damian Fagan, CEO of Almanac. His company saves 15% on the per-pound cost of CO2. That adds up pretty quickly, Fagan said, in the range of tens of thousands of dollars a year. The additional sustainability is great, he said, and fits in with the company’s goals of locally sourcing ingredients. But his primary interest was avoiding future disruptions in supply. For that, he would even be willing to pay more per pound.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac shut down operations for two days last fall when shipments of CO2 didn’t arrive from their suppliers. They couldn’t can beer, so they couldn’t sell it. Their brewing schedule backed up. To catch up, they had to add a third shift and staff worked till midnight. The CO2 industry infrastructure – part of the heavily regulated oil and gas industry – is aging and degrading, so Fagan expects reliability will only get worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The writing’s on the wall: the infrastructure that produces CO2, particularly here in California, is fading quickly,” he said. “And CO2 is literally intrinsic to the brewing process — it’s like electricity or water. If you don’t have them, we are just dead in the water. We can’t operate without it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000423\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000423 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Aircapture system at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Almanac promotes its use of the Aircapture technology through branding on its “Flow” beer, a light and bright West Coast Pale Ale. Eventually, they plan to use it in all their beers and to power their lines that push the beer to the 30 taps in the taproom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While carbonation improves the aroma and taste of the beer, customers won’t notice a difference between the industrially-provided CO2 and the locally-sourced CO2 from the parking lot. There’s no effect on taste, and Aircapture said the purity from their technology significantly exceeds industry standards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The direct air capture machine sits in the brewery’s parking lot. A large fan sucks air through a pipe. A ceramic substrate grabs onto the carbon dioxide in the air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000426\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000426 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-11-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brenden Dobel prepares fermenter tanks for brewing beer at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The CO2 is then released via a blast of steam and piped into the brewery and a trailer with Aircapture’s equipment. The CO2 is cooled down, concentrated, turned into liquid, purified and sent to tanks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac pays for the carbon dioxide it uses, but not directly for the equipment. The machine is designed to last 20 years. If Almanac expands and needs more CO2, it can add additional units.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year, the brewery expects to use around 120,000 pounds to brew 15 thousand barrels of beer — and that number is rising.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000429\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000429\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/260320-BEER-CARBON-MD-12-KQED-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Damian Fagan, CEO at Almanac Beer Co., at Almanac Adventureland and Brewery in Alameda on March 20, 2026. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Our usage is only going up,” Fagan said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almanac is, to the best of Aircapture’s knowledge, the first brewery to use direct air capture technology to carbonate its beer. But it almost certainly won’t be the last.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The company’s next project is with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer, installing the technology at a brewery in the Canary Islands later this year.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>“There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this, the opening line of Rachel Carson’s \u003cem>Silent Spring\u003c/em>, the author begins to paint a bleak, but plausible, picture: a community where fish once thrived in the creeks and rivers, insects buzzed in fields, birds filled the air with song and children had a chance to grow up healthy and strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Rachel Carson’s telling, the town now has no life in its waters, fields or air and adults and children sicken from mysterious conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cause? It was, she writes, “no witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carson did not have a specific town in mind; instead, she sculpted an amalgam of reports from disasters around the country. And in the rest of the book, she explains what was causing the silencing of the voices of spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000359\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000359 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/GettyImages-517350968-e1773868401860.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"1556\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachel Carson stirred up a roaring national controversy with her last book, “Silent Spring.” Carson was born in Springdale, Pennsylvania and first burst onto the scene in 1951 with “The Sea Around Us,” which became a best seller. The success enabled Carson, shown here seated at her typewriter, to leave her government job as an aquatic biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. \u003ccite>(Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her book, published in 1962, became enormously influential, changing the direction of society. It sparked the modern environmental movement. It caught the attention of President John F. Kennedy, who directed his Science Advisory Committee to investigate the use of pesticides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conclusions of the panel were the same as Carson’s, urging reduced pesticide use and improved regulations. \u003cem>Silent Spring\u003c/em> had its detractors at the time, notably the chemical industry, which \u003ca href=\"https://blog.ucs.org/anita-desikan/why-rachel-carsons-silent-spring-still-resonates-today/\">fought to stop its publication\u003c/a> and discredit the author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, it has its critics as well, some say it has led to all chemicals being viewed with suspicion, whether with good reason or not, and that her opening scene of a mass biocide — which sets the tone of the work — is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/health/05iht-sntier.1.6003787.html\">simplistic and unscientific\u003c/a>, presenting the natural world of the past and traditional agriculture as a Disneyfied version of Eden. It remains a worthy and beautiful read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rachel Carson left a legacy of highlighting nature’s sustaining power for the human spirit. She argued chemical industries were corrupting the globe and called on us to regulate our appetites, for our own self-preservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This stance, which at the time was revolutionary and subversive, still resonates today as we come to terms with the impacts of global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems reasonable,” Carson wrote, “that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Read with us! KQED's Climate Book Club is taking up \"Silent Spring\" by Rachel Carson. We will gather to discuss during the Night of Ideas at the San Francisco Public Library on April 11. Our guest speaker will be professor of law and the founding Director of the Environmental Law Clinic, Claudia Polsky.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>“There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this, the opening line of Rachel Carson’s \u003cem>Silent Spring\u003c/em>, the author begins to paint a bleak, but plausible, picture: a community where fish once thrived in the creeks and rivers, insects buzzed in fields, birds filled the air with song and children had a chance to grow up healthy and strong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in Rachel Carson’s telling, the town now has no life in its waters, fields or air and adults and children sicken from mysterious conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The cause? It was, she writes, “no witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world. The people had done it themselves.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carson did not have a specific town in mind; instead, she sculpted an amalgam of reports from disasters around the country. And in the rest of the book, she explains what was causing the silencing of the voices of spring.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000359\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1250px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000359 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/GettyImages-517350968-e1773868401860.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"1556\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachel Carson stirred up a roaring national controversy with her last book, “Silent Spring.” Carson was born in Springdale, Pennsylvania and first burst onto the scene in 1951 with “The Sea Around Us,” which became a best seller. The success enabled Carson, shown here seated at her typewriter, to leave her government job as an aquatic biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. \u003ccite>(Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Her book, published in 1962, became enormously influential, changing the direction of society. It sparked the modern environmental movement. It caught the attention of President John F. Kennedy, who directed his Science Advisory Committee to investigate the use of pesticides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The conclusions of the panel were the same as Carson’s, urging reduced pesticide use and improved regulations. \u003cem>Silent Spring\u003c/em> had its detractors at the time, notably the chemical industry, which \u003ca href=\"https://blog.ucs.org/anita-desikan/why-rachel-carsons-silent-spring-still-resonates-today/\">fought to stop its publication\u003c/a> and discredit the author.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Today, it has its critics as well, some say it has led to all chemicals being viewed with suspicion, whether with good reason or not, and that her opening scene of a mass biocide — which sets the tone of the work — is \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/health/05iht-sntier.1.6003787.html\">simplistic and unscientific\u003c/a>, presenting the natural world of the past and traditional agriculture as a Disneyfied version of Eden. It remains a worthy and beautiful read.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rachel Carson left a legacy of highlighting nature’s sustaining power for the human spirit. She argued chemical industries were corrupting the globe and called on us to regulate our appetites, for our own self-preservation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This stance, which at the time was revolutionary and subversive, still resonates today as we come to terms with the impacts of global heating caused by the burning of fossil fuels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems reasonable,” Carson wrote, “that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for the destruction of our race. Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944241/lead-ammunition-is-now-banned-for-hunting-wildlife-in-california\">condors\u003c/a> are the largest land bird in North America — with wingspans of almost 10 feet. The vultures look and sound otherworldly, with good reason. They are a Pleistocene-era animal, survivors of the last ice age. These incredible \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/55378/with-condors-on-the-brink-california-considers-a-lead-bullet-ban-for-hunters\">scavengers\u003c/a> — weighing up to 25 pounds — used to range from California to Florida and from Canada to Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the last century, their populations crashed. The federal government listed them as endangered in 1967, and in 1982, only 23 condors survived worldwide. A substantial conservation campaign in California followed, spanning several decades. Now there are more than 600 alive, but they aren’t doing as well as scientists expected, even after the state banned hunters from using lead bullets, fragments of which the birds swallow when they eat animal carcasses left behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69617-4\">research published Wednesday\u003c/a> explains the mystery of why, despite many protections, the birds are still struggling. The answer, the scientists believe, is due to condors changing their behavior to act like more wild birds. The birds are foraging further afield from sites where conservationists leave food and finding animals to eat that are sometimes shot with lead. More lead-laced animal carcasses may be available, they believe, due to the expansion of feral pigs causing a nuisance in Central California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Condors are very long-lived, so very small changes in their survival rate can make big differences on whether or not they will go extinct or not go extinct,” said Myra Finkelstein, an environmental toxicologist at UC Santa Cruz and senior author on the paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal is that for us to stop releasing captive-bred birds, and currently right now, we still have to. The population is declining unless we release captive-bred birds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkelstein published research in 2012 that showed the lead poisoning from ammunition was preventing the condor’s recovery. The findings built support for California to pass a lead bullet ban for hunting wildlife in 2013, which fully phased into effect in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the law passed, Finkelstein was very excited. “Not only does lead poison California condors, it will poison any scavenging species, and there’s no level of lead exposure that’s known to be without long-term effects for young kids. So [no lead] is just a win-win all around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000337\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California condor 966 Pixchi chases 747 Boeing through the late afternoon skies above Pinnacles National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Tim Huntington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in the years that followed the ban, she and her colleagues continued their research, but they did not see the lead mortality decrease as expected. In fact, it worsened. The amount of lead in the blood of Central California condors actually jumped after full implementation of the ban. This, on the face, made no sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t think that people were out there using more lead than they were before the ban,” she said. In fact, every indication from the hunting community was that people were largely, albeit not entirely, complying with the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkelstein said her research team felt under some pressure to be able to provide an explanation. If they can’t explain the cause, other states and countries could look at California’s example and conclude that “lead bullet bans don’t work to protect endangered species, we shouldn’t bother with them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, condor researchers in California are lucky in that they have extremely robust datasets. While most biologists study what they hope is a representative subset, Finkelstein and colleagues have access to three decades of near-daily data on every single condor in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We use every single bird,” Finkelstein said. “We have all the blood lead levels that have been collected. And we have all of the outreach that has been done. We have so much data. And with all these data, we were able to start looking at what could be influencing condor lead risk. Why is it worse now than it was five years ago?