Ian James

Three-year temperature average set to exceed 1.5C for first time Data shows 2025 is on track to be the third-warmest on record after November temperature rise of 1.54C

We are now living in a 1.5 degree warmed world—with no end in sight (at least not based on current policies or practices).

www.ft.com/content/9e0e...

“Literature is as old as speech. It grew out of human need for it and it has not changed except to become more needed. The skalds, the bards, the writers are not separate and exclusive. From the beginning, their functions, their duties, their responsibilities have been decreed by our species.”

Cities are embracing nature for flood defence As losses owing to flooding rise, some urban centres are ditching the concrete and making space for natural wetlands.

De-paving Paradise: To prevent urban flooding, don't forget to look outside the city. That's the strategy I explored for Nature Outlook, featuring San Jose, Calif.'s, conservation of Coyote Valley and Milwaukee's Green Seams program to conserve wetlands. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The country's largest all-electric hospital is about to open in Orange County More buildings are going all-electric, especially in states trying to address climate change. UCI Health–Irvine, the largest all-electric hospital in the country, is opening Wednesday.

A new all-electric hospital opens this week at UC Irvine — only the second such medical center in the country, and the largest so far.

By Ingrid Lobet @latimes.com www.latimes.com/environment/... @ucirvine.bsky.social @coveringclimatenow.org @ejtodaynews.bsky.social

Zillow Deleting Home Climate Risk Scores Reveals Limits of Flood, Fire Data Property owners and buyers need more information on climate dangers. But pinpointing them is hard, even for experts.

Zillow Deleting Home Climate Risk Scores Reveals Limits of Flood, Fire Data

Highly recommend reading @eroston.bsky.social's latest story @bloomberg.com on the Zillow/climate drama, available here with a gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The killing of the wife of a powerful California farmer sparks grief and an investigation Kerri Ann Abatti was shot and killed last month amid a divorce from her husband, Mike Abatti, a wealthy farmer from one of the most prominent families in the Imperial Valley.

A wealthy California farmer, a contentious divorce and a fatal shooting @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/california/s... @latimes.com

Meet the TikTok stars demanding oil companies clean up their mess There are millions of abandoned oil wells across the United States. A group of unlikely activists in Texas is making sure no one forgets they need to be cleaned up.

I've written a lot about the abandoned well crisis in this country. It's an environmental and climate disaster but also a financial disaster. This new article notes the financial reality about why nothing is done.

“They can’t, because it bankrupts the industry as we know it.”

Data center Project Jupiter’s greenhouse gas emissions could rival NM’s largest cities • Source New Mexico Project Jupiter's developers have asked the state for permission to emit as many greenhouse gases as the state's largest cities combined.

NEW on @sourcenm.com: Documents confirm my prior reporting — if approved, Project Jupiter could emit more greenhouse gases than NM’s 2 largest cities combined

Advocates say developers exploiting a loophole in state air quality regulations

Tech Titans Amass Multimillion-Dollar War Chests to Fight AI Regulation Some are battling state AI laws and threatening to punish candidates who oppose rapid deployment of the technology.

Billionaires Amass War Chests to Fight AI Regulation

* Goal is influence ahead of 2026 midterm elections

* More than 1,000 AI-related bills were introduced by state lawmakers in 2025

* Leading the Future super PAC has $100 million+

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/tech...

by @laurajnelson.bsky.social

Violent conflict over water hit a record last year Violence over water is on the rise worldwide. Researchers counted a record 420 incidents of conflict in 2024, many in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Violence over water is on the rise around the world. Researchers counted a record 420 water-related conflicts last year. www.latimes.com/environment/... @sean-greene.bsky.social

Violence over water resources reaches record levels The number of violent events over water resources reported in 2024 was nearly 20 percent higher than 2023 and nearly 80 percent higher than 2022.

Violence over water resources reaches record levels

@petergleick.bsky.social: "It is urgent that efforts be made to reduce the threat of water-related conflicts and to reverse the worsening trend of water violence." thebulletin.org/2025/12/viol... @thebulletin.org

Killing of powerful California farmer's wife sparks grief, investigation Kerri Ann Abatti was shot and killed last month as she divorced her husband, powerful farmer Mike Abatti.

Killing of powerful California farmer’s wife sparks grief, investigation www.latimes.com/california/s... via @ianjames.bsky.social

A wealthy California farmer, a contentious divorce and a fatal shooting Kerri Ann Abatti was shot and killed last month as she divorced her husband, powerful farmer Mike Abatti.

A wealthy California farmer, a contentious divorce and a fatal shooting

Virginia to treat data centers differently on the grid The state, home to the world's largest concentration of data centers, could become a model for how utilities handle power-hungry AI.

