Ian James

Breaking: California appeals court rules against rooftop solar, again It's time for a new way forward.

BREAKING: A California appeals court once again ruled against rooftop solar, rejecting a lawsuit that argued Gavin Newsom's appointees failed to consider the technology's benefits when they slashed incentives.

Details in CLIMATE-COLORED GOGGLES: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/california...

The snowpack is below normal in every river basin in the West.

This March 8 map shows that a few watersheds are above 90% (green), but all that red shading indicates less than 50% of the 1991-2020 median for snow water equivalent.

www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-ini...

Epstein’s New Mexico Ranch Gets Scrutiny at Last. It May Be Too Late.

Heinous allegations have prompted New Mexico officials to restart an inquiry, which went cold in 2019, into the convicted sex offender’s lesser-known property. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/u... @nytimes.com

Bernard Lafayette Jr., 85, Dies; Civil Rights Leader Helped Plan Selma March

Bernard Lafayette Jr., 85, Dies; Civil Rights Leader Helped Plan Selma March

A close associate of Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis, he was involved in many of the key moments of the Black freedom struggle in the 1960s.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

Attacks on Desalination Drag Water Supplies Into the War With Iran Bahrain, which says Iran damaged a plant, is among the Gulf countries that depend heavily on purified seawater.

There are now two reported attacks on desalination facilities in Trump's Iran War: one on an Iranian plant; one in Bahrain. This marks a dangerous escalation in a region highly dependent on #desalination for #water supply.

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

The presumed upcoming El Nino will help cement and quantify global warming acceleration, showing that 2C global warming is likely to be reached in the 2030s, not at midcentury.
See Another El Nino Already? mailchi.mp/caa/another-... Also available on Substack: jimehansen.substack.com/p/another-el...

DOJ docs, FBI interview, raise new questions about Epstein's "suicide" Notes from an FBI interview indicate that prison guards discussed "cover-up"

New: Prison guards discussed cover-up in Epstein's death, inmate tells FBI. open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

Geneva Convention 1977 Protocols:
“It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as... drinking #water installations & supplies and irrigation works... for any other motive.”

Could ocean water help fix Arizona’s drought troubles? This agreement puts it one step closer A desalination plant on the California coast could help Phoenix and Tucson deal with Colorado River cuts.

Excited about the possibility of desalination helping solve the Colorado River crisis? Forget it. The #water that might be available from San Diego's Carlsbad plant is miniscule and 10 times more expensive than conservation or other options.

www.kjzz.org/science/2026...

Iran's FM condemns US attack on Qeshm's freshwater desalination plant, warns of grave consequences US President Donald Trump announced that Iran promised not to attack its neighbours anymore

Multiple news outlets are reporting a US attack on an Iranian #desalination plant.
If verified, this violates international law protecting #water systems during wars, and it sets a dangerous precedent, given intense dependence of Gulf countries on desalination.
timesofoman.com/article/1691...

In almost 30 years of living in and around Death Valley I have never seen the calthaleaf phacelia this dense and abundant, coating the barren rock hills with purple. They are having a banner year in this hyperarid part of the Mojave Desert

Morning with desert gold, also known as desert sunflower, below sea level in Death Valley south of Badwater. Amazing how they grow out of rock-studded barren alluvial fans given a couple of good rainstorms. The Mojave Desert is thriving this year

Via @wacswain.bsky.social
“Royal Society statement on the US Administration’s repeal of the endangerment finding”

Every stage of plastic use — from production to disposal — harms human health In a recent study published by The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers examined the health costs of pollutants released by plastics across their full lifecycle and emphasized the need for internation...

Study: "Every stage of the plastic lifecycle contributes to human health threats including global warming, air pollution, cancer, and disease, with primary plastic production and plastic burning causing the greatest harm." 🌎🧪 www.ehn.org/plastics-hum...

California youths plead with appeals court to hear how climate change affects their lives In an appeal, lawyers for 18 California youths argued that regulators discount children's future health when weighing environmental policies.

Eighteen Californians, ages 10 to 19, are asking an appeals court to OK their claims that the EPA discriminates against children by ignoring the long-term health benefits of climate regulations. @blancabegert.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/environment/...

I'm a sucker for really good interactive science visualizations.

Check out this one that lets you explore a map of the known universe. It's beautiful, engaging, and very well done.

mapoftheuniverse.net

How a California desalination plant could ease water shortages on the Colorado River Relying on desalination, the San Diego County Water Authority will consider transferring water to cities in Arizona and Nevada that soon will face cuts in Colorado River water.