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They noticed two things: one, that an individual condor’s behavior was highly linked with how soon it died of lead poisoning. The birds still depend on the lead-free carcasses left by conservationists at certain sites. But more and more birds are venturing further afield, presumably picking up lead contamination in the carcasses they find. But where would that increased lead be coming from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combining data from deer hunts, pig hunts and elsewhere, Finkelstein said they found, “lo and behold, what explained the problem in central California was an increase in pigs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feral pigs have become a nuisance, with most living on private land. They damage crops and vineyards and are a health hazard; they carry viruses, bacteria and parasites that can affect humans, pets, and livestock. Pig hunting tripled after 2008, and doubled again after 2019. Sometimes they’re killed without a tag, which is like a permission slip from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to kill an animal. It’s impossible to know how often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000338\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000338\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California condor 966 Pixchi at Pinnacles National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Tim Huntington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But it doesn’t take much of an increase in lead on the landscape to affect condors. The paper, published in \u003cem>Nature Communications\u003c/em>, explains that fewer than 10 lead-contaminated feedings per year are enough to explain this increase in lead exposure seen in California’s condors. And a condor can be taken down by fewer feedings than that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think people don’t understand that just one feeding, one tiny little sliver of lead can kill a condor — and condors are supposed to live 60 plus years,” Finkelstein said. “They never lived that long. We have a bunch of teenagers flying around out there, you know? Very few adults … It’s just tragic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the research team found that the lead ammunition bans are effective. Without them, condor mortality would be much worse. And, while California condors are not self-sustaining at the moment, they are almost there. A small additional decrease in lead, and they could get there. Interestingly, deer hunting appears to have a protective effect on condors. Deer hunters are overwhelmingly abiding by the lead ammunition ban, and so entrails left over from a deer being dressed in the field provide a safe meal for a condor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We only need to lower lead mortality by 1%, and the condor population is expected to become self-sustaining. Now that to me sounds like we’re on the verge of success here,” said Kelly Sorenson of the Ventana Wildlife Society, who has led major recovery efforts for condors across central California. Sorenson did not participate in the study. “And hunters and ranchers are being a part of that by switching to non-lead.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Ventana Wildlife Society, in addition to doing outreach and education, gives away non-lead ammunition to hunters. This year, it plans to give away $60,000 in supplies. It is still legal to buy lead in California and to fire it at some shooting ranges. Sorenson laments that not all calibers are readily available at stores in non-lead options, which can also be more expensive. In California, people are not allowed to order ammunition online; they must buy it in person from a store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The prohibition of online sales is really a big deal, severely limiting availability,” Sorenson said. “The people who are really having a hard time [switching over to non-lead options] are the ranchers who are shooting sometimes hundreds of rounds of rimfire every weekend.” Rimfire is a type of low-cost ammunition popular for small-game hunting. Non-lead ammunition for one of the most common rifles used in the U.S., the 22 Long Rifle, often used for controlling ground squirrels, is not available in most stores, Sorenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While other states do ammunition sales differently, they have their own problems. Currently, California is the only one with a lead ammo ban for shooting wildlife. But other states are considering similar actions and looking to California’s example.[aside postID=news_12059633 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-1658708092-2000x1347.jpg']“California condors are the tip of a very large and worrisome iceberg,” said Mike Pokras, who ran the wildlife program at Tufts University near Boston for 35 years. He’s advocating for a bill in Maryland aimed at getting hunters to use non-lead bullets when harvesting animals that enter the human food chain, like deer. The goal is to keep both humans and scavenger animals healthier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, he said, “It is absolutely a global issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pokras knows people working to get lead out of wildlife from Norway to South Africa to Spain to Japan. Lead is killing bald eagles, loons, swans, cheetahs, sea eagles. The importance of addressing lead in ammunition, he said, goes beyond concern for animals. It’s a serious public health issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the lessons of the condor outlined in Finkelstein’s latest research paper will be very helpful for many lead-affected species. It shows that animal behavior can change, that food sources can change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, though, he sees one solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to get all this lead stuff off the market. The human risks aren’t just from eating animals that have been shot with lead, but simply handling the metallic lead,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. The kids in Flint, Michigan, who were exposed to increased lead in water, experienced a host of physical and mental problems. Other kids have become sick from being exposed to old lead paint in substandard housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter where the lead comes from,” Pokras said. “It’s really bad for people. Even if [gun owners are] target shooting, we don’t want them using lead.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1944241/lead-ammunition-is-now-banned-for-hunting-wildlife-in-california\">condors\u003c/a> are the largest land bird in North America — with wingspans of almost 10 feet. The vultures look and sound otherworldly, with good reason. They are a Pleistocene-era animal, survivors of the last ice age. These incredible \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/quest/55378/with-condors-on-the-brink-california-considers-a-lead-bullet-ban-for-hunters\">scavengers\u003c/a> — weighing up to 25 pounds — used to range from California to Florida and from Canada to Mexico.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But in the last century, their populations crashed. The federal government listed them as endangered in 1967, and in 1982, only 23 condors survived worldwide. A substantial conservation campaign in California followed, spanning several decades. Now there are more than 600 alive, but they aren’t doing as well as scientists expected, even after the state banned hunters from using lead bullets, fragments of which the birds swallow when they eat animal carcasses left behind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New \u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69617-4\">research published Wednesday\u003c/a> explains the mystery of why, despite many protections, the birds are still struggling. The answer, the scientists believe, is due to condors changing their behavior to act like more wild birds. The birds are foraging further afield from sites where conservationists leave food and finding animals to eat that are sometimes shot with lead. More lead-laced animal carcasses may be available, they believe, due to the expansion of feral pigs causing a nuisance in Central California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Condors are very long-lived, so very small changes in their survival rate can make big differences on whether or not they will go extinct or not go extinct,” said Myra Finkelstein, an environmental toxicologist at UC Santa Cruz and senior author on the paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The goal is that for us to stop releasing captive-bred birds, and currently right now, we still have to. The population is declining unless we release captive-bred birds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkelstein published research in 2012 that showed the lead poisoning from ammunition was preventing the condor’s recovery. The findings built support for California to pass a lead bullet ban for hunting wildlife in 2013, which fully phased into effect in 2019.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the law passed, Finkelstein was very excited. “Not only does lead poison California condors, it will poison any scavenging species, and there’s no level of lead exposure that’s known to be without long-term effects for young kids. So [no lead] is just a win-win all around.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000337\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000337\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_chases_747_8076-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California condor 966 Pixchi chases 747 Boeing through the late afternoon skies above Pinnacles National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Tim Huntington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in the years that followed the ban, she and her colleagues continued their research, but they did not see the lead mortality decrease as expected. In fact, it worsened. The amount of lead in the blood of Central California condors actually jumped after full implementation of the ban. This, on the face, made no sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We didn’t think that people were out there using more lead than they were before the ban,” she said. In fact, every indication from the hunting community was that people were largely, albeit not entirely, complying with the ban.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finkelstein said her research team felt under some pressure to be able to provide an explanation. If they can’t explain the cause, other states and countries could look at California’s example and conclude that “lead bullet bans don’t work to protect endangered species, we shouldn’t bother with them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fortunately, condor researchers in California are lucky in that they have extremely robust datasets. While most biologists study what they hope is a representative subset, Finkelstein and colleagues have access to three decades of near-daily data on every single condor in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We use every single bird,” Finkelstein said. “We have all the blood lead levels that have been collected. And we have all of the outreach that has been done. We have so much data. And with all these data, we were able to start looking at what could be influencing condor lead risk. Why is it worse now than it was five years ago?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They noticed two things: one, that an individual condor’s behavior was highly linked with how soon it died of lead poisoning. The birds still depend on the lead-free carcasses left by conservationists at certain sites. But more and more birds are venturing further afield, presumably picking up lead contamination in the carcasses they find. But where would that increased lead be coming from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Combining data from deer hunts, pig hunts and elsewhere, Finkelstein said they found, “lo and behold, what explained the problem in central California was an increase in pigs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Feral pigs have become a nuisance, with most living on private land. They damage crops and vineyards and are a health hazard; they carry viruses, bacteria and parasites that can affect humans, pets, and livestock. Pig hunting tripled after 2008, and doubled again after 2019. Sometimes they’re killed without a tag, which is like a permission slip from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to kill an animal. It’s impossible to know how often.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000338\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000338\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2400\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-768x960.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/03/kqed_for_myra_story_966_portrait_8278-NR-1638x2048.jpg 1638w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California condor 966 Pixchi at Pinnacles National Park. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Tim Huntington)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But it doesn’t take much of an increase in lead on the landscape to affect condors. The paper, published in \u003cem>Nature Communications\u003c/em>, explains that fewer than 10 lead-contaminated feedings per year are enough to explain this increase in lead exposure seen in California’s condors. And a condor can be taken down by fewer feedings than that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think people don’t understand that just one feeding, one tiny little sliver of lead can kill a condor — and condors are supposed to live 60 plus years,” Finkelstein said. “They never lived that long. We have a bunch of teenagers flying around out there, you know? Very few adults … It’s just tragic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the research team found that the lead ammunition bans are effective. Without them, condor mortality would be much worse. And, while California condors are not self-sustaining at the moment, they are almost there. A small additional decrease in lead, and they could get there. Interestingly, deer hunting appears to have a protective effect on condors. Deer hunters are overwhelmingly abiding by the lead ammunition ban, and so entrails left over from a deer being dressed in the field provide a safe meal for a condor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We only need to lower lead mortality by 1%, and the condor population is expected to become self-sustaining. Now that to me sounds like we’re on the verge of success here,” said Kelly Sorenson of the Ventana Wildlife Society, who has led major recovery efforts for condors across central California. Sorenson did not participate in the study. “And hunters and ranchers are being a part of that by switching to non-lead.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Ventana Wildlife Society, in addition to doing outreach and education, gives away non-lead ammunition to hunters. This year, it plans to give away $60,000 in supplies. It is still legal to buy lead in California and to fire it at some shooting ranges. Sorenson laments that not all calibers are readily available at stores in non-lead options, which can also be more expensive. In California, people are not allowed to order ammunition online; they must buy it in person from a store.