Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Environment

How small wealthy suburbs contribute to regional housing problems

The line between Atherton, Calif., (right) and its neighbor is obvious in property sizes. Google Earth The odd headlines about little towns in the San Francisco Bay Area just keep coming. First Woodside, a tiny suburb where several Silicon Valley CEOs have lived, tried to declare itself a mountain lion habitat to evade a new California law that enabled owners of single-family homes to subdivide their lots to create additional housing. Then wealthy Atherton, with a population of 7,000 and a median home sale price of US$7.5 million, tried to update its state-mandated housing plan. Until very recently, 100% of

How small wealthy suburbs contribute to regional housing problems
Environment

America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have been sweltering through heat waves in recent weeks, and U.S. forecasters warn of a hot summer ahead. Globally, 2023 saw the warmest June on record, according to the European Union’s climate change service. That heat continued into July, with some of the hottest global daily temperatures on satellite record, and possibly the hottest. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of

America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years

A well in Afanasyeva village, Mykolaiv region, damaged by flooding after the Kakhovka Dam breach. Anatolii Stepanov /AFP via Getty Images When an explosion breached the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine on June 6, 2023, much analysis focused on near-term impacts, including the flooding of the city of Kherson, threats to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and consequences for Ukrainian military forces’ expected spring offensive against Russian troops. But the most severe long-term effects will fall on Southeast Ukraine’s farmers. Villages there were flooded. Roads, train tracks and irrigation canals were washed away. Crops in fields and orchards in the Kherson

Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine caused economic, agricultural and ecological devastation that will last for years
Environment

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – who is at risk might surprise you

Smoke rises from a brush fire near Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles in 2007 Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter. Those statistics reflect how the number of people directly exposed to wildfires more than doubled from 2000 to 2019,

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – who is at risk might surprise you
Environment

America's power disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have already been sweltering through heat waves this summer, and forecasters warn of hot months ahead. July 3 and 4, 2023, were two of the hottest days, and possibly the hottest, on satellite record globally. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of Americans risk losing access to utility service altogether because they can’t pay their bills. Energy utility providers shut off

America's power disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

America's disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off power for nonpayment in a heat wave

Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus Millions of Americans have already been sweltering through heat waves this summer, and forecasters warn of hot months ahead. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. An alarming number of people risk losing access to utility service altogether because they can’t pay their bills. Energy utility providers shut off electricity to at least 3 million customers in 2022 who had missed a bill payment. Over 30% of these

America's disconnection crisis: In 31 states, utilities can shut off power for nonpayment in a heat wave
Environment

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you're planning fireworks on July 4

A wildfire in 2017 destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Santa Rosa, Calif., a city of over 180,000 people. Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire. Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter. Those statistics reflect how the number of people directly exposed

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you're planning fireworks on July 4
Environment

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance

An eastern box turtle crossing a rural Pennsylvania road. Julian Avery, CC BY-ND For anyone who enjoys nature, summer is a fascinating time to be outside. Animals are on the move: Turtles are nesting, baby birds are testing their wings, snakes are foraging and young mammals are emerging. In central Pennsylvania, where I live, last year’s hatchling painted turtles have overwintered in their nests and emerged looking like tiny helpless snacks for raccoons and ravens. I’ve already rescued a baby killdeer – a shorebird that nests in parking lots – that ran off the road and got stuck in a

By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance
Environment

Bridge collapses, road repairs, evacuations: How transportation agencies plan for large-scale traffic disruptions

A structural crack on the I-40 Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis, Tenn., required an emergency repair in 2021. Tennessee DOT via Getty Images Twelve days after a portion of Interstate 95 collapsed in north Philadelphia during a truck fire, officials opened a temporary six-lane roadway to serve motorists while a permanent overpass is rebuilt. This was a major success after the June 11, 2023, disaster was predicted to snarl traffic for months. U.S. cities often face similar challenges when routine wear and tear or natural disasters damage roads and bridges. Transportation engineer Lee D. Han explains how planners, transit

Bridge collapses, road repairs, evacuations: How transportation agencies plan for large-scale traffic disruptions
Environment

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer

One symptom of arsenic poisoning is the growth of plaques on the skin called arsenical keratosis. Anita Ghosh/REACH via Flickr, CC BY Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in the Earth’s crust. Exposure to arsenic, often through contaminated food and water, is associated with various negative health effects, including cancer. Arsenic exposure is a global public health issue. A 2020 study estimated that up to 200 million people wordwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water at levels above the legal limit of 10 parts per billion set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization. More than

Arsenic contamination of food and water is a global public health concern – researchers are studying how it causes cancer
Environment

Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals

Charging at home is more convenient for apartment dwellers, too. Westend61 via Getty Images More than 3.6 million electric cars are driving around the U.S., but if you live in an apartment, finding an available charger isn’t always easy. Grocery stores and shopping centers might have a few, but charging takes time and the spaces may be taken or inconvenient. Several states and cities, aiming to expand EV use, are now trying to lift that barrier to ownership with “right to charge” laws. Illinois’ governor signed the latest right-to-charge law in June 2023, requiring that all parking spots at new

Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals
Environment

Lab-grown meat techniques aren't new – cell cultures are common tools in science, but bringing them up to scale to meet society's demand for meat will require further development

Cell cultures are often grown in petri dishes. Wladimir Bulgar/Science Photo Library via Getty Images You might be old enough to remember the famous “Where’s the Beef?” Wendy’s commercials. This question may be asked in a different context since U.S. regulators approved the sale of lab-grown chicken meat made from cultivated cells in June 2023. Growing animal cells in the lab isn’t new. Scientists have been culturing animal cells in artificial environments since the 1950s, initially focusing on studying developmental biology and cancer. This technique remains one of the major tools in life science research, especially for drug development. The

Lab-grown meat techniques aren't new – cell cultures are common tools in science, but bringing them up to scale to meet society's demand for meat will require further development
Environment

3M offers $10.3B settlement over PFAS contamination in water systems – now, how do you destroy a 'forever chemical'?

How long do chemicals really need to last? Andrew Brookes via Getty Images PFAS chemicals seemed like a good idea at first. As Teflon, they made pots easier to clean starting in the 1940s. They made jackets waterproof and carpets stain-resistant. Food wrappers, firefighting foam, even makeup seemed better with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Then tests started detecting PFAS in people’s blood. Today, PFAS are pervasive in soil, dust and drinking water around the world. Studies suggest they’re in 98% of Americans’ bodies, where they’ve been associated with health problems including thyroid disease, liver damage and kidney and testicular cancer.

3M offers $10.3B settlement over PFAS contamination in water systems – now, how do you destroy a 'forever chemical'?
Environment

Supreme Court rules the US is not required to ensure access to water for the Navajo Nation

A water pump outside a home on the Navajo Nation in Thoreau, N.M. Spencer Platt/Getty Images The Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., covers 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in the Southwest – an area larger than 10 states. Today it is home to more than 250,000 people – roughly comparable to the population of St. Petersburg, Florida, or Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Unlike those cities, however, 30% of households on the Navajo Reservation lack running water. Hauling water can cost 20 times what it does in neighboring off-reservation communities. While the average American uses between

Supreme Court rules the US is not required to ensure access to water for the Navajo Nation
Environment

Atlantic hurricane season 2023: El Niño and extreme Atlantic Ocean heat are about to clash

Hurricane Florence, seen from the International Space Station in 2018. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. NASA The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and forecasters are keeping a close eye on rising ocean temperatures, and not just in the Atlantic. Globally, warm sea surface temperatures that can fuel hurricanes have been off the charts in the spring of 2023, but what really matters for Atlantic hurricanes are the ocean temperatures in two locations: the North Atlantic basin, where hurricanes are born and intensify, and the eastern-central tropical Pacific Ocean, where El Niño forms. This

Atlantic hurricane season 2023: El Niño and extreme Atlantic Ocean heat are about to clash
Environment

To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires

An adult male orangutan contemplates his next move in haze produced by Indonesia’s 2015 wildfires. Wendy Erb, CC BY-ND Bornean orangutans are one of three orangutan species, all critically endangered. They thrive in carbon-rich peat swamp forests on the Indonesian island of Borneo. These habitats are also the sites of massive wildfires. Indonesian wildfires in 2015 caused some of the worst fire-driven air pollution ever recorded. The fires were driven by an El Niño climatic cycle, which caused especially dry weather in the region. Compared to other wildfires, peatland fires smolder underground and produce exceptionally high levels of hazardous gases

To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires
Environment

Ocean heat is off the charts – here's what that means for humans and ecosystems around the world

The Indian Ocean’s heat is having effects on land, too. NOAA Coral Reef Watch Ocean temperatures have been off the charts since mid-March 2023, with the highest average levels in 40 years of satellite monitoring, and the impact is breaking through in disruptive ways around the world. The sea of Japan is more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. The Indian monsoon, closely tied to conditions in the warm Indian Ocean, has been well below its expected strength. Spain, France, England and the whole Scandinavian Peninsula are also seeing rainfall far below normal, likely connected to

Ocean heat is off the charts – here's what that means for humans and ecosystems around the world
Environment

Hurricanes push heat deeper into the ocean than scientists realized, boosting long-term ocean warming, new research shows

Satellite data illustrates the heat signature of Hurricane Maria above warm surface water in 2017. NASA When a hurricane hits land, the destruction can be visible for years or even decades. Less obvious, but also powerful, is the effect hurricanes have on the oceans. In a new study, we show through real-time measurements that hurricanes don’t just churn water at the surface. They can also push heat deep into the ocean in ways that can lock it up for years and ultimately affect regions far from the storm. Heat is the key component of this story. It has long been

