Conservation Value Solutions

Wars Often Lose Public Support Over Time. Trump Started This One Without Much.

Yep - it’s The Epstein Files Distraction War. The Pedophile President Protection War… www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/u...

Really speaks to the power of weaponization of social media by fascists - and the urgent need for public interest media accuracy protections that respect the 1st amendment while protecting society against the consequences of dangerous disinformation & propaganda designed to weaken and divide America

Nature's Dividends: The Economic, Health and Safety Benefits of Investing in Nature The Nature's Dividends report finds that conservation is a cost-effective way to grow the U.S. economy, protect public safety and reduce healthcare costs.

New Report from @nature.org "tells a powerful story: Protecting, restoring and enhancing nature is an essential way to support thriving communities and economies in the United States."

Renewable Energy and National Security The wind and the sun don’t need to transit the Strait of Hormuz

Renewable Energy & National Security: a reminder that the wind & the sun don't need to transit the Straight of Hormuz (plus, there are no wind/sun spills and EV drivers don't have to worry about impacts of oil price shocks to our everyday transport costs). Climate solutions are BETTER for society!

Study: Nature risks threaten to drive up borrowing costs New LSE study warns nature degradation is leading to 'significant impacts' on borrowing costs for governments

Study shows how countries with high levels of nature degradation are facing higher borrowing costs. www.businessgreen.com/news/4526573...

Information as Civic Infrastructure—and How Philanthropy Can Support the Ecosystem | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice. Philanthropy funds solutions but less often invests in the fundamental conditions that make those solutions possible. Among the most fragile of those conditions is the shared information ecosystem on ...

“supporting the information ecosystem is not peripheral to mission but foundational to it. By strengthening institutions & practices that produce trustworthy public knowledge, donors aren’t choosing journalism over solutions. They are safeguarding the conditions that allow many solutions to endure.”

Symptomatic of a broken media and political landscape - and a consequence of information warfare (weaponization of social and other media by America’s enemies). Need a bottle of whiskey and a campfire to really get into the key challenges responsible and ideas of structural solutions..

Page 2 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: constructive suggestions regarding how the already remarkable institutional efficiency and societal impact of NCAR could be further enhanced through increased (not decreased) federal support in the years to come. Please note: To ensure the highest level of technical rigor, this response focuses exclusively on the core atmospheric and natural hazard science topics within the author’s primary domain of expertise; for this reason, I have omitted a response to Topic 4 (Space Weather)." NCAR weather modeling and atmospheric observing capabilities a) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as a stand-alone activity. The proposed management of weather-related research as a stand-alone activity is a scientifically regressive path that ignores the fundamental physical reality of the Earth system. Modern atmospheric science has demonstrated (largely, it is worth noting, due to groundbreaking researc

Page 3 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: b) Management and operations of weather-related observational platforms, modeling and science as combined with other NSF investments/facilities. The highly specialized nature of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) infrastructure represents an extraordinary value proposition that cannot be replicated by combining it with more generalized NSF programs. The NWSC is not a generic high-performance computing (HPC) facility; it is a laboratory uniquely optimized for atmospheric science workflows, with a hardware and storage architecture specifically designed to handle the massive, high-bandwidth data demands of Earth system modeling. Furthermore, its model of providing an excellent, free-at-point-of-use technical support team ensures that the focus remains on the science rather than the overhead of systems administration. This centralized expertise allows individual researchers, smaller labs, and even entire universities—who would otherwi

Page 4 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: NCAR Mesa Lab (located in Boulder, Colorado) a/b) Ownership of the NSF NCAR Mesa Lab building for public and private use. Far more than just an office building, NSF NCAR Mesa Lab is an iconic and purpose-built facility designed specifically for the study of atmospheric science. Its position at the physical interface of the Rocky Mountain foothills and the Great Plains is a deliberate reflection of its mission, serving as a visible symbol—in an iconically American setting—of the federal government's enduring commitment to science in service of society. For many in the field, including myself, the Mesa Lab holds singular importance as a focal gathering point for the global atmospheric science community. My own early career exposure to weather and Earth system modeling, in fact, occurred within these walls, and I have long felt that the facility’s architecture and location inspire a necessary sense of awe regarding the atmosphere’s complexity a

Page 1 of letter by Daniel Swain. It begins: Dear Acting Director Stone and the NSF NCAR restructuring team: I am writing to provide a formal response to the Request for Information (RFI) regarding the proposed restructuring of the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and its critical weather science infrastructure contained within the January 23, 2026 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) entitled “NSF Intent to Restructure Critical Weather Infrastructure.” I submit these comments in my professional capacity as an atmospheric research scientist within the University of California, where my research focuses on the physics and dynamics of atmospheric processes related to extreme weather events and their role in shifting natural hazard and disaster risk. My perspective is informed by a public-sector career dedicated to bridging the gap between fundamental atmospheric research and real-world application in an academic context, with a particular focus on understanding and mitigating

I just submitted my letter to NSF responding to its proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). I argue that doing so would be an astonishing and avoidable misstep, and that federal support for the institution should in fact be *increased.* [1/4]

Electrification of transportation is a national security and economic resilience strategy, which would work well for this exact scenario we are in right now.