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The prohibition of online sales is really a big deal, severely limiting availability,” Sorenson said. “The people who are really having a hard time [switching over to non-lead options] are the ranchers who are shooting sometimes hundreds of rounds of rimfire every weekend.” Rimfire is a type of low-cost ammunition popular for small-game hunting. Non-lead ammunition for one of the most common rifles used in the U.S., the 22 Long Rifle, often used for controlling ground squirrels, is not available in most stores, Sorenson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While other states do ammunition sales differently, they have their own problems. Currently, California is the only one with a lead ammo ban for shooting wildlife. But other states are considering similar actions and looking to California’s example.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“California condors are the tip of a very large and worrisome iceberg,” said Mike Pokras, who ran the wildlife program at Tufts University near Boston for 35 years. He’s advocating for a bill in Maryland aimed at getting hunters to use non-lead bullets when harvesting animals that enter the human food chain, like deer. The goal is to keep both humans and scavenger animals healthier.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, he said, “It is absolutely a global issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pokras knows people working to get lead out of wildlife from Norway to South Africa to Spain to Japan. Lead is killing bald eagles, loons, swans, cheetahs, sea eagles. The importance of addressing lead in ammunition, he said, goes beyond concern for animals. It’s a serious public health issue.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the lessons of the condor outlined in Finkelstein’s latest research paper will be very helpful for many lead-affected species. It shows that animal behavior can change, that food sources can change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, though, he sees one solution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to get all this lead stuff off the market. The human risks aren’t just from eating animals that have been shot with lead, but simply handling the metallic lead,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. The kids in Flint, Michigan, who were exposed to increased lead in water, experienced a host of physical and mental problems. Other kids have become sick from being exposed to old lead paint in substandard housing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It doesn’t matter where the lead comes from,” Pokras said. “It’s really bad for people. Even if [gun owners are] target shooting, we don’t want them using lead.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe\n src='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor?embedded=true'\n title='https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeeKhyuk-_odJH80iw5eAlpLBF-YWJnOi_Yqs4BEN9fY1YJA/viewform?usp=publish-editor'\n width='760' height='500'\n frameborder='0'\n marginheight='0' marginwidth='0'>\u003c/iframe>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "could-climate-change-reshape-avalanche-danger-in-the-sierra-nevada-scientists-say-its-complicated",
"title": "Could Climate Change Reshape Avalanche Danger in the Sierra Nevada? Scientists Say It’s Complicated",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\">death toll from the avalanche\u003c/a> this week near Lake Tahoe makes it California’s deadliest in modern history — eight people died, and one is still missing. These snowy white landslides are natural during winter in the Sierra Nevada. But climate change is altering winters globally, raising questions about its impact on these mountain rumbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backcountry skiers, guides, and researchers like Richard Bothwell know the Tahoe area like the back of their hand. He’s skied the backcountry peaks and valleys of the Sierra Nevada for three decades and is the head avalanche director for the Outdoor Adventure Club. The Bay Area organization offers professionally guided outdoor trips, including backcountry skiing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bothwell is heartbroken over the deaths this week from the avalanche: “It’s a bad day for the backcountry community writ large. It’s a bad day for the guiding community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the fact that an avalanche took place this week wasn’t a surprise. January was practically snowless. What was left turned almost sugary; it rained at some point, and an icy top formed on that snow. Then this week, a big dump of snow fell on top of that icy crust. It was just sitting there, ready to slide off and trigger a powerful avalanche.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During any gap [in]wintertime, it’s relatively common that the snow surface weakens, and that’s what we experienced,” said David Reichel, executive director of the Sierra Avalanche Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000143\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000143 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A vehicle is buried in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Reichel said his group has no real idea how many avalanches barrel down mountainsides in the Sierra Nevada each year because there’s no sensor system to detect them. Researchers know whether an avalanche has stormed down a hill when someone clocks it and reports it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When someone reports an avalanche, the center and others like it across the country will rate its destructive size. They currently list the Tahoe avalanche as a D-2.5, with the size of a football field and the force to kill or bury a human.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Avalanche Center also forecasts dangerous conditions using a separate \u003ca href=\"https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/human/resources/north-american-public-avalanche-danger-scale/\">five-point scale ranging from low to extreme\u003c/a>. The center rated the danger on the day of the avalanche as high.[aside postID=news_12073851 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/260220-AVALANCHE-VICTIMS-KQED.jpg']Avalanches occur every winter in the Sierra Nevada, but is human-caused climate change increasing their size or frequency?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s super complicated,” said Benjamin Hatchett, an earth system scientist at Colorado State University who grew up backcountry skiing around Tahoe and researches snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett said that when it comes to climate change, “the fingerprints are everywhere.” But the conditions that led to the Tahoe avalanche are meteorological, not climatological. The rapid change to wet, cold weather brought by winter storms pushed down from the Gulf of Alaska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see no evidence for climate change to play a role, certainly not a first or second order, probably not even further down the list than that,” Hatchett said. “And that’s kind of going back to the setup of the storm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some parts of the world with year-round snow, Hatchett said, there is a signal that climate change could be increasing avalanche danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In large glaciated mountains like the Alps, the Himalaya, and the Andes, the answer is very likely yes because of a warming environment that’s destabilizing snow and ice,” Hatchett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000144\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000144\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters observe a crack in the snow on Feb. 17, 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nolan Averbuch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in areas with seasonal snowpacks, like the Sierra Nevada, Hatchett said there isn’t a clear answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is something we expect to see more of in the future, but we don’t have strong evidence for that happening now,” Hatchett said. “There are absolutely ways that a warming world will statistically change things, and that goes back to the way this winter started with a lot of rain instead of snow. That to me is a signal of a warming world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Hatchett said he sees another issue. When winter snow comes later, like this year, people can get antsy to get outdoors and ski. But when warnings, like about avalanche danger, are issued. He urges extreme caution.[aside postID=news_12073933 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/02/CaliforniaAvalancheAP3-1.jpg']“Thinking about that more strongly could save lives in the future,” Hatchett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett recognizes that holding off is a hard decision, but he said the recent tragedy just might show it’s worth it not to head out into a storm. And more and more people are having to make that hard decision as the sport has become more popular. Especially after the pandemic spurred a surge of interest in these kinds of outdoor adventure sports, said Brenda Giese, a backcountry ski trip leader for the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People want a change from the downhill ski resorts because there are more people there now and they’re willing to take these risks,” Giese said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s also worried that the influx of people in the backcountry and the growing atmospheric potential for bigger and more intense storms could put more skiers in danger in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were severe storms in the past, but they weren’t as frequent,” Giese said. “And there are just more people out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12073933/treacherous-sierra-nevada-storm-delays-recovery-of-9-presumed-avalanche-victims\">death toll from the avalanche\u003c/a> this week near Lake Tahoe makes it California’s deadliest in modern history — eight people died, and one is still missing. These snowy white landslides are natural during winter in the Sierra Nevada. But climate change is altering winters globally, raising questions about its impact on these mountain rumbles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backcountry skiers, guides, and researchers like Richard Bothwell know the Tahoe area like the back of their hand. He’s skied the backcountry peaks and valleys of the Sierra Nevada for three decades and is the head avalanche director for the Outdoor Adventure Club. The Bay Area organization offers professionally guided outdoor trips, including backcountry skiing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bothwell is heartbroken over the deaths this week from the avalanche: “It’s a bad day for the backcountry community writ large. It’s a bad day for the guiding community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the fact that an avalanche took place this week wasn’t a surprise. January was practically snowless. What was left turned almost sugary; it rained at some point, and an icy top formed on that snow. Then this week, a big dump of snow fell on top of that icy crust. It was just sitting there, ready to slide off and trigger a powerful avalanche.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During any gap [in]wintertime, it’s relatively common that the snow surface weakens, and that’s what we experienced,” said David Reichel, executive director of the Sierra Avalanche Center.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000143\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2000143 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SnowStormSierraNevadaAP1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A vehicle is buried in snow during a storm on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Truckee, California. \u003ccite>(Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Reichel said his group has no real idea how many avalanches barrel down mountainsides in the Sierra Nevada each year because there’s no sensor system to detect them. Researchers know whether an avalanche has stormed down a hill when someone clocks it and reports it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When someone reports an avalanche, the center and others like it across the country will rate its destructive size. They currently list the Tahoe avalanche as a D-2.5, with the size of a football field and the force to kill or bury a human.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Sierra Avalanche Center also forecasts dangerous conditions using a separate \u003ca href=\"https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/human/resources/north-american-public-avalanche-danger-scale/\">five-point scale ranging from low to extreme\u003c/a>. The center rated the danger on the day of the avalanche as high.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Avalanches occur every winter in the Sierra Nevada, but is human-caused climate change increasing their size or frequency?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s super complicated,” said Benjamin Hatchett, an earth system scientist at Colorado State University who grew up backcountry skiing around Tahoe and researches snow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett said that when it comes to climate change, “the fingerprints are everywhere.” But the conditions that led to the Tahoe avalanche are meteorological, not climatological. The rapid change to wet, cold weather brought by winter storms pushed down from the Gulf of Alaska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I see no evidence for climate change to play a role, certainly not a first or second order, probably not even further down the list than that,” Hatchett said. “And that’s kind of going back to the setup of the storm.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In some parts of the world with year-round snow, Hatchett said, there is a signal that climate change could be increasing avalanche danger.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In large glaciated mountains like the Alps, the Himalaya, and the Andes, the answer is very likely yes because of a warming environment that’s destabilizing snow and ice,” Hatchett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_2000144\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2000144\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/02/SierraAvalanche1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sierra Avalanche Center forecasters observe a crack in the snow on Feb. 17, 2026. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Nolan Averbuch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But in areas with seasonal snowpacks, like the Sierra Nevada, Hatchett said there isn’t a clear answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is something we expect to see more of in the future, but we don’t have strong evidence for that happening now,” Hatchett said. “There are absolutely ways that a warming world will statistically change things, and that goes back to the way this winter started with a lot of rain instead of snow. That to me is a signal of a warming world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Hatchett said he sees another issue. When winter snow comes later, like this year, people can get antsy to get outdoors and ski. But when warnings, like about avalanche danger, are issued. He urges extreme caution.