According to a new report by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, California cities are the most prepared nationwide to handle the changes wrought by global warming. The Bay Area, and specifically San Mateo County, are moving ahead with “vulnerability assessments,” putting them at the front of the pack on climate change adaptation in the U.S. [Read more - KQED Climate Watch]
Bay Area drivers are paying an average of $4.22 per gallon of gas, the most expensive in the country, but that has not reduced traffic, say bridge toll officials. [Read more - The Bay Citizen]
Oakland-based solar company, BrightSource Energy, announced that it has finalized $1.6 billion in loans to finish its 392 MW solar project in the Mojave Desert. Some $168 million of that comes from Google. Upon completion the Ivanpah project in San Bernardino County would be the largest solar thermal project in the world. [Read more - San Jose Mercury News]
After the tsunami in Japan closed many of the Bay Area’s coastal national parks, causing dog owners to cluster at the few remaining open beaches, San Francisco Board Supervisor Scott Wiener said at a committee hearing that it was a preview of life to come should new leash laws go into effect. Today the National Park Service’s proposed restriction on off-leash dogs will be reviewed by the full board. [Read more - SF Appeal]
In some cases big companies can do as much, or more, than government to propel us into a green energy future. Greentech media looks at ten giant conglomerates that are changing the market, including the Bay Area’s very own Netflix. Who would have thought that downloading movies could be our eco-salvation. [Read more - Greentech Media]
A topnotch piece of journalism about the threat old oil and gas wells pose to the nation’s drinking water is well worth the read. A 2008 report by the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission found nearly 60,000 “orphan wells” that need to be plugged. While the story focuses on Pennsylvania, you’ll recall that the Bay Area’s Solano County is awash in aging gas wells. [Read more - Scientific American]
Investigative journalist Charles Fishman will speak with NPR’s Terry Gross today about his new book The Big Thirst, which looks at our relationship to water and how it’s going to change in the coming decades. Fishman is best known for his book The Wal-Mart Effect. The interview airs at 1pm and 7pm on KQED. [Read more - KQED Fresh Air]
Now that we’re all flocking to our nearest park to spread out a blanket and soak up the Spring weather, we’re reminded of the Canadian Goose problem and the unsettling fact that an adult goose can produce between 1 and 2 pounds of droppings a day. The Mercury News has an interesting run down on ways regional parks are trying to contain the problem. [Read more - San Jose Mercury News]
Bay Area garbage is big business and a new measure introduced by California Assemblywoman Fiona Ma aims to keep it that way. Assembly Bill 1178 would prevent cities and counties from limiting the amount of trash imported from other areas, and overturn voter-approved capping measures, such as the one recently passed in Solano County and supported by the Sierra Club. [Read more - Sacramento Bee]
The Department of Energy has granted $25 million for solar energy research to the University of California Berkeley and Stanford University. Specifically the funds are aimed at research that will lower the cost of solar as quickly as possible. The money will launch the Bay Area Photovoltaics Consortium (BAPVC) whose goal is to reduce the per watt of installation cost from its current $3.40 per watt to $1 per watt. [Read more - UC Berkeley News Center]
From an unusually wet winter, the Bay Area has catapulted into a Spring of record-breaking temperatures. Yesterday, San Francisco reached a new high of 82 degrees, beating the previous March 30 record set almost 25 years ago. Similarly, Oakland, San Rafael, Mountain View, Napa, and Santa Rosa set new records for the day. And that’s just the beginning; there’ll be more of the same today.
[Read more - San Francisco Chronicle]
Tags: bay area heat wave, mountain view, napa, Oakland, record temperatures, San Francisco, san rafael, santa rosa
The Franciscana, one of California's iconic manzanita plant, is rebounding from extinction with help from the San Francisco Botanical Society. Source: KQED's Quest.
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