Good news about climate pollution
9-minute read
This Week
Good news about climate pollution
Lessons from the heat wave in Europe
New home for deleted climate change website
California forest fires get hotter and burn more land
Traditions of native people help our climate
More wildlife helps our climate
Add a free battery to an air conditioner and earn money
California rooftops could supply lots of solar power
Brief climate news
Climate jargon explained
Contacts for Santa Cruz County
About me
Unrelated advice
Click on the underlined links to learn more.
Good news about climate pollution
Graph of recent U.S. climate pollution. Modified from the article
Analysis: There’s more good news about the climate pollution that causes climate change.
U.S. climate pollution has dropped by one-quarter since 2005. See the graph above for details.
Clean electricity reduces climate pollution for many countries. Including the U.S., Canada, much of South America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
Green countries reduced climate pollution from electricity, dark green countries the most. From the article.
Electric vehicles helped several countries reduce climate pollution from transportation. Including Japan, Mexico, and most of Europe, .
Green countries reduced climate pollution from transportation. From the article.
Reducing climate pollution doesn’t hurt economies.
Green countries reduced climate pollution per dollar of their economy; dark green countries the most. From the article.
Quote: “It’s clear that the struggle against climate change can take place while improving people’s economic conditions.”
Limitations: This article comes from peer-reviewed scientific research, analyzed by a climate scientist who wrote part of a 2023 international report on climate change. Should be very trustworthy.
Actions: There’s still hope. But we need to make a lot more changes. The best things you can do are vote for climate friendly politicians at every level of government, from school boards to President. And ask everyone you know to do the same.
Source: James Gerber, Project Drawdown, 4-minute read
Lessons from the heat wave in Europe
Very high temperatures in the dark red areas on Friday, June 27, were caused by climate change. From Climate Central
Analysis: The heat wave in Europe has killed thousands of people, and affected hundreds of millions of others. A similar heat wave is about to cover the eastern U.S.
Very high temperatures for the dark red areas forecast for Wednesday, July 1, will be caused by climate change. From Climate Central
Some lessons we could learn from Europe:
Climate change makes extreme heat waves more common. Our county’s milder March heat wave was probably caused by climate change.
Global overheating and temperatures will keep climbing until the world stops burning dirty fuels. We must quickly switch to clean energy for everything.
High temperatures are shutting down nuclear power plants and natural gas power plants. Not so reliable after all. But we still need both in California. We must quickly replace them with solar panels, wind turbines, and big batteries.
Household incomes dropped 3% or more from the heat wave. And cost the German economy billions of dollars. Soon enough we’ll see similar problems in our county.
Many homes trap heat and injure or kill people during heat waves. We’ll want more air conditioning and insulation in coastal Santa Cruz County.
France closed hundreds of schools because they were too hot. Hospitals and mortuaries are overwhelmed. Our county should start getting ready now.
European countries need more air conditioning in hospitals. Plus cool buildings where people can escape the heat. And cool green outdoor spaces in cities. Santa Cruz County needs more, too.
Start preparing for more and worse heat waves now. Do a little bit at a time as you can afford it. A fan or a small air conditioner in a bedroom can help you and your family sleep through the night, which is important for recovery. Ask local politicians to set up and advertise more cooling centers. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.
New home for deleted climate change website
Screenshot of Climate.us, formerly Climate.gov
Last June the current Administration deleted Climate.gov, a website with lots of scientific information about climate change. They also fired almost everyone that worked on the website. Climate.gov was “hugely important” for scientists and others.
The fired workers have set up a copy of Climate.gov at Climate.us. And they’ll keep it updated, for public access to reliable information.
“Climate.us will never be about telling Americans what to do about climate change,” said Rebecca Lindsey, formerly at Climate.gov, who now heads the Climate.us project. “The site will be focusing on the science, and explaining science, and showing people what the data show.”
Please visit the website to let them know that their work is appreciated. Even better, you can make a small donation. I have.
Scott Neuman, NPR, 5-minute read
California forest fires get hotter and burn more land
Forest fire destroying trees in Southern California, from the article
New research found that extra-hot California wildfires have become much more common than cooler fires. These fires wipe out forests. Then big old trees like giant sequoias get replaced by other trees that burn easier. And ten times more California forest land burns now than 40 years ago.
For most of the 20th century, firefighters put out wildfires as fast as possible. “Many forests in California became overgrown,” said Mitchell Hung at Stanford University. Plus global overheating from human-caused climate change has dried out forests. Making bigger, hotter forest fires much more likely.
