On bottlenose dolphins and the insidious presence of microplastics
I’m Susanne Rust, staff writer for the L.A. Times; I’m filling in for Sammy Roth today. For the last few months, I’ve been largely covering…
Something is rotten in SoCal’s Metropolitan Water District
There are few government agencies more central to daily life in Los Angeles than the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which spends billions of…
Burrowing owls and solar farms will need to coexist
If you don’t love burrowing owls, you’ve probably never seen a burrowing owl. They’re 7 to 10 inches tall, with bright yellow eyes and long,…
On Yom Kippur, a Jewish case for fossil fuel divestment
“See, I have set before you this day life and death, blessing and curse — and [you should] choose life.”So says Moses near the end…
Jane Fonda’s anti-nuclear arguments don’t make sense
Jane Fonda is a powerful, passionate climate advocate. She’s gotten arrested protesting at the U.S. Capitol, raised money to defeat a Big Oil ballot measure…
Nobody loves Biden’s Western Solar Plan. But it’s what we’ve got
Let’s say the American West could dedicate a landmass smaller than Delaware to all of the large-scale solar farms that will be needed in this…
Newsom wants Californians to help on climate. He should help too
“Every day, Californians are taking small actions that collectively are helping us create a better world for our kids and grandkids,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said…
Are climate protesters changing the world? Or wasting their time?
Sometimes it’s clear when you’re watching history: the March on Washington. The Apollo 11 moon landing. Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first woman of…
Climate protesters arrested outside Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home
Two climate change activists were arrested in front of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Brentwood home Monday, during the final moments of a Sunrise Movement protest…
Fossil fuel ads are rampant in American sports. That’s not good
Less than half a mile from the California Capitol, the Sacramento Kings play basketball in a solar-powered arena that the team’s owner says has helped…
Gov. Newsom has good climate bills on his desk. Will he sign?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom won’t be the next president of the United States. But the bills piled on his desk in Sacramento could help determine…
Why I skipped the presidential debate and went to a Dodgers game
I didn’t watch the presidential debate on Tuesday night. As usual, I was at Dodger Stadium.Also as usual, climate change was on my mind.During the…
Young climate voters were tired of Biden. They’ve embraced Harris — mostly
Wei Zhou moved to the United States from Cambodia at age 13, leaving behind a Southeast Asian nation ravaged by worsening droughts and floods. By…
Can AI dream up a more sustainable Los Angeles?
“Tell them stories. They need the truth. You must tell them true stories, and everything will be well.”So says the ghost of an old woman…
Don’t worry, it was only the second-hottest month ever
Great news: July 2024 was not the hottest July in recorded history.Indeed, last month was a whole 0.04 degrees cooler than July 2023. It was,…
As California broils, Montana doubles down on coal
Most of the country is phasing out coal power. Montana is trying something different.The state’s largest electric utility, NorthWestern Energy, was already planning to acquire…
Activists, celebrities urge Dodgers to dump Big Oil advertiser
What do Emmy Award-winning actor Kyra Sedgwick, the Rainforest Action Network, the Doors’ former drummer John Densmore, acclaimed climate activist Bill McKibben and “Anchorman” director…
Check out the TV shows nudging people to act on climate
The whole scene lasted just over a minute. The crucial dialogue, not even 15 seconds.But when a character from HBO’s “Sex and the City” ordered…
Change change, the everything story
A week ago Sunday was the hottest day ever recorded on Earth. Then Monday was hotter.I was on vacation, hiking near the headwaters of the…
Why Los Angeles can’t afford to go third on clean energy
“Utilities race to be second. And sometimes it’s better to be third.”So said Fred Pickel, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s in-house ratepayer…