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Thinking about that more strongly could save lives in the future,” Hatchett said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hatchett recognizes that holding off is a hard decision, but he said the recent tragedy just might show it’s worth it not to head out into a storm. And more and more people are having to make that hard decision as the sport has become more popular. Especially after the pandemic spurred a surge of interest in these kinds of outdoor adventure sports, said Brenda Giese, a backcountry ski trip leader for the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People want a change from the downhill ski resorts because there are more people there now and they’re willing to take these risks,” Giese said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s also worried that the influx of people in the backcountry and the growing atmospheric potential for bigger and more intense storms could put more skiers in danger in the long run.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There were severe storms in the past, but they weren’t as frequent,” Giese said. “And there are just more people out there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>As state water officials surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Friday, California seems to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1978337/with-snowpack-in-decline-californias-weather-whiplash-could-mean-alternating-drought-and-flooding\">repeating last winter’s topsy-turvy weather whiplash\u003c/a> between super wet and dry conditions, raising worries about diminishing snow reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three weeks ago, the snowpack was glistening white after storm after storm hit the Sierra during a December drenched by atmospheric rivers. But most of January, historically California’s wettest month, has been virtually dry, and today the snowpack sits at just \u003ca href=\"https://snow.water.ca.gov/\">36% of the April 1 average\u003c/a>, which water leaders look to as the measuring stick for the state’s frozen reservoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of the snowpack is a big deal because it accounts for about a third of the state’s water supply, which millions of people, cities and farms rely on the rest of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been in this position before, and we’ve caught up in the past,” said Andy Reising, manager of the state’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “We don’t want to be going backwards at this time of year; we need more storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue this winter, Reising said, is that big atmospheric rivers brought more rain than snow in late December and early January, especially at lower elevations. And then the temperatures warmed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t seen this much liquid running under the snowpack at this time of year,” Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Department of Water Resources (from right) Engineer Jacob Kollen, Hydrometerologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon and Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Andy Reising take measurements during the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Andrew Nixon/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What may be occurring is a phenomenon known as weather whiplash. Warming temperatures are deepening California’s natural weather pattern, which bounces from wet to super-dry conditions that warmer temperatures can worsen. This can melt precious snow reservoirs early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re lucky that we got the fall and December that we did, because had this been the pattern all winter, we’d be in big trouble,” Daniel Swain, a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist, said in his virtual office hours YouTube series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada is a tale of three realities. The northern part of the state is at 44% of normal, the Central Sierra at 59%, and the Southern Sierra at 77% for this time of year. Altogether, the state’s snowpack is at 59% of normal for this time of year.[aside postID=news_12064955 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/Sugar-Bowl-2-johnjackson3_2-5-2025_ME.png']“The good news for California, at least, is that the Southern and Central Sierra is doing, if not great, doing fine snowpack-wise right now, at least at higher elevations,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said it’s still a little too early to tell if the rest of winter will ultimately be dry, but it would “take a miracle March and then some” to boost the snowpack ultimately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a snow drought emerges, it will have negative ramifications for both the state’s water supply and wildfire risk, although at the moment, reservoir levels are at about 70% of average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the reservoir perspective, we’ll be OK, but from a hydroclimate whiplash perspective, it’s quite possible that California could enter once again another wet-to-dry cycle as we go from spring into summer,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain said he is not yet banking on a dry rest of the winter. Even though forecasters suggest the next two weeks could further shrink the snowpack, “ what happens later in February and March is really going to tell that tale,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reising understands it’s too early to predict snow across the mountain range, but “having two weeks ahead of us that we know is unlikely to produce any more snowpack and precipitation, that doesn’t look good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State climatologist Mike Anderson said there are “hints” that the second half of February could bring rain. For now, he’s holding out hope that “the storm door opens enough to get wet conditions to return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As state water officials surveyed the Sierra Nevada snowpack on Friday, California seems to be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1978337/with-snowpack-in-decline-californias-weather-whiplash-could-mean-alternating-drought-and-flooding\">repeating last winter’s topsy-turvy weather whiplash\u003c/a> between super wet and dry conditions, raising worries about diminishing snow reservoirs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Three weeks ago, the snowpack was glistening white after storm after storm hit the Sierra during a December drenched by atmospheric rivers. But most of January, historically California’s wettest month, has been virtually dry, and today the snowpack sits at just \u003ca href=\"https://snow.water.ca.gov/\">36% of the April 1 average\u003c/a>, which water leaders look to as the measuring stick for the state’s frozen reservoir.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The size of the snowpack is a big deal because it accounts for about a third of the state’s water supply, which millions of people, cities and farms rely on the rest of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been in this position before, and we’ve caught up in the past,” said Andy Reising, manager of the state’s Snow Surveys and Water Supply Forecasting Unit. “We don’t want to be going backwards at this time of year; we need more storms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The issue this winter, Reising said, is that big atmospheric rivers brought more rain than snow in late December and early January, especially at lower elevations. And then the temperatures warmed up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I haven’t seen this much liquid running under the snowpack at this time of year,” Reising said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999959\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999959\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/SierraSnowPackSurvey20262-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">California Department of Water Resources (from right) Engineer Jacob Kollen, Hydrometerologist Angelique Fabbiani-Leon and Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Unit Manager Andy Reising take measurements during the second media snow survey of the 2026 season on Jan. 30, 2026, at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Andrew Nixon/California Department of Water Resources)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>What may be occurring is a phenomenon known as weather whiplash. Warming temperatures are deepening California’s natural weather pattern, which bounces from wet to super-dry conditions that warmer temperatures can worsen. This can melt precious snow reservoirs early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re lucky that we got the fall and December that we did, because had this been the pattern all winter, we’d be in big trouble,” Daniel Swain, a University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources climate scientist, said in his virtual office hours YouTube series.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the snowpack across the Sierra Nevada is a tale of three realities. The northern part of the state is at 44% of normal, the Central Sierra at 59%, and the Southern Sierra at 77% for this time of year. Altogether, the state’s snowpack is at 59% of normal for this time of year.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“The good news for California, at least, is that the Southern and Central Sierra is doing, if not great, doing fine snowpack-wise right now, at least at higher elevations,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swain said it’s still a little too early to tell if the rest of winter will ultimately be dry, but it would “take a miracle March and then some” to boost the snowpack ultimately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a snow drought emerges, it will have negative ramifications for both the state’s water supply and wildfire risk, although at the moment, reservoir levels are at about 70% of average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“From the reservoir perspective, we’ll be OK, but from a hydroclimate whiplash perspective, it’s quite possible that California could enter once again another wet-to-dry cycle as we go from spring into summer,” Swain said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Swain said he is not yet banking on a dry rest of the winter. Even though forecasters suggest the next two weeks could further shrink the snowpack, “ what happens later in February and March is really going to tell that tale,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Reising understands it’s too early to predict snow across the mountain range, but “having two weeks ahead of us that we know is unlikely to produce any more snowpack and precipitation, that doesn’t look good.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State climatologist Mike Anderson said there are “hints” that the second half of February could bring rain. For now, he’s holding out hope that “the storm door opens enough to get wet conditions to return.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.[aside postID=news_12071306 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/250312-MATT-MAHAN-ON-PB-MD-02-KQED-1.jpg']Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California is dealing with a lot \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999767/some-bay-area-climate-stories-were-watching-this-year\">climate-wise\u003c/a>. Wildfires destroyed\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027578/how-we-rebuild-what-comes-after-the-la-fires\"> thousands of homes in L.A.\u003c/a> last year. Floods from storms and king tides \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999871/after-king-tides-swamp-marin-san-rafael-weighs-billion-dollar-defenses-against-the-bay\">swamped communities\u003c/a> across the state this winter. The Trump administration is attacking California’s ambitious policies aimed at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036063/california-doubles-down-key-emissions-program-after-trump-calls-radical\">limiting carbon pollution\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The state’s next governor will have to deal with all of it. And the race to fill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s shoes is on. He positioned himself as a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1999192/california-moves-to-fill-the-void-left-by-the-federal-government-on-the-world-stag\">climate leader,\u003c/a> overseeing the build-out of battery storage and passing regulations to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles. However, advocates have \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/gavin-newsom-environmental-image/\">questioned that record\u003c/a> recently and criticized the administration for warming to the oil industry. There’s a whole field of candidates who want his job, including a new candidate who \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12071306/san-jose-mayor-matt-mahan-announces-run-for-california-governor\">entered the race on Thursday\u003c/a>, San José Mayor Matt Mahan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Four of the California gubernatorial hopefuls — former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, billionaire climate activist and businessman Tom Steyer, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — debated their plans to address the impacts of climate change across the state during a \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/gubernatorial-forum/\">Tuesday evening forum\u003c/a> organized by California Environmental Voters, a nonprofit political advocacy organization.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They discussed reducing fossil fuel production and consumption and investing in green energy such as solar, wind and battery storage. The candidates agreed on many things, including the need to meet climate goals while also reducing the cost of energy to Californians’ wallets. They also discussed how to lower energy prices and to develop electric vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No one expressed outright support for Gov. Newsom’s proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as it is currently written, and some argued the state should consider ramping up other solutions like water recycling instead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they pulled no punches in their criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that the federal government has doubled down on fossil fuels and rejected climate science.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999939\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999939\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-24-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. The Urban League of the Bay Area hosted the forum. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The biggest challenge we have here is Donald Trump,” Becerra said. “[California pays] more taxes than any other state, yet the Trump administration is not sending it back to us in California. And so the first thing we have to do is fight like the dickens to make sure we’re getting our fair share.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell, who represents parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, said he stands up to the Trump administration every day in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The reason my three little kids can’t play in the front yard is because of the death threats that he inspires against me,” Swalwell said. “I do not hide under the bed, and the way that I have gone after him and been a fighter in Congress is what I will do as governor.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters invited the six top polling candidates, but only four agreed to participate.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at UC Santa Barbara, said the candidate forum lacked bold ideas and proposals that voters, especially young people, are asking for to address climate change.