Hurricanes push heat deeper into the ocean than scientists realized, boosting long-term ocean warming, new research shows
Environment

Saving lives from extreme heat: Lessons from the deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave

Volunteers pick up water to deliver to homeless people during a 2021 heat wave. AP Photo/Nathan Howard The heat dome that descended upon the Pacific Northwest in late June 2021 met a population radically unprepared for it. Almost two-thirds of households earning US$50,000 or less and 70% of rented houses in Washington’s King, Pierce and Snohomish counties had no air conditioning. In Spokane, nearly one-quarter of survey respondents didn’t have in-home air conditioning, and among those who did, 1 in 5 faced significant, often financial, barriers to using it. Imagine having no way to cool your home as temperatures spiked

Saving lives from extreme heat: Lessons from the deadly 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave
Environment

US national parks are crowded – and so are many national forests, wildlife refuges, battlefields and seashores

Visitors at Sliding Rock, a popular cascade in North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest. Cecilio Ricardo, USFS/Flickr Outdoor recreation is on track for another record-setting year. In 2022, U.S. national parks logged more than 300 million visits – and that means a lot more people on roads and trails. While research shows that spending time outside is good for physical and mental health, long lines and gridlocked roads can make the experience a lot less fun. Crowding also makes it harder for park staff to protect wildlife and fragile lands and respond to emergencies. To manage the crowds, some parks are

US national parks are crowded – and so are many national forests, wildlife refuges, battlefields and seashores
Environment

How do spices get their flavor?

Without spices, our meals would have less color and flavor. Helaine Weide/Moment via Getty Images Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. How do spices get their flavor? – Liam, age 6, San Francisco I love savory and spicy foods. Lasagna laden with basil and oregano. Beautifully golden curries infused with turmeric, or rice flavored with saffron. I can’t pass up a cinnamon-dusted snickerdoodle cookie. And some of my favorite childhood memories center on my mom’s nutmeg-infused sweet potato pie. These ingredients

How do spices get their flavor?
Environment

When homes flood, who retreats and to where? We mapped thousands of FEMA buyouts and found distance and race play a role

After Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans in 2021, Kirt Talamo, a fourth-generation Louisianan, decided it was time to go. He sold his flooded home, purchased his grandmother’s former house on New Orleans’ west bank, which hadn’t flooded, and moved in. It felt good to be back within its familiar walls, but his mind was on the future. “My other house wasn’t supposed to flood, and now insurance costs are going through the roof; it’s bad,” he told us. “I wanted to keep my grandma’s place in the family, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay. I’d love

When homes flood, who retreats and to where? We mapped thousands of FEMA buyouts and found distance and race play a role
Environment

When homes flood, who retreats and to where? We mapped thousands of buyouts and found the average move is only 7 miles, and race plays a role

After Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans in 2021, Kirt Talamo, a fourth-generation Louisianan, decided it was time to go. He sold his flooded home, purchased his grandmother’s former house on New Orleans’ west bank, which hadn’t flooded, and moved in. It felt good to be back within its familiar walls, but his mind was on the future. “My other house wasn’t supposed to flood, and now insurance costs are going through the roof; it’s bad,” he told us. “I wanted to keep my grandma’s place in the family, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay. I’d love

When homes flood, who retreats and to where? We mapped thousands of buyouts and found the average move is only 7 miles, and race plays a role
Environment

Lack of affordable child care is hurting young farm families' ability to grow their businesses – the US farm bill may finally offer some help

Kerissa and Charlie Payne are beginning farmers living their dream of raising two daughters on a farm in Central Ohio. By conventional measures, their livestock farm, Covey Rise, is a success. Yet, below the surface, the challenge of finding quality affordable child care has kept their business from growing and reaching its full potential. “It feels like we’re always split between keeping the kids safe on the farm, being a good parent, and the needs of the farm,” Kerissa Payne said. The United States has a child care crisis, yet the issue remains largely invisible in the farm sector. For

Lack of affordable child care is hurting young farm families' ability to grow their businesses – the US farm bill may finally offer some help
Environment

Coca-Cola's biggest challenge in greening its operations is its own global marketing strategy

Egyptian workers push Coca-Cola branded refrigerators, provided free to grocers, through a Cairo street. Mohammed Al-Sehiti/AFP via Getty Images Coca-Cola is one of the world’s most widely recognized brands. Its global reach, spanning more than 200 countries, was the theme of a 2020 commercial that showed families drinking Coke with their meals in cities from Orlando, Florida, to Shanghai, London, Mexico City and Mumbai, India. Operating on that scale creates a big carbon footprint. The company uses over 200,000 vehicles to distribute its products every day and runs hundreds of bottling plants and syrup factories across the globe. But Coke’s

Coca-Cola's biggest challenge in greening its operations is its own global marketing strategy

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