Climate Change

The urgency of addressing human causes of climate change has long been apparent. To amplify this issue that's paramount to us all, KPBS has launched a Climate Change Desk to step up our coverage of this existential threat including reported stories and interviews with experts and newsmakers.

Quality of Life

Gloria plans new bike, bus lanes on Park Boulevard through Balboa Park

Andrew Bowen

After months of public outreach, the mayor settled on a new design for Park Boulevard that removes a car lane in each direction and all but 67 parking spaces. The changes are set to take effect in December after a pipeline replacement project.
Environment

California Democrats cap legislative year with climate wins

Kathleen Ronayne

Most of the proposals are being celebrated by Democrats and environmentalists who say the state needs to act more swiftly to tackle climate change. But Republicans and the oil industry say they will kill jobs and require the state to buy more oil from elsewhere.
Environment

The big bake: heat wave keeps grip on San Diego County

City News Service

More of the same searing conditions are in store through the Labor Day weekend, with excessive-heat warnings in place into the next workweek.
Environment

Crews face heat wave along with California wildfires

The Associated Press

Seven firefighters were taken to hospitals for treatment of heat injuries Wednesday, and all have been released.
Science & Technology

Equity is goal, not mandate, in California electric car rule

Kathleen Ronayne

Discounted prices, car-share programs and more public chargers are among the ways California will try to make electric cars easier to buy and drive.
Environment

Your local park has a hidden talent: helping fight climate change

Ryan Kellman

Rebecca Hersher

Millions of people rely on city parks to recharge, cool off and connect. But climate change is threatening the very spaces that help us cope with the stresses of living on a hotter planet.
International

PHOTOS: A third of Pakistan is under water in catastrophic floods

Hannah Bloch

Peter DiCampo

Some 33 million people are affected by this summer's floods — the result of what U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres calls a "monsoon on steroids." He calls the flooding a "climate catastrophe."
National

Homelessness is aggravating harm caused by the Phoenix heat, medical personnel say

Katherine Davis-Young

Phoenix gets more triple-digit temperatures than any other major U.S. city, and heat deaths have more than quadrupled since 2015, records show. Officials say it's because of homelessness.
National

Drought threatens coal plant operations — and electricity — across the West

Julia Simon

The Western drought and shrinking Colorado River basin threaten operations at the region's coal plants. With a looming risk of blackouts, it's unclear who is overseeing this threat on the ground.
Environment

The window to protect Big Bear from wildfire is shrinking

Caleigh Wells / KCRW, George LeVines / The California Newsroom

The U.S. Forest Service knows it needs to set prescribed burns on thousands of acres in Big Bear. This year, it's only burned 20.