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re not going to be bold in an EnviroVoters conversation, where are you gonna be bold?” Mahdavi said. “It’s not enough to be singing in the shower, get out on stage.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Leah Stokes, a political science professor also at UC Santa Barbara, listened to the forum and said it was exciting to hear four democrats actually “prioritize climate.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whether or not they do everything they say in this forum, if one of them becomes Governor, is an open question,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stokes said voters associate Newsom’s climate policies with the high cost of energy, and that’s one area where the candidates clearly tried to establish a contrast with their own ideas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The debate in many ways was less about the candidates debating each other and more about them debating Newsom’s record,” Stokes said. “He’s been a really big climate champion, and he certainly bills himself that way. But he’s also allowed electric utilities to consistently jack up rates, and that is creating an affordability crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said Steyer — who ran for President on a climate-forward platform but has since leaned into an affordability message — was the boldest on climate action, but she did not think any of the candidates stole the limelight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999622\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-03_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Newsom’s got real charisma, and I don’t know if any of these candidates have that as much, which isn’t a criticism of them, but I think that’s part of why we’re not seeing a clear frontrunner,” Stokes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California Environmental Voters, an event sponsor, released \u003ca href=\"https://envirovoters.org/new-polling-shows-californians-want-a-governor-who-tackles-affordability-by-leading-on-clean-energy-environmental-protection-and-corporate-accountability/\">new polling\u003c/a> this week that showed 65% of voters want the price of electric vehicles to become more affordable. The largest proportion of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter acknowledged the Trump administration’s efforts to block California from requiring 100% of vehicles be zero-emission or electric by 2035, but said the state also has other issues when it comes to electric cars, like high monthly loan payments and a lack of charging infrastructure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California has built charging stations, but we are not anywhere near where we need to be, and those charging stations are not necessarily located in all of the communities they need to be in in order for us to make progress,” Porter said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999943\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999943\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/260226-GovRaceForum-56-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum at the UCSF Mission Bay campus in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Steyer also hit on the affordability of electric vehicles, noting that “the job of the governor” is to make sure the price comes down by making affordable electric cars produced in places like China available to Californians.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It may be complicated, but the facts are on the ground and by 2035, there’ll be $15,000 electric vehicles available,” Steyer said. “Mark my words.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer was initially the only candidate who said he would take steps to hold the oil industry accountable for the climate impacts on this state, saying he would have polluters pay “100%.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when moderator Sammy Roth, who writes the \u003ca href=\"https://www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/\">Climate-Colored Goggles\u003c/a> Substack, pressed the candidates, they all agreed they would support \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997275/california-lawmakers-divided-over-polluters-pay-plan-to-combat-climate-crisis\">legislation\u003c/a> — which has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997654/as-fires-floods-rage-californias-push-to-make-big-oil-pay-stalls-for-now\">repeatedly failed\u003c/a> in California — to force oil companies to pay for damages from wildfires and severe storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1956280\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1956280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2020/01/RS40976_GettyImages-91108734-qut-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Smoke blows past oil wells at sunset on the eastern flank of the 16,000-plus-acre Guiberson fire, burning in southern California on Sept. 23, 2009, near Moorpark, California. \u003ccite>(David McNew/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Clearly the window has shifted since all four supported it,” Mahdavi said. “But it did seem like we’re not gonna see too far a break from the status quo. And right now, people are not happy, especially younger voters, with the status quo. We do need an expanded ambition, but nobody really captured that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mahdavi also said none of the candidates addressed how to support workers with what he called a “just transition,” which would be needed if the California oil industry were phased out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Swalwell told the story of visiting a business in Altadena and learning that a person’s home had burned down. If elected, he said he will hold utility companies accountable by making sure they invest in “disaster improvements that they have to make and that we socialize the idea of managed outages.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fire victims know that their homes will never come back the way that they knew, but they want to know that the next governor gets it and will fight for them,” Swalwell said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999945\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999945\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2026/01/251103-NewsomProp50Rally-70-BL_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks during a press conference after a rally in support of Proposition 50 at IBEW Local 6 in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The candidates didn’t quite agree on funding climate solutions, either, especially since the Trump administration cut millions of dollars for climate-related projects and programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Porter suggested taxing AI companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“AI has the potential to make society much more wealthy,” Porter said. “We need to capture that wealth to address not only the environmental consequences of data centers and of AI, but the longstanding environmental challenges that we face.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Steyer, a billionaire himself, alluded to taxing billionaires and closing tax loopholes as a solution, as did Becerra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was interesting to see a divide across the four,” Mahdavi said. “Then, when pushed directly on the idea of taxing billionaires, it was surprising to hear everybody agreed.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Stories That Stuck With Us This Year, Handpicked by the KQED Science Team",
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"content": "\u003cp>2025 has been a year of upheaval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We saw a new administration in Washington take sweeping action to cut the work of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029795/california-scientists-left-adrift-mass-federal-layoffs-noaa\">federal scientists and researchers\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\"> gut environmental\u003c/a> and species protections. We saw the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026682/how-we-rebuild-la-recovers-from-wildfire\">destructive fires in California’s history\u003c/a> ravage areas of Los Angeles. We saw a protracted government shutdown and a state government more or less constantly at war with the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also saw people taking local action to improve land and communities they care about, and people reaching out to others – again and again – in the hopes of making their lives a little better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science\">KQED’s Science\u003c/a> and climate team has been here bringing you the stories you need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we wrap up this year, we’ve handpicked some of the stories that we find especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how we thought about something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999092\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikola Alexandre, of Shelterwood Collective, performs a burn at the property in Cazadero on Nov. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “They want to change the culture to make this place one that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ezra David Romero chose his Dec. 1 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13984173/shelterwood-collective-soloar-punk-farms-lgbtq-history-russian-river\">“A Queer Climate Movement Takes Root Along the Russian River” \u003c/a>profiling people caring for land in an area with a long queer legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a big year of negative environmental news, with the Trump administration rolling back so much. I wrote dozens of those stories earlier this year. I wanted to do something that felt more regenerative, something focusing on positive news in the climate world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I kept meeting so many queer people in interviews, so I wondered if there were any interesting stories about queer people and climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I found these two groups who purchased land up in the Guerneville area and are sort of reinvigorating this idea that the Russian River area had all these queer communes, in the ’60s, ’70s, but in a climate conscious way. They want to make sure the Russian River remains a queer place — that’s only going to happen if there’s forest restoration there, because the area is prone to fires, and if the place is able to withstand the future floods, because in a warming climate atmospheric rivers will be wetter and make bigger floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so it’s cool to hear that they’re not just changing the land, but they want to change the culture to make this place a place that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997021\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997021\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew Milner (left) and Rupert Mayer work to install solar panels in Milner’s backyard in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nLaura Klivans, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “This helped me see what trends look like in the beginning — things might start out like the Wild West — before larger entities can wrap their heads around procedures and make policy around it. ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura Klivans chose her Jul. 28 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">“Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall” \u003c/a>about an emerging climate solution: people installing solar panels on balconies or in their backyards to get clean energy, even if they don’t own their homes or have the capital to invest in traditional solar setups. Laura’s reporting captured the attention of regulators and PBS Newshour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw that I was informing some of the interested parties, important stakeholders in this matter, that this was even happening. Someone at the California Energy Commission wrote to me and said ‘We’re all passing this around the office today.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That felt great because a lot of my stories are on trends, solutions, events that have already happened or been established for a long time. That doesn’t do much to inform policy. But with this story, the people who have yet to write the policy are looking at my work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Using solar panels in this way isn’t really allowed in its current form. It was interesting to talk to so many people who were willing to go on the record with something that is emerging right now and not really sanctioned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like the work has more reach. And I think that’s why the post was so popular. I caught this wave of developing news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997768\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997768\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Giovanni Figueroa, a mental health specialist with the Orange County Health Care Agency, writes a to-do list before meeting with a client at the Central Men’s & Women’s Jails in Orange County on July 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(David Rodriguez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Dembosky, health correspondent:\u003c/strong> “If you have a person whose illness makes them believe they’re not ill, how do you convince them to accept treatment?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>April Dembosky chose her July 17 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997759/he-relentlessly-drove-30000-miles-asking-one-question-do-you-want-help\">‘Do You Want Help?’: Inside Orange County’s Bet on Voluntary Mental Health Care\u003c/a>” looking at Orange County’s implementation of a new state program that seeks to help the people with serious mental illness, through radical patience and relentless outreach.[aside postID=news_12068387 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2019/04/04242019_measles-vaccination-california-legislature-qut.jpg']“Getting people with serious mental illness into treatment has been a historical problem and in recent years has resparked a vexing ethical debate: is treating people against their will an act of cruelty or compassion? California has been experimenting with new policies that make it easier to coerce people into treatment. ‘Care Court’ is one of those programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Orange County ’s healthcare leaders surprised me because, while they volunteered to be one of the first counties to implement the program, they are completely against forcing people into care. They believe we need to invest in long-term relationships if we want to see long-term results. Their approach is to coax, rather than coerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went down there to see what this looks like and I met Giovanni Figueroa. He’s a social worker for the county who spends his days looking for and building trust with people with psychotic illness. He builds trust one bottle of water, one hamburger at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it can take six months or more before someone finally says, ‘OK, I’ll go see the doctor. OK, I’ll think about taking medication.’ He is incredibly patient and devoted to his clients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His approach looks completely different from any other I have ever seen in the healthcare system – which is basically ‘take it or leave it.