- The megadrought in the Southwest has caused the driest two decades in at least 1,200 years, with climate change playing a significant role in its continuation. Using tree ring data, climate scientists can see that 2000-2021 is the driest period in the region since 800 A.D., which is as far back as the data goes.
- As the CDC is expanding its nationwide wastewater surveillance program, public health officials are using the data to decide where to allocate resources. Using wastewater surveillance, public officials can see where outbreaks are about to happen because the virus levels are shed in feces very early in the infection, even with those who do not have symptoms. “The pattern is that you see an increase first in wastewater, then in the positivity rate (of COVID tests), and then in hospitalization rates.”
- After focusing on the reliability of the grid this past year, Texas is still far behind where it needs to be to help reduce emissions and achieve “net-zero” – the point at which no more planet-warming gases are emitted than are taken out of the atmosphere – in the next three decades.
- A recent study shows that electricity blackouts could be avoided across the nation by switching to 100% clean and renewable energy. After running a simulation, researchers found that energy demand and peak loads would decrease using renewable resources since they are more efficient, helping ensure the grid stays online during an extreme weather event.
- This opinion piece explains how on-site reuse strategies called One Water can be part of the solution to make our water supplies more resilient. In a One Water approach, buildings would collect and treat their rainwater for drinking while reusing wastewater and stormwater for non-potable purposes. This method allows communities to become their own water source.