Before those changes, smaller and cooler fires improved forest health. Many kinds of trees and plants need heat from fires to release their seeds. Now hot wildfires burn the seeds before they can grow.
These big, hot forest fires cause other problems. Healthy forests hold onto more snow and rain, releasing water slowly into streams and reservoirs. Our dams weren’t built for rapidly melting snow. So the dam operators must keep reservoirs lower to prevent floods.
That means less water for farms and cities. Even as global overheating makes droughts worse. And burning more forests into ashes releases a lot of climate pollution, making global overheating worse. Plus lots of wildfire smoke that causes sickness and deaths.
Despite getting less money, California firefighters plan to increase good fires and forest thinning. Tell your Federal and State politicians to support those plans. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.
Ellyn Lapointe, Gizmodo, 4-minute read
Traditions of native people help our climate
Tribe members light a good fire in Northern California, from KQED
Native people took care of their land and water for more than 10,000 years, even with large populations. They are also called indigenous people, and in the U.S., Native Americans.
New research found that these cultures help our climate. Healthy forests and grasslands store lots of carbon dioxide. Native people carefully set good fires which prevented much larger blazes. One big wildfire can release a lot more air pollution and climate pollution than many small, good fires.
“Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge cannot exist without Indigenous Peoples or without the ecosystems where we live,” wrote Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, who is Indigenous Mbororo from Chad. “To protect our knowledge, there is an urgent need to recognize us, and our rights and lands must be secured.”
California parks and forests are signing agreements with Native American tribes that allow traditional practices like conducting ceremonies, gathering plants and rocks, and setting good fires. Tribe members also find and report serious problems in remote areas, like toxic marijuana farms.
Tell your local, state, and federal politicians to support these agreements. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.
Joseph Lee, Grist, 4-minute read
More wildlife helps our climate
Buffalo, beaver, and whales, from the article
Wild animals help our climate by increasing carbon dioxide stored in forests, grasslands, soils, and oceans. And by helping ecosystems recover from damage caused by people, pollution, and climate change.
“Wildlife should not be treated as background characters or simply victims in the climate story,” wrote Jérôme Pinti, a senior scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. “Animals belong in the [climate] models, the assessments, and the plans.”
Pinti helped write the Scientific Consensus on Wildlife and Climate, endorsed by several hundred scientists. It focuses on the importance of wildlife in adapting to climate change and helping our climate..
For example, kelp forests with sea otters absorb about 12 times more carbon dioxide than forests without otters. Because sea otters eat sea urchins. So when otters are around, the urchins hide, And they stop munching on kelp.
Please support wild animal protection in Santa Cruz County however you can. On the land, in the air, and in the sea.
Jérôme Pinti, Mongabay, 4-minute read
Add a free battery to an air conditioner and earn money
Air conditioner plugged into a power bank, from the article
A company gives away power banks to people in New York City with small air conditioners. The power banks have batteries inside. They are also called portable power stations.
“The air conditioner plugs into the power bank, [and] the power bank plugs into the wall,” said Andrew Wang, CEO of Every Electric. “Then we manage whether the [electricity] comes from the wall or comes from the power bank.”
On hot days when the electric grid needs more power, the air conditioner runs off the battery for a few hours. And Every Electric pays the customer up to $150 for the summer. If the power goes out, the air conditioner keeps running from the battery. And this works in rented homes and apartments, too.
Many parts of Santa Cruz County get hot enough to need air conditioning. And global overheating means more of us will need it soon. Tell PG&E and 3CE to start a program like this. It’s a quick and easy way to reduce the use of natural gas peaker plants that add climate pollution and air pollution. Check Contacts for Santa Cruz County below.
Alex Music, IEEE Spectrum, 4-minute read
California rooftops could supply lots of solar power
Warehouse rooftop with many solar panels, from the article
California rooftop solar panels could supply all of our state’s electricity, and then some. In Santa Cruz County they could supply twice as much electric energy as we use. Solar panels on business rooftops, like warehouses, factories, big box stores, offices, and strip malls are about 40% of the total.
And rooftop solar can save money for building owners by cutting utility bills, if they add big batteries.
But the California PUC thinks all rooftop solar is more expensive than big solar farms. So they made rules that hurt rooftop solar. Now most projects don’t make financial sense.
The PUC didn’t include some big benefits. Like building fewer solar farms with long power lines that we pay for with our electric bills. And not tearing up deserts with rare plants and animals for more solar farms and power lines.
Tell our next Governor to pressure the PUC into changing the rules. Then we can shut down more natural gas plants sooner, reducing climate pollution and air pollution.
