Climate Point: Salt water to fresh? Mideast has lessons for Southwest
Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly guide to climate, energy and environment news. I'm Janet Wilson, writing to you from Palm Springs, Calif., where in nearby Yucca Valley, palm trees were covered with snow after a rare Thanksgiving "bomb cyclone" storm brought snow to unusual places, per Doyle Rice with USA Today. More extreme weather is on tap as climate change advances, experts predict.
Here are some other stories that may be of interest:
MUST-READ STORIES
Guzzlers. Desalination operations in the Middle East, particularly Oman, offer lessons for Arizona, Mexico and other parts of the southwest considering costly plants to increase drinking water supplies. Ian James reports for the Arizona Republic.
Crashing to Earth. The beloved Trinity lighthouse, which once warned ships off the treacherous California coast, is now a harbinger of climate change. The ground beneath it has shifted so much, the cherry red sea siren has been moved to a parking lot, dismaying longtime locals. Hailey Bronson-Potts with the Los Angeles Times fills us in.
Foggy. Mercury in ocean fog is harming pumas.
POLITICAL CLIMATE
Asleep at the wheel. In its latest dire report, the United Nations warned on Tuesday that the world's nations must slash greenhouse gas emissions by more than half by 2030 to avoid catastrophic changes. One expert said leaders are "sleepwalking toward climate catastrophe."
No charge. Cleaner electric vehicles are gaining traction, but the building of charging stations continues to lag. California has been pushing to open a network of free electric vehicle charging stations at the state's highway rest stations, but has run afoul of a decades-old law that bans commercial activity at the rest stops. David Ferris tells the tale for E&E News.
Say cheese. Commissioners give Big Sky cheese project what they want.
ALL ABOUT ENERGY
Power play. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order to more than double offshore wind power, as Scott Fallon from the North Jersey Record reports. Flanked by former Vice President Al Gore, a clean energy advocate, Murphy said the order would increase the state's goal to 7,500 megawatts by 2035, from 3,500 set for 2030, providing enough energy for 3.2 million homes—half of the Garden State's population.
Croak. Nevada’s tiny Dixie Valley toad is among nearly 300 plants and animals included in a lawsuit claiming the Trump administration is not enforcing the Endangered Species Act, as Benjamin Spillman writes for the Reno Gazette-Journal. The toad’s habitat is limited to about 1,500 acres in a remote valley that is also a hotbed of geothermal activity. Foes say the "clean" energy development could put the toad at risk of extinction.
AND ANOTHER THING
Take a hike. Across the U.S., local folks often do the dirty work of creating new wilderness areas and other open space. Cheri Carlson with the Ventura County Star brings us a nice tale of how volunteers created a trail in the town of Ojai after wildfire struck a nature preserve; the trail honors a trail-building volunteer who died in 2017.
Scientists say to keep a livable planet, we need to reduce carbon emissions to 350 ppm. We're above that and rising.
That's all for this week. Hey, if you like getting a daily round-up for free in your inbox, and you live in or wonder about the Golden State, sign up for USA Today's new In California newsletter.
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