Watch closely how the war in Iran unfolds over the next few months.

We need to see who really benefits from the chaos.

If this keeps oil prices high, the operation will just be a massive bailout for the Russian economy

7-8 hours per day over the weekend with 100% WindWaterSolar on CA's main grid, peaking at 150.4% of demand on Sunday.

10 days straight and 37/60 with 100% WWS first two months of 2026.

Gas down 34% in 2026 vs 2025 & 58% vs 2023

Solar up 63% and batteries up 320% vs 2023.

zurl.co/YyoeE

If we are fortunate enough to succeed in preserving our democracy, we must institutionalize through our education system the crucial lesson of citizen-engaged participation in countering the constant threats to our precious Constitution-based civic and political culture.

substack.com/@wrp6849/not...
“The President’s position is dangerously ignoring a cardinal rule, that American defense be able at all times to honor its constitutional duty to keep the country safe” A Must Read by Steady State’s Bill Piekney

Energy security comes from renewables & clean flexibility, not fossil gas.
Fossil fuel supplies can vanish overnight, prices can spike, and consumers pay the price.
A renewables-based, flexible system is immune to these shocks.
More in our webinar today.
🗓️ 11am CET
🔗 us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Some much needed good news...

Uhhhhh

How to register to vote and check your registration status For the 2026 primary elections, NPR has collected deadlines and information on how to register to vote — online, in person or by mail — in every U.S. state and territory.

For the 2026 primary elections, NPR has collected deadlines and information on how to register to vote — online, in person or by mail — in every U.S. state and territory.

And yes of course see your main point. But that was not really my point, which was simply to celebrate the small win of relief we feel, in this moment, of driving EVs. FYI there are very affordable used Ionic 5's and other models out there if you prefer to buy... Such cool technologies to drive!

Certainly understand the benefits of owning! The reason we leased for the first time has more to do with the state of battery tech, which is kind of like microchips in the 90's. Rapidly advancing in storage and (here, recharge) speed and decreasing in cost. Hope to be able to finance our next one...

That's right. Worse than Pointless
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...

Have you explored lease deals..? You can get great EVs for 200-300/month! Lease payments are partially offset by much lower operating and maintenance costs vs gas cars

Fellow EV drivers, how nice it it not to care about gas prices right now given the mess The Mad King has created in the Middle East…

Little snow in California and the West as a warm winter nears end California's snowpack remains much smaller than average after months of extremely warm conditions across the West.

Very little snow across the West during a winter that has brought record warmth

Sierra Nevada: 66% of avg
Upper Colorado River region: 66%
Oregon: 34%

"Projections show that our winters are going to look a lot more like this in the future."
www.latimes.com/environment/... @coveringclimatenow.org

"I don't know how to save the world. I don't have the answers or The Answer. I hold no secret knowledge as to how to fix the mistakes of generations past and present. I only know that without compassion and respect for all of Earth's inhabitants, none of us will survive-nor will we deserve to."

The same applies to prescribed grazing treatments designed to reduce fuels. Where planning fails to time grazing to minimize risks of unintended consequences, it can worsen weed invasions and harm native species & habitats. Likewise happy to help plan grazing treatments to maximize their benefits!

As awareness of the valuable benefits of wildfire resilience rises, most of the popular focus has been on fuels reduction to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. Did you know that prescribed and… | ... As awareness of the valuable benefits of wildfire resilience rises, most of the popular focus has been on fuels reduction to reduce the risk of catastrophic fire. Did you know that prescribed and cul...

If you or anyone in your network needs help planning controlled burns to generate their full suite of potential fuels reduction, invasive plant management, native plant and habitat restoration, and other benefits, drop me a DM...

The universe IS a hologram after all…

Add this to the long list of evidence requiring major reforms of the horrifically-corrupt and badly-broken US Supreme Court. It has lost credibility and needs to be renewed

Sam Alito has an oil money problem 30 percent of Alito’s individual stock portfolio is directly tied to fossil fuels.

The Supreme Court has decided to hear a major climate case against fossil fuel companies

Alito has not recused himself, despite owning nearly $200,000 in fossil fuel stocks—including in Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips, which are being sued in cases that would be directly affected by a SCOTUS ruling

While US grid demand increased 2.1% in 2025, California's declined 3.16%-despite 2.5 mil EVs in CA, lots of heat pumps, and 3rd-most data centers in the US

About 36% of the decline was due to growth in behind-the-meter PV

BTM PV is an easy way to reduce growth of grid demand