Ian James

After uproar, Orange County stops spraying herbicide in two creeks After residents launched a social media campaign demanding Orange County stop spraying herbicide in creeks, officials said they will halt the practice in two waterways.

“This is democracy.” Responding to residents who waged a social media campaign against the spraying of herbicides in local creeks, Orange County officials announced they will halt the practice in waterways near Doheny State Beach.
www.latimes.com/environment/...

Satellite photos show California's sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don't Satellite images show the Sierra Nevada before and after a major heat wave melted significant portions of California's snow.

Now you see it, now you don't. Near the end of this extremely warm winter, California's snow is rapidly melting. My colleague @castleman.bsky.social shares some striking satellite images. He spoke with @weatherwest.bsky.social about the remarkably rapid loss of snow: www.latimes.com/california/s...

How one controversial startup hopes to cool the planet

If you'd prefer to listen to—rather than read—words by me, here's an audio version of my recent feature on Stardust Solutions, exploring why a number of scientists are freaked out about the first serious for-profit company moving into the solar geoengineering field.

Nature Report, Killed by Trump, Is Released Independently

Scientists and other experts were preparing an assessment of the health of nature in the US when Trump returned to the White House. He canceled the report. The researchers went ahead and compiled it on their own. This week, they released a 868-p draft for public comment and scientific review.

Satellite photos show California's sudden snowpack meltdown: Now you see it, now you don't Satellite images show the Sierra Nevada before and after a major heat wave melted significant portions of California's snow.

Now you see it, now you don't. Near the end of this extremely warm winter, California's snow is rapidly melting. My colleague @castleman.bsky.social shares some striking satellite images. He spoke with @weatherwest.bsky.social about the remarkably rapid loss of snow: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Climate change goes to the Oscars Several Academy Award-nominated films told stories dealing with global warming. More movies like this, please!

NEW: Five Oscar-nominated films have storylines dealing with climate change. That's the most ever.

"This is the world we live in. Filmmakers are experiencing climate change in their lives."

Here's the list, and why it's such a big deal: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/climate-ch...

This condor couple may be tending to first egg in Northern California in a century Two condors in far northwestern California appear to be caring for a recently laid egg, a historic moment in an effort to bring the massive raptors back to the Yurok Tribe's historic homeland.

Condors are believed to be nesting on California’s North Coast — a major milestone in the Yurok Tribe’s effort to return the endangered raptors to their ancestral homeland.

Europeans settlers poisoned and shot the birds into oblivion in the region a century ago. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Analysis Suggests School Was Hit Amid U.S. Strikes on Iranian Naval Base

U.S. forces likely bombed an Iranian elementary school on Feb. 28 during an operation targeting a nearby military base, a New York Times analysis suggests. It is the deadliest known episode of civilian casualties since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran — and no side has yet taken responsibility.

Asylum approvals plummet as fearful immigrants skip hearings Fewer than 3% of asylum cases decided in January were approved — a record low, according to Mobile Pathways, a San Francisco nonprofit that analyzes federal immigration data.

In Los Angeles County immigration courts — among the largest in the country — the trend is substantially starker: no-shows made up 56% of the asylum hearings in January, compared with 14% a year earlier.
“That’s not fluctuation ...That’s collapse.”
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

Commentary: Trump's love affair with coal won't save the industry from extinction America's coal output has been falling for decades, and a turnaround isn't in the cards.

www.latimes.com/business/sto...

Influencers are promoting peptides for better health. What does the science say? The latest wellness craze involves injecting these molecules for athletic performance, longevity and more. Scientists say the research isn't keeping pace with the health claims.

I don't understand how we have to beg people to get vaccinated while other people are fine shooting themselves up with untested compounds for unproven "gains" risking god knows what

What’s behind your sky-high power bill: A region-by-region breakdown Geography, wildfires, natural gas, wind energy, regulatory free-for-alls — these are some of the factors that determine your electric bills.

This story by @naveenasadasivam.bsky.social and @compatibilism.bsky.social is SO good, which makes me SO glad we had Naveena on this week's @climateone.org episode to talk about (surprise!) electricity prices.

This is me now

Commentary: Too many Democrats in California governor's race? That's a great thing California's Democratic Party leaders need a rude awakening. Making them sweat about a gubernatorial primary is a start, writes columnist Gustavo Arellano.

@gustavoarellano.bsky.social: Latinos are a plurality of California’s population and the bedrock of the Democratic Party. Yet there’s a good chance that after November, no Latino will hold a statewide elected position for the first time since 2014. www.latimes.com/california/s... @latimes.com

Vatican theological commission warns of replacing God with 'a world governed by machines' The Vatican's International Theological Commission has warned that if humanity places total trust in technology in a "world ruled by machines," it risks replacing the "living God" with a counterfeit "...

Vatican theological commission warns of replacing God with 'a world governed by machines.' Warns the human family is faced with "questions so radical that they threaten its very existence as we have known it."
#AI #BigTech #technology #Vatican #LLMs
www.ncronline.org/vatican/vati...

