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The City of San Francisco is not prepared for sea level rise and flooding, leaving critical public safety assets like the police and fire departments vulnerable to climate change, according to a new report. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: Following historic rainfall from late 2023 to early spring 2024, Los Angeles County reservoirsscaptured and stored about 96.3 billion gallons of water, which is enough to supply an estimated 2.4 million people for a year. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California is on track to ban reusable plastic bags distributed by retail and grocery stores. Under proposed rules, stores can still offer customers paper bags or bags made of at least 50% post-consumer recycled materials for a 10-cent fee. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California could lose 100 coastal access points this century due to rising sea levels and climate change, according to a new study. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Free lunches are available to children and teens at over 90 Los Angeles City Parks during the summer. Anyone up to the age of 18 will be provided with food served on a first come, first served basis during lunch hours Monday through Friday.sNo registration or application is required, and food must be eaten on site. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
A UC Riverside study shows that reducing carbon emissions is essential to maintaining circulation of ocean water which regulates the earth’s climate. The study shows that water circulation is slowing down and could cause climate chaos in the future. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll
Idle oil wells pollute the environment and threaten health. There are more than 40,000 idle or orphaned wells in California. About 66% of active and idle wells leak toxic methane, and 79% of the wells pose a threat to groundwater. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
New rules designed to protect California workers indoors from heat illness require employers to provide heat safety training, cooling areas and water when indoor temperatures reach 82 degrees. If the temperature exceeds that, then required measures can include cooling devices, adjustments in work schedules, more breaks and slower production pace. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California State Parks officials and members of the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians celebrated a new agreement meant to support greater tribal use of Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville, which is part of their original homeland. The agreement allows for the tribe to practice ceremonies and gather plants and other materials for their use. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: More than 130,000 residents in Kern County are served by 61 failing water systems, the state’s highest number of failing systems: ones that are consistently unable to meet drinking water standards. Most of them are in disadvantaged communities. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Thousands of new paid service positions are now available through the American Climate Corps, which provides applicants to the California Climate Action Corps. Positions range from wildfire mitigation to disaster response and preparedness. Up to 20,000 people are expected to join during the program’s first year. To apply, visit www.acc.gov. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Dos Rios, California’s newest State Park, is now open to the public!. Located in the San Joaquin Valley outside of Modesto, Dos Rios is the first new State Park since 2014. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
The ongoing removal of four dams along the Klamath River restores and returns about 2,800 acres of sacred and culturally significant lands to the Shasta Indian Nation. The project was initiated to restore dwindling salmon populations. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll
California will use about $35 million in new federal funding to plug and remediate 206 high-risk orphaned oil and gas wells and decommission 47 production facilities. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Increasing temperatures and more frequent fires combined with increased oil production are putting California cities at risk of serious health conditions and potential explosions and leaks, according to a new study. About 100,000 wells in the state were at high risk from wildfire in 2017. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: Melamine sponges, known as magic sponges, are made of plastic strands assembled into a foam. Scientists say that foam breaks down into microplastics that can eventually make their way into the water supply and the food chain. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: According to a recent water quality report of the nation’s dirtiest beaches, three are located in California: Imperial Beach in San Diego; Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica; and San Luis Creek Mouth in San Luis Obispo. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California will receive about $35.2 million in federal funding to plug 206 high-risk orphaned oil and gas wells. The funding will also help decommission 47 attendant production facilities with approximately 70,000 feet of associated pipelines. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
The US Environmental Protection Agency announced that $28.7 million in federal funds will go to California to help identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
California Service Corps programs, with more than 10,000 members, will serve nearly five million hours. Service members help communities by taking climate action, tutoring and mentoring students to help them succeed, supporting communities impacted by disasters, working to end hunger and connecting vulnerable people to vital resources and services. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
For the second consecutive year, Shasta Lake, California’s largest reservoir, filled to almost 100% capacity. The lake is crucial for irrigation, municipal water supplies, and flood control. Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, also reached full capacity for the second year in a row. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Thousands of sea creatures resembling jellyfish are washing up on Southern California beaches. Velella velella, known as by-the-wind sailors, have stinging tentacles. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
A new study reports that microplastics can build up in the testicles of humans and dogs. Animal studies have shown exposure to microplastics can impact sperm quality and male fertility. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
A California coalition wants to provide residents with better access to clean air, water, open spaces, and investments to better protect vulnerable communities from floods, fires, extreme heat, and other climate impacts. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
California wildlife officials banned salmon fishing due to low fish populations in the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley rivers for the second consecutive year. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Regional Tribal nations are asking for the opportunity to help influence the way in which offshore wind power is implemented off the shores of the West Coast, according to the director of Tribal and government affairs for Blue Lake Rancheria. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Irvine ranked fourth in the nation for most park-friendly cities, according to a report by the Trust for Public Land which noted that 93% of Irvine residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, exceeding the national average of 76%. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: Every week, humans ingest 5 grams of plastic, which is equivalent to eating a credit card . According to the National Institutes of Health, plastics may accumulate in the body and trigger an immune response or cause adverse health effects such as respiratory issues, skin irritation, or systemic toxicity. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
The 40 Acre Conservation League, California’s first Black-led land conservancy, recently purchased 650 acres of a former logging forest north of Lake Tahoe that will be adapted for recreation and minority-owned small outdoor ventures in Emigrant Gap. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
For reasons unknown, since April, hundreds of sick brown pelicans were stranded along the California coast from San Diego to Santa Cruz where wildlife workers are caring for the birds. In 2022, nearly 800 pelicans were admitted to rehab centers and nearly 400 later returned to the wild, state officials said. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
In a letter to California lawmakers, 61 city and county officials express support for banning all plastic bags including the thicker plastic bags currently used in grocery and retail stores. Since 2018, plastic bag waste by weight in California increased from 139,000 tons to 231,000 tons, which is the highest level on record. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
A proposed water tunnel system that would capture water from the Sacramento River during major storms and send it south for storage will cost $20 billion. The Delta Tunnel would be about 45 miles long and 36 feet wide, large enough to carry more than 161 million gallons of water per hour. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Plan a family trip and view California’s elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park now through November. The park also features the Marine Education Center housed in a historic nineteenth century dairy ranch. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
DYK: An affordable housing community in Santa Clara offers residents access to a working urban farm that grows vegetables. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Space X wants to launch 90 rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County by 2026, resulting in sonic booms which environmentalists say could disrupt marine life. The increase is three times the current number of launches. Learn more #HealthyWorldForAll.