Virginia utility regulators have authorized a separate rate category for the largest electricity consumers, including energy-intensive data centers. The state could become a model for how others handle power-hungry AI. www.eenews.net/articles/vir... @eenews.bsky.social

At least 1,250 people dead: What caused the devastating Asia floods? Climate advocates say it's time to move to accountability for climate change, as people in Asia are living the evidence.

Two tropical cyclones and a typhoon caused heavy rainfall, widespread flooding and landslides in South and Southeast Asia last week. More than 1,250 people have died in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand alone, with many still missing. By @lyndalrowlands.bsky.social

If you're looking to support independent, investigative journalism, you should definitely support @spotlightpa.org !

www.spotlightpa.org/support/?for...

What Scientists Found When a Deep Sea Mining Company Invited Them In

Deep sea mining is very bad for deep sea ecosystems.

Why one tribe has declared the Colorado River a legal person A tribal nation has declared the Colorado River a legal person. An Indigenous leader says it reflects how her people have traditionally valued the river as a living part of them.

Why one tribe has declared the Colorado River a legal person—As I’ve followed the long-running negotiations over the Colorado River the last couple of years, very little progress has been made in transforming the century-old system… www.latimes.com/environment/... @ianjames.bsky.social @latimes.com

Thanks for sharing that perspective. I see your point about the heat and the glare. I noticed the glare when visiting Disney Hall and saw that some type of retrofitting needed to be done to diminish reflection of the sun on the smooth steel.

Iran Can’t Run Away From Tehran’s Disasters – Excerpts From Our Latest Piece This week, Alireza Nader and I published a new analysis in Foreign Policy on Tehran’s water, earthquake, and governance time bomb.

Iran can’t run away from Tehran’s disasters

“Whatever the trigger, evacuating Tehran or moving the capital to another region… is a fantasy, not a solution.” @alirezanader.bsky.social @nikahang.bsky.social nikkowsar.substack.com/p/iran-cant-...

Jo Ann Boyce, Clinton 12 member and civil rights trailblazer, dies at 84 Jo Ann Boyce, a member of the Clinton 12, has died at 84. She later moved to Los Angeles, became a pediatric nurse and spent her final years sharing her story nationally.

Jo Ann Boyce, Clinton 12 member and civil rights trailblazer, dies at 84

“The revolution Gehry began in creating spaces where music can be made and re-imagined and brought to life in ever new ways has caught on.”

National parks change prioritizes Trump birthday over days honoring Black people Free entrance days at national parks no longer include MLK Day and Juneteenth.

www.sfgate.com/national-par...

Los Angeles says so long to coal The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has stopped receiving coal-powered electricity from its last remaining coal source, the Intermountain Power Project in Utah.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has stopped receiving any coal-fired power. Mayor Karen Bass calls it a defining moment for the city in transitioning to clean energy. @hayleysmith.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

Frank O. Gehry, the architect who changed the civic landscape of his adopted hometown of Los Angeles, has died Frank Gehry, known for ebullient cultural buildings like Disney Hall who helped invigorate the field of architecture at a moribund time, has died at 96.

Frank Gehry, masterful architect who transformed L.A.'s urban landscape, dies at 96

Newsom, seeking federal funds for L.A. wildfire recovery, is denied meeting with key Trump officials Gov. Gavin Newsom kept an unusually low profile as he swung through the nation's capital this week, holding meetings with a handful of lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Friday as he renewed calls for billi...

Newsom, seeking federal funds for L.A. wildfire recovery, is denied meeting with Trump officials www.latimes.com/california/s...

Trump administration adopts plan to pump more water in California over state objections The federal government plans to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, possibly reducing available water for millions of people.

The Trump administration has adopted a controversial plan to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. #cawater @ianjames.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

Trump administration adopts plan to pump more water in California over state objections The federal government plans to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, possibly reducing available water for millions of people.

Acting on an order from President Trump, the federal government has adopted a plan to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Delta. The Newsom administration objects, saying Trump is “catering to big donors instead of doing what’s right for Californians” www.latimes.com/environment/...

Trump administration adopts plan to pump more water in California over state objections The federal government plans to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, possibly reducing available water for millions of people.

Acting on an order from President Trump, the federal government has adopted a plan to pump more water to Central Valley farmlands from the Delta. The Newsom administration objects, saying Trump is “catering to big donors instead of doing what’s right for Californians” www.latimes.com/environment/...

California strongly objects to Trump's plan to pump more Delta water south The Trump administration plans to send more water to Central Valley farmlands. California is objecting, saying that poses multiple threats.

California is pushing back on a federal plan to pump more Delta water by weakening fish protections. Scientists warn it could harm threatened species and create new uncertainty for the millions who rely on Delta supplies.

📰 @ianjames.bsky.social for @latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/...