RSS Feed
Author Archive
Paris climate talks: Coming down to the wire with key issues still unresolved
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on December 11th, 2015
LA Times: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius attempted to nudge negotiations closer to a final agreement on fighting global warming Thursday, proposing compromises on some key issues at the United Nations Climate Change Conference while pushing countries to cut deals on remaining disputes.
"We must do this, and we can do this," Fabius, who is leading the talks, told delegates.
The latest draft of a potential agreement represents an attempt by Fabius to synthesize the positions of nearly 200 countries....
Posted in 
Passage California climate change bill could set global example
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on July 19th, 2015
LA Times: When Gov. Jerry Brown visits the Vatican this week for an international conference, he'll be carrying a resolution from state lawmakers supporting Pope Francis' recent encyclical on climate change.
He's hoping the Legislature will send an even stronger message later this year by passing new environmental rules aimed at helping California slash greenhouse-gas emissions over the next few decades.
Approval of the legislation, intended to enact goals outlined by the governor this year, would bolster...
World is on collision course with fossil fuels, Gov. Jerry Brown says
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on July 9th, 2015
LA Times: After two days of rubbing shoulders with an international collection of politicians, Gov. Jerry Brown emerged from a climate-change conference here with new partnerships in the fight against global warming.
In a speech Wednesday to government officials and environmental advocates that capped his trip, the governor took aim at "troglodytes" who deny the threat of climate change, and insisted that all aspects of modern life must be scrutinized to save the planet.
"We have to redesign our cities,...
To encourage Californians to conserve, a tweak in wording can help
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on July 6th, 2015
LA Times: Fighting California's drought is a bit like running a political campaign, complete with carefully calibrated messages crafted with polling data.
Even details like colors are used for maximum impact.
Officials at the state's Save Our Water conservation program recently tweaked their "brown is the new green" message, advising instead that residents let their lawns "fade to gold."
The shift was the result of polling funded by the Assn. of California Water Agencies, which surveyed 800 voters...
Calif faces ‘Dust Bowl’-like conditions, says climate tracker
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on April 10th, 2015
LA Times: With a slew of statistics projected on the slideshow behind him, California's state climatologist had a stark warning during a Thursday presentation on the severity of the drought.
"You’re looking on numbers that are right on par with what was the Dust Bowl," said the climatologist, Michael Anderson.
The presentation was part of a briefing organized by the Assn. of California Water Agencies and attended by top state officials.
Gov. Jerry Brown has been criticized for not doing enough to...
California Orders 12 Oil-Field Wells Shut to Protect Groundwater
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on March 4th, 2015
LA Times: California officials, responding to concerns about groundwater contamination, are closing 12 wells in the Central Valley used to dispose of chemical-laden water from oil and gas production, regulators announced Tuesday.
Steve Bohlen, who leads the state Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, said the wells are being shut down "out of an abundance of caution for public health."
Ten of the wells, including some owned by Chevron, have been closed voluntarily and the companies have surrendered...
Assembly panel backs halt to fracking
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on April 30th, 2013
LA Times: Plans to halt fracking in California advanced in the Legislature on Monday, when a key committee approved three measures that would prohibit the practice until the state can study it further.
The votes were a victory for environmentalists, who have been scrambling to slow the boom in fracking nationwide. A proposed moratorium on fracking failed in the California Legislature last year.
Hydraulic fracturing is the practice of injecting chemicals into the ground to break apart rock and release...