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He continues to show up for people, over and over, no matter what. It’s not a quick fix by any means and time will tell if it ultimately works. But this story showed me a different way of doing things is possible. Giovanni is an inspiration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998532\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayakers paddle through Elkhorn Slough as a sea otter floats nearby. Conservationists warn that proposed rollbacks to Endangered Species Act protections could threaten the species’ recovery. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer: \u003c/strong>“Watching otters float by, completely unaware of the decisions being made about their future, made the policy debate feel immediate and human.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Mohamad chose a piece she worked on with Ezra David Romero that published on Oct. 16, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998802/california-otters-could-face-new-threats-if-trump-weakens-law-for-endangered-animals\">“California Sea Otters Could Face New Threats if Trump Weakens Law for Endangered Animals.”\u003c/a> It’s about southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough. The reporters kayaked to see otters up close for a s\u003ca class=\"hoverZoomLink\" title=\"\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQMy_WnjzuF/\">ocial video\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I expected to be a pretty straightforward wildlife comeback story ended up being something much bigger, a reminder of just how interconnected ecosystems are, and how fragile those connections can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve always thought of sea otters as these really charismatic animals — they’re adorable, and I knew they were important in a general conservation sense. But seeing them in the water, watching them float with their pups, and listening to scientists talk about what they actually do in this ecosystem shifted my thinking. The otters aren’t just surviving in Elkhorn Slough, they’re actively shaping it. By eating crabs, they help stabilize marsh banks, make space for eelgrass to grow, and even help the ecosystem store carbon. They’re influencing biodiversity, habitat health, and climate resilience all at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998311\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donald Sims rests under a tree with his belongings across from St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County in Oakland on Aug. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lesley McClurg, health correspondent: \u003c/strong>“What happens to people living on the street when encampments are swept away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her Sept. 15 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998435/the-hidden-health-risk-behind-bay-area-homeless-encampment-sweeps#:~:text=For%20people%20using%20illicit%20drugs,deaths%20in%20the%20next%20decade.\">“The Hidden Health Risk Behind Bay Area Homeless Encampment Sweeps”\u003c/a> Lesley McClurg investigated the unintentional health harms to unhoused people when authorities move them off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A year ago the Supreme Court made it possible for communities to move people living on the street, even if there weren’t enough shelter beds to offer them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sweeps are sold as being good for public health. Officials tell the public, ‘Look, it’s not healthy for people to be defecating in the streets or for all the garbage to be there. And yet it endangers the people who are displaced. What we found, and what the studies show, is that displacing people does lead to a higher rate of overdoses, instability, and mental health issues. They’re in a much more precarious physical and mental position, which overall is going to hurt society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I spent about 10 hours on the streets talking to people.They all had understandable reasons for being there. It gave me a window into their lives that I didn’t have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teddy holds his fleece stuffed animal, Bunny, at the KQED offices in San Francisco on Jan. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton, science reporter:\u003c/strong> “There’s no ‘away’ to throw our stuff to, everything is connected and comes back to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Venton chose her Mar. 25 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996394/cuddly-costly-unseen-dangers-fleece-kids-clothes-toys\">“Cuddly but Costly: The Unseen Dangers of Fleece in Kids Clothes and Toys”\u003c/a> where she tried to answer the question for herself, ‘Should I let my kid wear fleece and play with fleece toys?’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was interested in this question for practical reasons. I’m concerned about microplastic pollution coming from fleece and my son has a lot of beloved polyester stuffed animals and warm fleece jacket hand-me-downs. Should I let him have these things? If yes, how do I best care for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It opened my eyes to this new way of looking at consumption, the lifecycle of our products and the burden our bodies bear in this era where we are surrounded by plastic all the time. I was especially dismayed to learn that landfills often leak material they’re holding into groundwater and they give off pollution into the air as well. This made me question, ‘Can we ever truly throw something away?’ Instead I now feel more responsibility for the entire life cycle of a product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fortunately, reporting this piece made me somewhat less worried about the fleece in my home. And it cemented a game plan for how we [at home] wash it, treat it, we avoid the dryer and we always pass it on. But we do not purchase any new fleece items because there is far too much of it in the world already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "Stories That Stuck With Us This Year, Handpicked by the KQED Science Team | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>2025 has been a year of upheaval.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We saw a new administration in Washington take sweeping action to cut the work of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029795/california-scientists-left-adrift-mass-federal-layoffs-noaa\">federal scientists and researchers\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\"> gut environmental\u003c/a> and species protections. We saw the most \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12026682/how-we-rebuild-la-recovers-from-wildfire\">destructive fires in California’s history\u003c/a> ravage areas of Los Angeles. We saw a protracted government shutdown and a state government more or less constantly at war with the federal government.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We also saw people taking local action to improve land and communities they care about, and people reaching out to others – again and again – in the hopes of making their lives a little better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Through it all, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science\">KQED’s Science\u003c/a> and climate team has been here bringing you the stories you need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we wrap up this year, we’ve handpicked some of the stories that we find especially memorable, thought-provoking or that changed how we thought about something.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999092\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999092\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/11/20251101_QUEERWOODS-GC-24-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikola Alexandre, of Shelterwood Collective, performs a burn at the property in Cazadero on Nov. 1, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ezra David Romero, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “They want to change the culture to make this place one that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ezra David Romero chose his Dec. 1 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13984173/shelterwood-collective-soloar-punk-farms-lgbtq-history-russian-river\">“A Queer Climate Movement Takes Root Along the Russian River” \u003c/a>profiling people caring for land in an area with a long queer legacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a big year of negative environmental news, with the Trump administration rolling back so much. I wrote dozens of those stories earlier this year. I wanted to do something that felt more regenerative, something focusing on positive news in the climate world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I kept meeting so many queer people in interviews, so I wondered if there were any interesting stories about queer people and climate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I found these two groups who purchased land up in the Guerneville area and are sort of reinvigorating this idea that the Russian River area had all these queer communes, in the ’60s, ’70s, but in a climate conscious way. They want to make sure the Russian River remains a queer place — that’s only going to happen if there’s forest restoration there, because the area is prone to fires, and if the place is able to withstand the future floods, because in a warming climate atmospheric rivers will be wetter and make bigger floods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And so it’s cool to hear that they’re not just changing the land, but they want to change the culture to make this place a place that’s not just about a party, but a place that cares about the river and cares about the ecosystem, so that it can have a long life.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997021\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997021\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/05/250523-SOLAR-BALCONY-MD-01-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew Milner (left) and Rupert Mayer work to install solar panels in Milner’s backyard in Kensington on May 23, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\nLaura Klivans, climate reporter:\u003c/strong> “This helped me see what trends look like in the beginning — things might start out like the Wild West — before larger entities can wrap their heads around procedures and make policy around it. ”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura Klivans chose her Jul. 28 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997918/forget-rooftops-bay-area-residents-are-plugging-solar-into-the-wall\">“Forget Rooftops — Bay Area Residents Are Plugging Solar Into the Wall” \u003c/a>about an emerging climate solution: people installing solar panels on balconies or in their backyards to get clean energy, even if they don’t own their homes or have the capital to invest in traditional solar setups. Laura’s reporting captured the attention of regulators and PBS Newshour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw that I was informing some of the interested parties, important stakeholders in this matter, that this was even happening. Someone at the California Energy Commission wrote to me and said ‘We’re all passing this around the office today.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That felt great because a lot of my stories are on trends, solutions, events that have already happened or been established for a long time. That doesn’t do much to inform policy. But with this story, the people who have yet to write the policy are looking at my work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Using solar panels in this way isn’t really allowed in its current form. It was interesting to talk to so many people who were willing to go on the record with something that is emerging right now and not really sanctioned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It feels like the work has more reach. And I think that’s why the post was so popular. I caught this wave of developing news.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1997768\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1997768\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1202\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4.jpg 1800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/07/Rodriguez_CARE_07_07_2025-4-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Giovanni Figueroa, a mental health specialist with the Orange County Health Care Agency, writes a to-do list before meeting with a client at the Central Men’s & Women’s Jails in Orange County on July 7, 2025. \u003ccite>(David Rodriguez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>April Dembosky, health correspondent:\u003c/strong> “If you have a person whose illness makes them believe they’re not ill, how do you convince them to accept treatment?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>April Dembosky chose her July 17 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1997759/he-relentlessly-drove-30000-miles-asking-one-question-do-you-want-help\">‘Do You Want Help?’: Inside Orange County’s Bet on Voluntary Mental Health Care\u003c/a>” looking at Orange County’s implementation of a new state program that seeks to help the people with serious mental illness, through radical patience and relentless outreach.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Getting people with serious mental illness into treatment has been a historical problem and in recent years has resparked a vexing ethical debate: is treating people against their will an act of cruelty or compassion? California has been experimenting with new policies that make it easier to coerce people into treatment. ‘Care Court’ is one of those programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Orange County ’s healthcare leaders surprised me because, while they volunteered to be one of the first counties to implement the program, they are completely against forcing people into care. They believe we need to invest in long-term relationships if we want to see long-term results. Their approach is to coax, rather than coerce.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I went down there to see what this looks like and I met Giovanni Figueroa. He’s a social worker for the county who spends his days looking for and building trust with people with psychotic illness. He builds trust one bottle of water, one hamburger at a time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Sometimes it can take six months or more before someone finally says, ‘OK, I’ll go see the doctor. OK, I’ll think about taking medication.’ He is incredibly patient and devoted to his clients.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“His approach looks completely different from any other I have ever seen in the healthcare system – which is basically ‘take it or leave it.’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He continues to show up for people, over and over, no matter what. It’s not a quick fix by any means and time will tell if it ultimately works. But this story showed me a different way of doing things is possible. Giovanni is an inspiration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998532\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998532\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/09/250916_SEAOTTERS_GH-9-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayakers paddle through Elkhorn Slough as a sea otter floats nearby. Conservationists warn that proposed rollbacks to Endangered Species Act protections could threaten the species’ recovery. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Mohamad, science engagement producer: \u003c/strong>“Watching otters float by, completely unaware of the decisions being made about their future, made the policy debate feel immediate and human.