Report Priorities for California’s Water By Jeffrey Mount, Letitia Grenier, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson ... Nov 1, 2023 California has made great strides in preparing for a drier, hotter future, but it remains a challenge to harness the bounty of wet years while also reducing flood risk. How did California’s water sector manage the unusually wet 2023 water year—and what lessons can we glean for the future?
blog post How to Keep Buildings Cool in California’s Warming Climate By Sarah Bardeen Oct 23, 2023 California is getting warmer—and that’s putting strain on residents who are struggling to stay cool. Could better architectural design help? This week, we speak with an expert in passive cooling and carbon-neutral design to learn more.
blog post Exploring the Yurok Tribe’s Management of the Klamath River By Sarah Bardeen Sep 5, 2023 The Yurok Tribe is one of the few California tribes whose members still reside on a portion of their ancestral lands, including a 44-mile stretch bordering the Klamath River. The Yurok are deeply involved with efforts to protect the river’s watershed, so we asked one of the Tribe’s lawyers to tell us more about what they’re doing—and what challenges they face.
blog post Californians Are Worried about Wildfires By Lynette Ubois, Mark Baldassare Aug 16, 2023 An overwhelming majority of Californians say the threat of wildfires is a problem in their part of the state. Around one in three residents have a great deal of confidence in government readiness to respond to wildfires.
blog post New State Budget Maintains Water and Natural Resources Funding in an Uncertain Economy By Gokce Sencan Aug 1, 2023 When it comes to state funding for water and natural resource projects, California has typically turned to general obligation bonds as the first resort. The historic budget surpluses of recent years have shaken up this long-standing arrangement, but is that funding source drying up?
blog post Climate Resilience Expert Letitia Grenier to Lead the PPIC Water Policy Center By Ellen Hanak, Tani Cantil-Sakauye Jul 24, 2023 We are thrilled to announce that senior scientist and climate resilience expert Letitia Grenier will join PPIC as the next director of the Water Policy Center. Letitia is currently the Resilient Landscapes Program director at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. She will assume her new role on September 25, 2023.
blog post From Litigation to Collaboration on the San Joaquin River By Molly Peterson, Sarah Bardeen Jul 18, 2023 The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, and much of its success comes from the waters of the San Joaquin River. Today, the challenge is how to undo some of the damage done to the river’s ecosystems—and how to reconnect the river to its many communities.
Fact Sheet Water Use in California By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak, Caitlin Peterson Apr 19, 2023 To understand California’s water, start here. Water use in California varies dramatically between wet and dry years: learn who’s using California’s water, where, and how much.
blog post California’s 2022 Fire Season: “A Remarkably Different Year” By Sarah Bardeen Dec 12, 2022 This year’s fire season was relatively quiet—a welcome change of pace for fire-weary Californians. But what does it mean in the larger scheme of things? We asked UC Berkeley professor Scott Stephens for insights.
blog post New State and Federal Measures Aim to Manage Extreme Heat Risks By Gokce Sencan Nov 30, 2022 As climate change progresses, extreme heat events will become more frequent, more severe, and longer in duration. Several new state and federal programs aim to protect individuals and communities from the effects of extreme heat.
