Nuclear reactors help power Los Angeles. Should we panic, or be grateful?
The radiation containment domes at Arizona’s Palo Verde Generating Station were, truth be told, pretty boring to look at: giant mounds of concrete, snap a…
Warren Buffett’s successor got his start selling clean energy. Now he defends coal
Warren Buffett has invested tens of billions of dollars in fossil fuels, propping up some of the nation’s dirtiest coal plants as well as major…
Climate change is cooking Los Angeles. Does Karen Bass care?
Los Angeles is still reeling from its most devastating wildfires ever. In the next few months, temperatures could hit triple digits. Yet Mayor Karen Bass…
What L.A. can learn about wildfires from Yosemite’s Rim fire recovery
Happy Thursday. I’m Corinne Purtill, a science and health reporter for The Times, filling in this week for the incomparable Sammy Roth.Last week my family…
We should move faster on clean energy. Some lawmakers want to pause
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, one of the most powerful people in Sacramento, just rammed a bill through his chamber that would place a six-year pause…
Trump loves coal. Lithium-ion batteries, maybe not
I didn’t know much about email newsletters when Sarah Day Owen, an editor at the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, asked if I would start…
It’s ‘certainly possible’ utility sparked Eaton fire. But climate change made it worse
Before sitting down with Pedro Pizarro, president and chief executive officer of Edison International, I gave some thought to how I would ask him about…
The rooftop solar debate that never ends
For the latest episode of the “Boiling Point” podcast, I invited two of the most prominent voices in California’s long-running rooftop solar debate to hash…
Californians pay too much for electricity. Here are three bold solutions
Politicians love to chase easy answers. Alas, when it comes to California’s rising electric rates, there aren’t any.If limiting rate increases were simple, elected officials…
Speaking truth to Trump on climate change
The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or…
Wildfires are driving up California electric bills. Lawmakers need to act
Uncomfortable truth time: The biggest reason California’s electric rates are rising so fast is that utility companies are spending billions of dollars each year to…
Why you shouldn’t make deals with the (climate) devil
I saw a great meme created by Dustin Mulvaney, an environmental studies professor at San José State University. It has to do with President Trump’s…
The protectors of Santa Monica Bay are caving to Trump’s dangerous demands
Even as many businesses and universities rush to abandon their climate goals, diversity commitments and small-d democratic values for fear of reprisal from an increasingly…
California politicians, neglect rooftop solar at your peril
One point I didn’t make in last week’s column on California’s endless solar infighting: More rooftop solar systems could mean (relatively) less need for sprawling…
California’s rooftop solar infighting is a colossal waste of time
California can’t seem to decide whether it wants to maintain its status as the nation’s rooftop solar leader.Two years after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointees slashed…
A podcast about climate politics, water, public lands and more
Please forgive my starting with a little self-promotion: It’s been six weeks since we launched the Boiling Point podcast, and if you haven’t been listening,…
Time for California to get serious about cheaper, cleaner energy
Californians pay some of the nation’s highest electricity rates. They’re also being devastated by the consequences of fossil fueled climate change, including more deadly and…
Want to fight climate change? Then talk about climate change
When people ask me what they can do to support climate progress, one piece of advice I give again and again is to annoy their…
Not a great year for climate change at the Oscars
And the Oscar for best climate change film of 2024 goes to ...“The Wild Robot,” a beautiful animated movie that takes place in a world…
Longer flights, more climate pollution for college football teams
When UCLA, UC Berkeley and Stanford ditched the fabled Pac-12 athletic conference, most college sports fans probably weren’t thinking about what the changes would mean…