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sarah Mohamad chose a piece she worked on with Ezra David Romero that published on Oct. 16, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998802/california-otters-could-face-new-threats-if-trump-weakens-law-for-endangered-animals\">“California Sea Otters Could Face New Threats if Trump Weakens Law for Endangered Animals.”\u003c/a> It’s about southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough. The reporters kayaked to see otters up close for a s\u003ca class=\"hoverZoomLink\" title=\"\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DQMy_WnjzuF/\">ocial video\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I expected to be a pretty straightforward wildlife comeback story ended up being something much bigger, a reminder of just how interconnected ecosystems are, and how fragile those connections can be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve always thought of sea otters as these really charismatic animals — they’re adorable, and I knew they were important in a general conservation sense. But seeing them in the water, watching them float with their pups, and listening to scientists talk about what they actually do in this ecosystem shifted my thinking. The otters aren’t just surviving in Elkhorn Slough, they’re actively shaping it. By eating crabs, they help stabilize marsh banks, make space for eelgrass to grow, and even help the ecosystem store carbon. They’re influencing biodiversity, habitat health, and climate resilience all at the same time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1998311\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1998311\" title=\"\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/08/250826_ALAMEDASWEEPS_GH-20-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donald Sims rests under a tree with his belongings across from St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County in Oakland on Aug. 26, 2025. \u003ccite>(Gustavo Hernandez/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lesley McClurg, health correspondent: \u003c/strong>“What happens to people living on the street when encampments are swept away?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her Sept. 15 post \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1998435/the-hidden-health-risk-behind-bay-area-homeless-encampment-sweeps#:~:text=For%20people%20using%20illicit%20drugs,deaths%20in%20the%20next%20decade.\">“The Hidden Health Risk Behind Bay Area Homeless Encampment Sweeps”\u003c/a> Lesley McClurg investigated the unintentional health harms to unhoused people when authorities move them off the street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A year ago the Supreme Court made it possible for communities to move people living on the street, even if there weren’t enough shelter beds to offer them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The sweeps are sold as being good for public health. Officials tell the public, ‘Look, it’s not healthy for people to be defecating in the streets or for all the garbage to be there. And yet it endangers the people who are displaced. What we found, and what the studies show, is that displacing people does lead to a higher rate of overdoses, instability, and mental health issues. They’re in a much more precarious physical and mental position, which overall is going to hurt society.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I spent about 10 hours on the streets talking to people.They all had understandable reasons for being there. It gave me a window into their lives that I didn’t have.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1996372\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1996372\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/03/250102-KidsFleece-14-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teddy holds his fleece stuffed animal, Bunny, at the KQED offices in San Francisco on Jan. 2, 2025. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Danielle Venton, science reporter:\u003c/strong> “There’s no ‘away’ to throw our stuff to, everything is connected and comes back to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Danielle Venton chose her Mar. 25 story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1996394/cuddly-costly-unseen-dangers-fleece-kids-clothes-toys\">“Cuddly but Costly: The Unseen Dangers of Fleece in Kids Clothes and Toys”\u003c/a> where she tried to answer the question for herself, ‘Should I let my kid wear fleece and play with fleece toys?’\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was interested in this question for practical reasons. I’m concerned about microplastic pollution coming from fleece and my son has a lot of beloved polyester stuffed animals and warm fleece jacket hand-me-downs. Should I let him have these things? If yes, how do I best care for them?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It opened my eyes to this new way of looking at consumption, the lifecycle of our products and the burden our bodies bear in this era where we are surrounded by plastic all the time. I was especially dismayed to learn that landfills often leak material they’re holding into groundwater and they give off pollution into the air as well. This made me question, ‘Can we ever truly throw something away?’ Instead I now feel more responsibility for the entire life cycle of a product.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Fortunately, reporting this piece made me somewhat less worried about the fleece in my home. And it cemented a game plan for how we [at home] wash it, treat it, we avoid the dryer and we always pass it on. But we do not purchase any new fleece items because there is far too much of it in the world already.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003cimg id=\"hzDownscaled\" style=\"position: absolute;top: -10000px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1936949/do-little-quakes-mean-the-big-one-is-close-at-hand\">earthquakes\u003c/a> shook Mona Epstein awake in the middle of the night, long before she crawled out of bed on the morning of Dec. 8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it was the rocking from the magnitude 3.6 quake just after 9 a.m. that caused the San Ramon resident to scream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a loud rumble,” said Epstein, who lives about a mile from where the quake hit. “The cupboard doors opened, my armoire door popped open and things popped out of the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein said she hesitated to even shower afterward for fear of another earthquake. “If it was the big one,” then she didn’t want to “be naked and have to run out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 1,600 people as far away as San José reported they felt the quake, which occurred along the Calaveras Fault, the United States Geological Survey \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75276661/impact\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last month, more than 150 earthquakes jolted the San Ramon area — including \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=nc75276661&extent=37.73196,-121.97116&extent=37.77139,-121.91623&range=week&settings=true\">10 earthquakes at or above a magnitude 2.5\u003c/a> on Dec. 8, according to Amy Williamson, a research seismologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://earthquakes.berkeley.edu/seismo.real.time.map.html\">UC Berkeley Seismology Lab\u003c/a>. On Friday, an additional half dozen quakes rocked San Ramon, including a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=37.70936,-121.99236&extent=37.78822,-121.8825&range=week&settings=true\">magnitude 4.0 earthquake\u003c/a> just before 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein stands in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. She experienced a recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This part of Contra Costa County is prone to earthquake swarms and has experienced these events a handful of times since the 1970s, due to a complex system of faults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve had these sorts of swarms for decades now,” Williamson said. “For San Ramon to the Danville area, it’s really common.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein experienced an earlier swarm back in 2018 while living in San Ramon, a city with a population of nearly 80,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these earthquake clusters aren’t out of the ordinary, they can still come as a surprise, especially if you live right above the jolt, like Rachael Heys, whose street in San Ramon is located right over the epicenter of last week’s swarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein keeps a weather radio and flashlight on her kitchen counter in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. A recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area motivated her to prepare for emergencies. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She credits her cat, Marshall — named after rapper Eminem — for warning her that an earthquake was about to hit in the middle of the night. He made “weird little noises” and hid under a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within seconds of him yelling this big loud meow, there was a big earthquake,” Heys said. “It really shook me. It sounded like a dresser hit the wall. It was like this one big bang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys and her boyfriend felt at least two other quakes that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all of these mini ones mostly in that one day,” Heys said. “This is insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999655\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachael Heys holds her cat Marshall outside her apartment building in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area recently experienced a sequence of small earthquakes that residents reported feeling over several days. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms differ from a typical earthquake sequence, where there’s one main shock and then a series of small aftershocks, Williamson said. Swarms don’t usually have a dominant earthquake. Instead, a cluster of tiny or minor earthquakes takes place over a more extended period of time, and then the fault quiets down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there’s a swarm here doesn’t make it any more or less likely for the big one that people are always talking about in the Bay Area,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms typically occur due to changes in the liquid around a fault. They’re common in places near volcanoes and geothermal areas. But Williamson said what makes the San Ramon area “a little bit unique” is that the area isn’t volcanic or hydrothermal.[aside postID=news_12060130 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/SFFireDeptLomaPrieta1.jpg']San Ramon sits over a complex geologic environment, which is one theory, Williamson said, for why the area gets swarms every few years. The Calaveras Fault runs underneath the city in a transition zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is part of the San Andreas Fault system and is \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20153009\">capable of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake\u003c/a>. To the east, the Mount Diablo Thrust Fault begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these earthquakes happen in that transition area,” Williamson said. “Any small changes kind of cause that area to preferentially get more earthquakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last big quake the Calaveras Fault produced was in 1984 in Morgan Hill with a magnitude of 6.2. But if the Hayward Fault and the Calaveras Fault, which UC Berkeley scientists found are \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/calaveras-hayward-fault-link-means-potentially-larger-quakes\">connected\u003c/a>, rock simultaneously, that could result in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faults contain liquid that lubricates the earth, making it easier to move and causing earthquakes. Similar to a person wetting their hands and sliding them together, the fluid reduces the friction, and the rock “can slide more freely,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the liquid is usually a mix of water and minerals, and that there isn’t a “great model” to say exactly how it moves through cracks within the fault system. That movement can cause the quakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the “constant rattle” should serve as a reminder that Bay Area residents live in a “really seismically active area.” She recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949019/its-about-time-how-to-get-ready-for-the-next-emergency\">preparing a go bag\u003c/a> with clothes, food and water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for apartments on Deerwood Road in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area sits near the Calaveras Fault, an active fault that runs underground through the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Epstein, who is retired, said she’s started to prepare for a larger earthquake, collecting masks, gloves, water, tools, and canned food — although she needs to double-check the expiration dates to make sure the food is still good to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not to the point where I’m gonna sleep with my shoes on or anything,” Epstein said. “I just hope if the worst happens that I can get to the bag in the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys, who works as a server in Danville, on the other hand, is very prepared. She has a supply of perishable food, flashlights, portable chargers that also act as flashlights, mini candles, gallons of water and a case of water in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s talked with her friends and neighbors about the quakes and how they’ve prepared, but they don’t seem as concerned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody really has any major concerns as of now,” Heys said. “I think that’s because none of us has experienced a huge one yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Two \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1936949/do-little-quakes-mean-the-big-one-is-close-at-hand\">earthquakes\u003c/a> shook Mona Epstein awake in the middle of the night, long before she crawled out of bed on the morning of Dec. 8.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it was the rocking from the magnitude 3.6 quake just after 9 a.m. that caused the San Ramon resident to scream.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There was a loud rumble,” said Epstein, who lives about a mile from where the quake hit. “The cupboard doors opened, my armoire door popped open and things popped out of the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein said she hesitated to even shower afterward for fear of another earthquake. “If it was the big one,” then she didn’t want to “be naked and have to run out.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly 1,600 people as far away as San José reported they felt the quake, which occurred along the Calaveras Fault, the United States Geological Survey \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75276661/impact\">reported\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last month, more than 150 earthquakes jolted the San Ramon area — including \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?currentFeatureId=nc75276661&extent=37.73196,-121.97116&extent=37.77139,-121.91623&range=week&settings=true\">10 earthquakes at or above a magnitude 2.5\u003c/a> on Dec. 8, according to Amy Williamson, a research seismologist at the \u003ca href=\"https://earthquakes.berkeley.edu/seismo.real.time.map.html\">UC Berkeley Seismology Lab\u003c/a>. On Friday, an additional half dozen quakes rocked San Ramon, including a \u003ca href=\"https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/?extent=37.70936,-121.99236&extent=37.78822,-121.8825&range=week&settings=true\">magnitude 4.0 earthquake\u003c/a> just before 8 p.m.