Californias

Desalination is used worldwide, from Israel to Australia. Here, project engineer Mike Watts watches as saltwater flows into the pre-treatment hall at the Kurnell desalination plant, in Sydney, Australia, in October 2010.

Could the Pacific Ocean be California’s water saviour? He can, if we want him to be

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OPINION AND COMMENT Editorials and other opinion content provide insights into issues important to our community and are independent of the work of our newsroom reporters. Desalination is used all over the world, from Israel to Australia. Here, project engineer Mike Watts watches salt water flow through the pre-treatment hall at Kurnell’s desalination plant in …

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Editorial: Southern California's Smog Reduction Plan Should Achieve Zero Emissions

Editorial: Southern California’s Smog Reduction Plan Should Achieve Zero Emissions

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Southern California’s smog regulators are finally accepting what pollution-ridden communities have been telling them for years: To clean up the country’s most polluted air, they must reduce emissions to zero. After decades of focusing on increasingly cleaner burning, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is set to adopt a plan that aims for a …

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California's large reservoirs expected to meet just 5% of demand next year as drought crisis deepens

California’s large reservoirs expected to meet just 5% of demand next year as drought crisis deepens

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The California Department of Water Resources announced Thursday that it plans to meet just 5% of water demands from urban and agricultural contractors supplied by the State Water Project, many of which are in the Bay Area. The low allocation, one of the lowest on record, will invariably mean continued pressure on Californians to reduce …

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Nearly 20% of California's water agencies could face shortages if drought persists, state report says

Nearly 20% of California’s water agencies could face shortages if drought persists, state report says

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Most urban water agencies in California think they have enough supply to get through another seven months of drought, but nearly 20% — including many in Southern California — say they could face significant shortages, according to a new state report. The California Department of Water Resources’ first annual water supply and demand assessment surveyed …

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Op-Ed: California's carbon-offset forests don't sequester much carbon. Here's how to do better

Op-Ed: California’s carbon-offset forests don’t sequester much carbon. Here’s how to do better

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Many companies promising “net zero” emissions to protect the climate support this claim by investing in large tracts of forests to capture carbon. It turns out that this strategy does not work very well. On paper, carbon offsets appear to balance a company’s carbon emissions: the company pays to protect trees, which absorb carbon dioxide …

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Why California's cute, troubled and disruptive wild burros risk causing 'catastrophic damage'

Why California’s cute, troubled and disruptive wild burros risk causing ‘catastrophic damage’

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Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. KArin Usko and her husband John Auborn often hike in the mountains north of their home in Ridgrecrest and try to spot wild donkeys. Lately they have noticed the consequences of the ongoing drought in California. Cute, troubled and problematic: California’s …

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