Global climate change is projected to cause increased pest-related crop losses that could compromise food security for millions, a new study finds.
Why it matters: By focusing on pests, the new research looks at an under-explored aspect of the relationship between climate change and the global food supply. It adds to the findings of previous studies that examined the nutritional content of food as well as changing crop yields.
Santa Monica has selected Uber-owned Jump, Lyft, Lime and Bird to get permits for its upcoming e-scooter pilot program, with Jump and Lyft also allowed to deploy electric bikes.
The bottom line: Santa Monica's planning department staff previously recommended that only Uber and Lyft receive permits to deploy scooters, but the final choice was made by the department director — possibly influenced by intense lobbying from Lime and Bird, the latter of which is a homegrown company that was originally passed over because of past brash behavior.
A major climate storyline in the Trump era has been the way that cities, regional governments and companies worldwide have been pressing ahead with low-carbon efforts.
Driving the news: Two U.S. developments this week illustrate the trend: California is on the cusp of enacting legislation to ensure all of the state's electricity comes from carbon-free sources by 2045, while Facebook announced a carbon emissions-cutting target and new renewable energy goals.
A new analysis concludes that local and regional governments, as well as corporations, can play a major role in cutting carbon emissions enough to prevent runaway global warming — but working together is crucial to making that happen.
Why it matters: The report is the most comprehensive global analysis yet of climate plans by cities, state and regional governments, and companies.
A day after the Puerto Rican governor raised Hurricane Maria's death toll to 2,975 — higher than Hurricane Katrina — President Donald Trump defended his administration's storm response, saying it did "a fantastic job."
Why this matters: Trump has continued to come under criticism for responding too slowly and inadequately to the Category 4 storm, which knocked out the entire island's power grid and caused a humanitarian disaster. If the revised death count is correct, it would make Hurricane Maria one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
Colorado's oil industry is facing an existential battle with news announced Wednesday that an initiative significantly curtailing oil and gas production has made its way on to the state ballot for a vote this Election Day.
The big picture: Colorado, a political battleground, is America’s fifth-largest gas-producing and seventh-largest oil-producing state. Layer on top of that a growing population colliding with an increase in fracking — a controversial extraction technique for oil and gas — and it’s ripe for this controversy. Two similar efforts to get similar initiatives on the ballot in 2014 and 2016 failed.
Scooter rental company Bird is rolling out a new set of tools for city governments to monitor its service, including access to ridership data and the ability to limit where the scooters can be activated.
Why it matters: Cities have criticized scooter services, like ride-hailing companies before them, for not sharing enough data or being more collaborative. So it's no surprise that Bird, whose aggressive deployment tactics quickly angered city officials, is working to smooth over those relationships now. Other companies are also planning to provide cities with similar capabilities as they work to win local approvals.
California's state assembly passed sweeping legislation last night that would have the massive state obtain 100% of its power from carbon-free sources by 2045 and boost the state's renewables-specific target to 60% by 2030.
Why it matters: California is among the world's largest economies. And, it's perhaps the most powerful sign yet of how states and local governments are pressing ahead with climate initiatives even as the White House backs off Obama-era federal efforts.
The recent state of tumult for CEO Elon Musk and Tesla is spurring fresh chatter about an idea that has been rattling around for a long time.
The big question: Should Apple buy Tesla, or at least acquire a major stake? After all, combining the pioneering companies has a certain appeal, given that Apple has an auto initiative and deep pockets, and Tesla has key electric vehicle tech, vision and expertise.
The White House is defending the administration's response to Hurricane Maria Tuesday evening following the latest report that the death toll from the hurricane was not 64 as originally reported, but 2,975. The new mortality count means Hurricane Maria killed more people than Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused 1,833 fatalities.
"The federal government has been, and will continue to be, supportive of Governor Rosselló’s efforts to ensure a full accountability and transparency of fatalities resulting from last year’s hurricanes... The devastating back-to-back hurricanes were met with the largest domestic disaster response mission in history. We are focused on Puerto Rico’s recovery and preparedness for the current Hurricane season."