California, Arizona and Nevada press Trump administration to rethink Colorado River water cuts California and other downstream states are criticizing the Trump administration’s options for dealing with the Colorado River crisis.

California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing how the Trump administration is dealing with the Colorado River's crisis. They are warning that the Interior Department’s outline of options for water cutbacks ignores the 1922 agreement that divided the water. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Explore Financial Disclosures From President Trump and 1,500 of His Appointees - ProPublica Use this database to explore potential conflicts of interest for President Donald Trump and his team. The documents disclose positions officials have held outside government, their assets and their de...

Awesome database published by my @propublica.org colleagues where you can look up financial disclosures of over 1,500 of Trump's appointees. #NICAR26 data nerds will appreciate this one! projects.propublica.org/trump-team-f...

Who will pay for AI’s power? New report targets California data centers The Little Hoover Commission warns AI data centers could spike electricity bills, urging lawmakers to make tech companies — not households — pay for grid upgrades.

Who pays for AI’s power? California watchdog urges new data center rules calmatters.org/environment/...

How a California desalination plant could ease water shortages on the Colorado River Relying on desalination, the San Diego County Water Authority will consider transferring water to cities in Arizona and Nevada that soon will face cuts in Colorado River water.

San Diego has so much desalinated water, it might sell some of its supplies to Arizona and Nevada cities strapped by megadrought on the Colorado River: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @ianjames.bsky.social

California, Arizona and Nevada press Trump administration to rethink Colorado River water cuts California and other downstream states are criticizing the Trump administration’s options for dealing with the Colorado River crisis.

California, Arizona and Nevada water officials absolutely hate the Trump administration's ideas for conserving water along the Colorado River: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @ianjames.bsky.social

Top tech companies sign Trump's pledge to provide their own power for AI data centers The pledge signed by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, xAI, Oracle and OpenAI does not include requirements for how companies will source the energy.

I talked with the @latimes.com @hayleysmith.bsky.social about the Administration promising to lower electricity bills while also blocking new sources of clean energy supply. When demand is spiking because of AI and the government is blocking supplies, prices go up. www.latimes.com/environment/...

Head of L.A.'s Department of Water and Power resigns The head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is stepping down to become chief executive of an electric company in her native Puerto Rico.

Janisse Quiñones, the top executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is stepping down

@noahmgoldberg.bsky.social @davidzahniser.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Senate rejects war powers measure to withdraw forces from Iran The U.S. Senate rejected a war powers resolution aimed at limiting President Trump’s ability to conduct further military operations against Iran.

Senate Republicans voted down a war powers resolution that would have blocked President Trump from ordering further military action in Iran without congressional approval.

Maryland Sen. Van Hollen: "This is not making us safer." www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

www.npr.org/2026/03/04/n...

California, Arizona and Nevada press Trump administration to rethink Colorado River water cuts California and other downstream states are criticizing the Trump administration’s options for dealing with the Colorado River crisis.

California, Arizona and Nevada are criticizing how the Trump administration is dealing with the Colorado River's crisis. They are warning that the Interior Department’s outline of options for water cutbacks ignores the 1922 agreement that divided the water. www.latimes.com/environment/...

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

The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds A new study in the journal Nature says most sea level rise research may have underestimated coastal water heights by an average of 1 foot or about 30 centimeters.

Climate change’s rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are.
By @borenbears.bsky.social & Annika Hammerschlag @apnews.com apnews.com/article/sea-...

Losing the War on Truth Iran and what to make of it

Opinion: Iran and losing the war on truth
@timothysnyder.bsky.social writes: "In this war, any talk of 'national interest' is such a rationalization. There is none such at stake."
snyder.substack.com/p/losing-the...

How two Big Bear eagles became social media’s hottest love story After ravens destroyed their first clutch, eagle power couple Jackie and Shadow laid new eggs — sending their vast fanbase into celebration. How did they rise to internet stardom?

Jackie and Shadow are the perfect antidote to turbulent times.

Their steady partnership offers peace and inspiration, even through hardship.

After losing eggs to ravens this season, they laid more.

This is how Jackie met Shadow – and won over the internet: bit.ly/4bkNWnP

Justin Claude Rakotoarisoa, steward of a fragile chorus In Madagascar, frogs are not background noise but a measure of how much forest still functions. The island holds an extraordinary share of the world’s amphibian diversity, almost all of it found nowhe...

A frog’s survival can turn on whether someone remembered to culture flies. In Andasibe, for years, someone did.

www.butlernature.com/2026/03/01/j...

North American birds are dying off faster. It signals a human crisis, too. The accelerating decline of birds is a bellwether of far deeper biodiversity crisis — one that threatens not only beloved species but the humans who live alongside them.

Sounds of silence: study finds declining bird populations in North America. "...it’s even worse when that loss is stronger with each year, because eventually you will get to the point of no population left.” @sarahkaplan48 @washingtonpost wapo.st/4cRKORA