Let’s Brag About California’s Weather While We Still Can

Between Severe Drought and Predictions of Massive Flooding, the Forecast Is Bleak

One of the little joys of being Californian is the opportunity to taunt folks back East about their terrible winter weather. Hey, Boston, how does it feel to have been colonized by Eskimos?

But this winter, we seem to be overdoing it, sending out a blizzard of social media postings of palm trees and blue skies. It’s enough to make you wonder if all our taunting merely masks our fears about our own weather.

Horror film directors will tell you that nothing is more frightening than what you can’t see. By that …

Why Californians Should Believe in Snow Days

They’re Fun. They Fuel Our Nostalgia. They Remind Us of Our Obligation to One Another.

I’m sitting here in Maine having a snow day. I can only see about 30 feet in front of my cabin; everything beyond is obscured by white frosty particles, which …

Are We Heading Toward a New Dust Bowl?

Scientists Now Know That 1934 Was North America’s Worst Drought in 1,000 Years—And They Can Help Us Get Ready for the Next One

On April 15, 1935, one of the largest dust storms in U.S. history smothered Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle in a cloud thick enough to nearly blot out the noonday …

Why L.A. Needs a Resilience Czar

Anticipating Everyday Environmental Threats Is Just as Important as Recovering from Natural Disaster

For the first time in human history, the majority of the world’s population lives in urban settings. Urban living offers many attractions–employment opportunities, higher education, entertainment, healthcare, and public transportation. …

L.A.’s Dread Winds of Autumn

The Santa Anas Keep Blowing Our Minds

You know them when you feel them, or when you hear them blowing through the trees. They’ve cut out your power or even threatened your home. And you can quote …

My Personal Climate Confusion Disorder

From the Searing Southwest to the Mighty Miss, I’m Experiencing a Personal Climate Change

Like a human divining rod, I came to eastern Iowa from the arid West seeking water. In the West, my eyes were trained mostly on the ground, on the dust …