Jeff St. John, Canary Media, 7-minute read
Brief climate news
The U.S. added record-setting amounts of big utility batteries in the first three months of this year. Also set records for home and business batteries. Solar Power World, 3-minute read
Help shape the Santa Cruz city coastline at community meetings on August 3 and 8. Explore strategies, discuss options and tradeoffs, and share feedback. City of Santa Cruz, 1-minute read
Santa Cruz County is now on the state Fire Risk Reduction Community List. That could lower our home insurance rates. And help the county get wildfire prevention grants. County of Santa Cruz, 2-minute read
The first 8-hour big utility battery is running in California. They simply installed twice as many battery containers. California PUC, 3-minute read
Community meeting about the new Pajaro River flood projects on June 30 at 6 pm. City of Watsonville, 3-minute read
Another city in Oregon adds a climate pollution fee to natural gas appliances in new houses. Funds will reduce climate pollution in low-income homes. Oregon Live, 3-minute read
Few giant data centers are planned for California, because of high electricity prices, connection delays, and generator pollution rules. L.A. Times, 5-minute read
Climate jargon explained
Big utility battery: Utility-sized rechargeable battery in a shipping container that stores clean electricity for later use, also called a battery energy storage system or BESS
Carbon dioxide (CO2): Main climate pollution gas causing global overheating and climate change
Coal: Fuel from underground rocks that adds climate pollution when it’s mined, and when it’s burned for power or heat
Clean electricity: Cheaper electricity from clean energy
Clean energy: Low cost energy from the sun, wind, dams, or underground heat, that creates very little air pollution or climate pollution
Climate: Long-term weather pattern somewhere
Climate change: Long-term changes to Earth’s weather caused by climate pollution, including global overheating and too much ocean acid
Climate friendly: Better for our climate than other choices
Climate pollution: Gases in the air that trap the Sun’s heat and cause climate change, mainly carbon dioxide and methane, also called greenhouse gases or carbon pollution
Dirty fuel: Coal, oil, gasoline, diesel, propane, or natural gas that creates air pollution and climate pollution, also called fossil fuel
Ecosystem: Community of living things plus their environment
Electric grid: How most places get electricity, using power plants, storage, substations, and overhead power lines
Electric vehicle (EV): Any kind of vehicle that runs on electric motors and a large rechargeable battery, including cars, trucks, trains, and boats
Emission: Gases or particles released into the air, like carbon dioxide, or soot from burning coal
Forest thinning: Removing small trees and brush by hand or machine, to improve forest health and reduce wildfires
Global overheating: Rapid increase in worldwide temperatures starting around 1970, also called global warming
Good fire: Carefully setting a fire to prevent fires, reduce fire damage, and improve forest health, also called controlled burn, prescribed burn, prescribed fire, or cultural fire
Heat wave: Days or weeks of unusually hot weather
Heat index: Combines temperature with humidity; a heat index over 90 F is dangerous
Methane: Climate pollution gas 80 times worse than carbon dioxide, second-worst cause of climate change
Natural gas: Fuel pumped from underground, almost all methane, that adds climate pollution when it always leaks, and when it’s burned for power or heat
Nuclear power plant: Power plant using a nuclear reactor to make electricity
Nuclear reactor: Makes power using mined uranium while creating radioactive waste that’s dangerous for thousands of years
Peaker plant: Natural gas power plant that runs only when demand is high, at a much higher price than other electricity sources
Rooftop solar power: Solar panels mounted on a roof, supplying electricity
Solar farm: Large land area covered with solar panels
Solar panel: Panel covered in solar cells that turns sunlight into electricity
Solar power: Clean electricity made from sunlight, mostly using solar panels
Wind turbine: Tall machine with long fan-like blades that makes clean electricity when the wind blows
More at climatejargon.com
Contacts for Santa Cruz County
City council: Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz, or Capitola, depending on where you live
County supervisors
County Resource Conservation District
Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC)
Central Coast Community Energy (3CE) and PG&E
State Assembly: Gail Pellerin, Dawn Addis, or Robert Rivas, depending on where you live
State Senate: John Laird
California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), Air Resources Board (CARB), and Energy Commission (CEC)
Governor Gavin Newsom
U.S. Congress: Jimmy Panetta or Zoe Lofgren, depending on where you live
U.S. Senate: Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff
About me
I’m Rex Sanders, a science writer who’s lived in Santa Cruz County more than 20 years. Each week I check dozens of reliable sources for climate news that affects our county. Focused on how we can create a better, safer future together.
Unrelated advice
Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.
Gary Snyder