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999667\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EarthquakeSwarms-15-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein stands in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. She experienced a recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This part of Contra Costa County is prone to earthquake swarms and has experienced these events a handful of times since the 1970s, due to a complex system of faults.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’ve had these sorts of swarms for decades now,” Williamson said. “For San Ramon to the Danville area, it’s really common.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Epstein experienced an earlier swarm back in 2018 while living in San Ramon, a city with a population of nearly 80,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While these earthquake clusters aren’t out of the ordinary, they can still come as a surprise, especially if you live right above the jolt, like Rachael Heys, whose street in San Ramon is located right over the epicenter of last week’s swarm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999657\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999657\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-16-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mona Epstein keeps a weather radio and flashlight on her kitchen counter in her apartment in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. A recent swarm of small earthquakes in the area motivated her to prepare for emergencies. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>She credits her cat, Marshall — named after rapper Eminem — for warning her that an earthquake was about to hit in the middle of the night. He made “weird little noises” and hid under a table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Within seconds of him yelling this big loud meow, there was a big earthquake,” Heys said. “It really shook me. It sounded like a dresser hit the wall. It was like this one big bang.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys and her boyfriend felt at least two other quakes that morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had all of these mini ones mostly in that one day,” Heys said. “This is insane.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999655\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-04-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rachael Heys holds her cat Marshall outside her apartment building in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area recently experienced a sequence of small earthquakes that residents reported feeling over several days. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms differ from a typical earthquake sequence, where there’s one main shock and then a series of small aftershocks, Williamson said. Swarms don’t usually have a dominant earthquake. Instead, a cluster of tiny or minor earthquakes takes place over a more extended period of time, and then the fault quiets down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The fact that there’s a swarm here doesn’t make it any more or less likely for the big one that people are always talking about in the Bay Area,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earthquake swarms typically occur due to changes in the liquid around a fault. They’re common in places near volcanoes and geothermal areas. But Williamson said what makes the San Ramon area “a little bit unique” is that the area isn’t volcanic or hydrothermal.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>San Ramon sits over a complex geologic environment, which is one theory, Williamson said, for why the area gets swarms every few years. The Calaveras Fault runs underneath the city in a transition zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It is part of the San Andreas Fault system and is \u003ca href=\"https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/fs20153009\">capable of a magnitude 6.7 earthquake\u003c/a>. To the east, the Mount Diablo Thrust Fault begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All these earthquakes happen in that transition area,” Williamson said. “Any small changes kind of cause that area to preferentially get more earthquakes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last big quake the Calaveras Fault produced was in 1984 in Morgan Hill with a magnitude of 6.2. But if the Hayward Fault and the Calaveras Fault, which UC Berkeley scientists found are \u003ca href=\"https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/calaveras-hayward-fault-link-means-potentially-larger-quakes\">connected\u003c/a>, rock simultaneously, that could result in a magnitude 7.3 earthquake.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Faults contain liquid that lubricates the earth, making it easier to move and causing earthquakes. Similar to a person wetting their hands and sliding them together, the fluid reduces the friction, and the rock “can slide more freely,” Williamson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the liquid is usually a mix of water and minerals, and that there isn’t a “great model” to say exactly how it moves through cracks within the fault system. That movement can cause the quakes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williamson said the “constant rattle” should serve as a reminder that Bay Area residents live in a “really seismically active area.” She recommended \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1949019/its-about-time-how-to-get-ready-for-the-next-emergency\">preparing a go bag\u003c/a> with clothes, food and water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999661\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251215-EARTHQUAKESWARMS-19-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign for apartments on Deerwood Road in San Ramon on Dec. 15, 2025. The area sits near the Calaveras Fault, an active fault that runs underground through the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Epstein, who is retired, said she’s started to prepare for a larger earthquake, collecting masks, gloves, water, tools, and canned food — although she needs to double-check the expiration dates to make sure the food is still good to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not to the point where I’m gonna sleep with my shoes on or anything,” Epstein said. “I just hope if the worst happens that I can get to the bag in the closet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Heys, who works as a server in Danville, on the other hand, is very prepared. She has a supply of perishable food, flashlights, portable chargers that also act as flashlights, mini candles, gallons of water and a case of water in her car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s talked with her friends and neighbors about the quakes and how they’ve prepared, but they don’t seem as concerned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Nobody really has any major concerns as of now,” Heys said. “I think that’s because none of us has experienced a huge one yet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "California Lowers Climate Pollution by 3%, Report Finds",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California’s\u003c/a> planet-warming pollution shrank by 3% in 2023, one of the largest year-over-year reductions the state has seen, according to a report by nonprofit Next 10. The state’s use of cleaner fuels in heavy-duty transportation, like big rigs, and its deployment of battery storage and solar energy drove this climate progress, in large part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report found that fossil fuels supplied just 36.3% of the state’s electricity in 2024, an all-time low, and renewables surpassed 50% of the energy that powers California’s grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is doing extremely well in reducing our carbon emissions and moving towards a low-carbon economy,” said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, a nonprofit that aims to educate the public and policymakers on economic, environmental, and quality of life issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the transportation sector comprised the state’s largest category of emissions, accounting for roughly 38% of emissions in 2023, it also saw the largest percentage decrease in emissions of any other sector, falling by 4.6%. Heavy-duty trucks relied more on biofuels, which are made from plants or other organic materials instead of fossil fuels, which account for the majority of the drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a dip in pollution from cars, too, although it was far smaller.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emissions fell in all other categories the researchers reviewed, with the exception of pollution from residential and commercial sectors, which grew by nearly 7%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The large increase is from grocery stores, commercial and industrial cold storage facilities, and others, that have replaced gases in old refrigeration systems with ones that don’t harm the ozone layer, but can cause a lot of warming if they leak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers said that while the data is encouraging, California policymakers and regulators need to do more to hit the state’s 2030 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels.[aside postID=news_12052390 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/230928-EAGLE-ROCK-SETTLE-MD-07_qed.jpg']That would require an average annual emissions reduction rate of 4.4%, a number far higher than historic annual reductions. For the state to reach its even more ambitious 2045 emissions goal — of 85% below 1990 levels — California would have to double that reduction rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an encouraging result, especially amid the current federal administration’s hostility toward clean energy and climate change and environmental policies,” said Hoyu Chong, lead researcher on Next 10’s report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is still not quite on track to meet its 2030 goals, but I do think it’s getting closer to within striking distance,” Chong said. “I like to use the analogy of saving money. Even if a person might not reach their savings goal by their deadline, the fact that the person has saved something is still better than nothing, right?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report echoes an oft-touted phrase by Gov. Gavin Newsom: that California’s economy grows while the state reduces emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Authors say further phasing out of fossil fuels and electrifying the grid will be crucial, as well as more cuts to emissions from transportation, buildings and industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next 10 has tracked California’s progress toward its 2030 climate goals since the state adopted the targets in 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california\">California’s\u003c/a> planet-warming pollution shrank by 3% in 2023, one of the largest year-over-year reductions the state has seen, according to a report by nonprofit Next 10. The state’s use of cleaner fuels in heavy-duty transportation, like big rigs, and its deployment of battery storage and solar energy drove this climate progress, in large part.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report found that fossil fuels supplied just 36.3% of the state’s electricity in 2024, an all-time low, and renewables surpassed 50% of the energy that powers California’s grid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is doing extremely well in reducing our carbon emissions and moving towards a low-carbon economy,” said F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, a nonprofit that aims to educate the public and policymakers on economic, environmental, and quality of life issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the transportation sector comprised the state’s largest category of emissions, accounting for roughly 38% of emissions in 2023, it also saw the largest percentage decrease in emissions of any other sector, falling by 4.6%. Heavy-duty trucks relied more on biofuels, which are made from plants or other organic materials instead of fossil fuels, which account for the majority of the drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was a dip in pollution from cars, too, although it was far smaller.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1999624\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1999624\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2025/12/251021-I-580-MD-02_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 580 freeway in Oakland on Oct. 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Emissions fell in all other categories the researchers reviewed, with the exception of pollution from residential and commercial sectors, which grew by nearly 7%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The large increase is from grocery stores, commercial and industrial cold storage facilities, and others, that have replaced gases in old refrigeration systems with ones that don’t harm the ozone layer, but can cause a lot of warming if they leak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers said that while the data is encouraging, California policymakers and regulators need to do more to hit the state’s 2030 goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That would require an average annual emissions reduction rate of 4.4%, a number far higher than historic annual reductions. For the state to reach its even more ambitious 2045 emissions goal — of 85% below 1990 levels — California would have to double that reduction rate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an encouraging result, especially amid the current federal administration’s hostility toward clean energy and climate change and environmental policies,” said Hoyu Chong, lead researcher on Next 10’s report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California is still not quite on track to meet its 2030 goals, but I do think it’s getting closer to within striking distance,” Chong said. “I like to use the analogy of saving money. Even if a person might not reach their savings goal by their deadline, the fact that the person has saved something is still better than nothing, right?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report echoes an oft-touted phrase by Gov. Gavin Newsom: that California’s economy grows while the state reduces emissions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Authors say further phasing out of fossil fuels and electrifying the grid will be crucial, as well as more cuts to emissions from transportation, buildings and industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Next 10 has tracked California’s progress toward its 2030 climate goals since the state adopted the targets in 2006.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"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.",
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"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
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"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
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"tech-nation": {
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"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
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"title": "TED Radio Hour",
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"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
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