Yeah. The deal would involve AZ buying some of San Diego’s Colorado River water, which would provide funds to desalinate more in San Diego County. Here are some details about how it would work: www.latimes.com/environment/...

California youths plead with appeals court to hear how climate change affects their lives In an appeal, lawyers for 18 California youths argued that regulators discount children's future health when weighing environmental policies.

Eighteen Californians, ages 10 to 19, are asking an appeals court to OK their claims that the EPA discriminates against children by ignoring the long-term health benefits of climate regulations. @blancabegert.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Excited to say that I’ve started this week as a climate and energy reporter @latimes.com ! Please share tips / goings on to blanca.begert@latimes.com. or, signal: bbegert.73

How “conservation pool” water management could provide a way forward for Colorado River users Some Colorado River experts say conservation pools are the wave of the future. Others say the concept is flawed and could hurt economies.

The idea of a “conservation pool” is gaining support as a way to ease the Colorado River crisis. Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community, says the concept “offers really the only path forward.” — By Shannon Mullane @coloradosun.com coloradosun.com/2026/03/04/c...

Could ocean water help fix Arizona’s drought troubles? This agreement puts it one step closer A desalination plant on the California coast could help Phoenix and Tucson deal with Colorado River cuts.

Could ocean water help fix Arizona’s drought troubles? This agreement puts it one step closer — By Alex Hager www.kjzz.org/science/2026...

Can fire-resistant homes be sexy? 'You be the judge,' says this Palisades architect A new home built in Pacific Palisades is designed for fire resistance without sacrificing architectural beauty.

Pacific Palisades Architect Builds Fire-Resistant Home Like A Sexy Tank

@nohaggerty.bsky.social reports for the @latimes.com with photography by Caroline Brehman

#news #environment

EJ Today Headlines: sej.org/headlines/list

@sejorg.bsky.social

www.latimes.com/environment/...

Sea levels are already higher than we thought, according to new calculations A new study found that many of our predictions on sea-level rise have been predicated on inaccurate starting numbers. In many places, especially Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it's significantly worse than we thought.

Sea levels are already higher than we thought, according to new calculations

My entire journalistic career, editors & owners & bosses told me again & again that my stuff was too long, too in-depth, too wonky, no one would read it.

Again & again, readers flocked to the longer, wonkier pieces, passed them around, wrote me to thank me for them, cited them years later.

How broadcast TV networks covered climate change in 2025 Corporate broadcast networks again reduced climate coverage in 2025, marking the third year coverage has declined since the networks' high-water mark of 23 hours of reporting in 2022. A Media Matters ...

U.S. network TV climate coverage drops by a third: "Corporate broadcast climate coverage declined 35% from 2024 to 2025... Only 8% of climate segments mentioned fossil fuels" @mmfa www.mediamatters.org/broadcast-ne...

Breaking from Lower Basin pact, Nevada pitches emergency Colorado River stopgap plan Lake Powell, Lake Mead and the entire Colorado River system is at risk of collapse without action.

Nevada is proposing an emergency stopgap plan for the Colorado River. Top water official John Entsminger calls it a "a pragmatic, two-year operating plan that we hope all six other states will adopt." @alanhalaly.bsky.social @reviewjournal.com www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-...

@georgemonbiot.bsky.social: "This is what's called imperial blowback. ... We don't think of those long-term outcomes."

After uproar, Orange County stops spraying herbicide in two creeks After residents launched a social media campaign demanding Orange County stop spraying herbicide in creeks, officials said they will halt the practice in two waterways.

“This is democracy.” Responding to residents who waged a social media campaign against the spraying of herbicides in local creeks, Orange County officials announced they will halt the practice in waterways near Doheny State Beach.
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Satellite photos show California's sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don't Satellite images show the Sierra Nevada before and after a major heat wave melted significant portions of California's snow.

Now you see it, now you don't. Near the end of this extremely warm winter, California's snow is rapidly melting. My colleague @castleman.bsky.social shares some striking satellite images. He spoke with @weatherwest.bsky.social about the remarkably rapid loss of snow: www.latimes.com/california/s...

How one controversial startup hopes to cool the planet

If you'd prefer to listen to—rather than read—words by me, here's an audio version of my recent feature on Stardust Solutions, exploring why a number of scientists are freaked out about the first serious for-profit company moving into the solar geoengineering field.