Santa Cruz County Local Sustainability News Articles and Digest

Environment Sustainability

Study Finds Redwoods Store Buds, Carbon for Fire Events

12/06/2023
A recently published, multiyear study about the recovery of redwood trees in Big Basin Redwoods State Park after the CZU Lightning Complex fires shows that carbon reserves and ancient, dormant buds within redwood trees allow the plants to recover quickly after a catastrophic fire.

From Los Angeles Times...

Environment Transportation Sustainability

High-Speed Rail Project Connecting SoCal to Las Vegas Wins Grant

12/05/2023
Private company Brightline secured a $3 billion grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation toward a 218-mile high-speed rail line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas. The line would allow people to make the trip to Sin City in a little over two hours.

From SFGate...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Sustainability

Imperial County Might Have Enough Lithium for 375 Million Batteries

12/04/2023
A new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that approximately 3,400 kilotons of lithium are located below Imperial County in Southern California. This could produce more than $7 billion in lithium carbonate annually, helping power significant numbers of electric vehicles.

From KQED...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Transportation Sustainability Government

Oakland Might Have to Pay Developers Millions Over Coal Terminal

12/04/2023
An Alameda County judge ruled on Nov. 22 that the city of Oakland thwarted a proposed coal export terminal. The judge will rule if the developer who sued is entitled to $159 million in damages or moving forward with the project.

From Press Banner...

Sustainability

Scotts Valley Graduate Takes Part in COP28 Climate Summit

11/30/2023
Image for display with article titled Local Takes Part in COP28 Climate Summit

Upwards of 30,000 people from 195 countries gather for the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, and a Scotts Valley High School graduate will be among them.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

Science Points to ‘Climate Collapse’ as UN Chief Calls for Action

11/30/2023
The world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, new climate data shows, and leaders gathered for the COP28 conference in Dubai must get us out of “deep trouble,” UN chief António Guterres said.

From YubaNet...

Sustainability Resilience

2023 Shatters Records

11/29/2023
2023 has broken climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

From Good Times...

Public Safety Sustainability

Our Potentially Explosive Future

11/28/2023
Image for display with article titled Our Potentially Explosive Future

The chemistry behind lithium batteries could cause spontaneous fires.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

DOE Analysis Confirms Salton Sea Is a Rich Domestic Lithium Resource

11/28/2023
An analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy found that with expected technology advances, the Salton Sea region’s total lithium resources could produce more than 3,400 kilotons of lithium, enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles—more than the total number currently on U.S. roads.

From Sacramento Bee...

Animals Sustainability

White House Allocates Millions for Burps from California Cows

11/24/2023
Livestock are responsible for half of all methane emissions in California. The White House is giving $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to Dairy Farmers of America to help change this.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Environment Sustainability

Big Basin: Redwood Trees’ Recovery Is ‘Remarkable,’ While Some Species Still Struggle

11/20/2023
More than three years after a wildfire devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the massive redwood trees continue to recover. But some wildlife species, particularly salmon, steelhead and some types of birds, could take many years to bounce back.

From Inside Climate News...

Business, Economy & Jobs Sustainability

Senators Urge IRS to Withhold Fed Funds from California Bioenergy Firm

11/20/2023
Fulcrum Bioenergy, a California-based firm that seeks to turn plastics into jet fuel, has defaulted on $289 million in bond funding and put a major project on hold. This comes as several U.S. Senators wrote to the IRS urging that similar companies not receive federal tax credits.

From YubaNet...

Parks & Recreation Sustainability

Natural Resources Agency Launches Plan to Increase Outdoor Access in California

11/15/2023
State and local leaders gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate a new plan that will increase access to the outdoors for all Californians, regardless of who they are or where they live.

From Santa Cruz Local...

Sustainability County of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz City Council to Consider Natural-Gas Changes

11/13/2023
Image for display with article titled Santa Cruz City Council to Consider Natural-Gas Changes

Proposed rules would allow natural gas in new construction, but require that the buildings include enough physical space and electric capacity to be converted to electric power in the future.

From YubaNet...

Agriculture, Food & Gardening Sustainability Crime & Justice

Groups Urge Court to Strike Down Decision Greenlighting Ocean Fish Farming

11/13/2023
Center for Food Safety has filed arguments seeking to revoke the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of nationwide permit 56, which authorizes industrial finfish aquaculture structures in ocean waters around the country. CFS represents a coalition of conservation, tribal, and fishing organizations.

From Sacramento Bee...

Sustainability Resilience

Tree Climbers Are Helping Replant California’s Forests

11/09/2023
More than 1.5 million acres of forest have been burned or scarred in California. Climbers go high in trees to grab pine cones that could help in reforestation.

From Los Angeles Times...

Water Sustainability

California’s Drought Is Over—at Least for Now

11/07/2023
Intense rains have California out of a drought less than a year after most of the state faced water shortages. A climatologist is urging wise water usage ahead of California’s next drought.

From YubaNet...

Animals Sustainability

NOAA: New Funding to Help Bring California Salmon Back from the Brink

11/06/2023
The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded $27.8 million to bring Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers, funding projects by Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and the Nature Conservancy.

From YubaNet...

Business, Economy & Jobs Sustainability

America’s Low-Carbon Transition Could Improve Employment Opportunities for All

11/03/2023
The USA is likely to see consistent job growth from the transition to net zero, but the gains will be unevenly distributed, shows a new analysis conducted by Imperial College London researchers and published in Nature Climate Change.

From LAist...

Animals Sustainability

A Big Year of Snow in California Was Horrific for Endangered Sheep

10/31/2023
Researchers tell LAist that half of California’s population of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which are endangered, died last winter due to record weather. Causes of death include avalanches, starvation and getting eaten by mountain lions after moving to lower elevations for food.

Santa Cruz County Local News: Sustainability