Kern County residents are divided over a pilot carbon capture project that would collect emissions and then inject the gases more than a mile deep into a depleted oil reservoir. The goal is to keep carbon underground and out of the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California is investing in solar-over-canal projects in the Central Valley that will generate clean energy while conserving water. Almost 60% of the state’s electricity comes from clean sources. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Ocean waves hitting shores emit more PFAS into the air than the world’s industrial polluters, according to new research, contaminating coastlines and increasing human exposure. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
More than 200 community events will take place at parks across the state during California State Parks week June 12-16. This year’s theme is “This is Where You Live. California’s 280 parks have more than 5,200 miles of trails, 15,000 campsites, prehistoric and historic archeological sites, ghost towns, historic homes and monuments. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Thousands of fish are dying including smelt, salmon, and Central Valley steelhead at CVP and SWP water pumps located in the Delta Sacramento-San Joaquin River Project. Environmentalists are calling for action. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California lawmakers are proposing a rule that would ban reusable bags made of recycled plastic film and require stores to only provide paper bags made of 100% recycled material, an increase from the previous 40%. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Environmental leaders asked the governor and state officials to “act immediately and decisively to protect our ocean from the alarming occurrence of ocean acidification off the California coast…the science is clear that coastal sewage treatment plant discharges of nutrients to the ocean are linked to ocean acidification and the loss of oxygen.” Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Start planning now for upcoming free park entrance days at California National Parks: June 19, Aug. 4, Sept. 28 and Nov. 11. There are nine national parks in California, more than any other state. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California is fighting the threat of climate crisis through projects like groundwater recharge that expand water capture and storage and improve water infrastructure. In the last three years, the state spent nearly $9 billion on water investments.sLearn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Almost 10 years after California’s plastic bag ban, there has been an unexpected increase in plastic waste by weight, mainly because people are throwing away thicker plastic bags which people can purchase for 10 cents each. Lawmakers are trying to pass rules which would ban those types of bags. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California water officials are taking measures to control destructive pumping of depleted groundwater in the Tulare Lake agricultural region. Fees will be charged based on water use and pumping will be monitored by the state. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to use millions of acres of land to fight the climate crisis and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Targets include restoring and conserving lands, greening urban spaces and treating more acres to prevent wildfires, protecting nature, and allowing it to work for communities. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Newsweek recently published a map that shows where millions of residents in southern California counties can expect their water bills to increase significantly. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll
A sea level rise of 3 feet brought on by climate change could put the state’s coastline underwater, according to projections by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, affecting high-population areas along the coast. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California water officials set a maximum level for chromium-6 in drinking water that will significantly reduce health risks. Exposure to Chromium-6 has been linked to gastrointestinal cancer, reproductive harm, and damage to the liver and kidneys. It is a heavy metal naturally found in groundwater and is also an industrial pollutant that has been discharged from chemical plants, cooling towers and gas compressor stations. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
A recent report offers recommendations on how to create climate-resilient parks in California that use clean energy and climate-smart land management practices to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California officials recommended the closure of the state’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fisheries through the end of the year. Salmon populations continue to be impacted by drought and climate disruption. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12 by planning nature-friendly activities around Mother Earth—the Mother to All of Us and All Life. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Mark your calendars for May 7 and plan to attend the 19th California Ocean Day event in Sacramento where you can learn about the biggest threats to our ocean, opportunities to protect it, and have a chance to meet with your state legislators. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Only 9% of the plastic sold every year in the United States is recycled. California’s new law aims to change that and hold companies accountable through the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act which mandates that all single-use packaging and plastic food service ware like cutlery, takeout containers, and plates be recyclable or compostable by 2032, with a 25% reduction and a 65% recycling rate for these materials. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Nearly 44% of plastic pollutants in the ocean are linked to takeout food containers and wrappers, single-use bags, and plastic bottles. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
San Diego city officials reallocated funding for 19 projects—including land acquisition and upgrades to existing parks— to provide equitable access to vital green spaces. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
Kern County is the site of a pending EPA project that would allow energy companies to capture industrial carbon dioxide emissions and inject them into underground storage. Environmentalists expressed concerns over leakage into the ground and air. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
California park officials expect a spectacular spring bloom of wildflowers peaking in April and lasting through May. Some of the most spectacular blooms will take place in desert landscapes. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.
In early March a U.S. Coast Guard vessel “accidentally discharged” about 500 gallons of diesel about 30 miles offshore from the town of Fort Bragg. The spill follows a recent incident in which about 85 gallons of what appeared to be “lightly weathered crude oil” was found off the coast of Huntington Beach. Learn more at #HealthyWorldForAll.