california

Are You Eating Smuggled Avocados?

Are You Eating Smuggled Avocados?

By Melissa Kravitz As climate change makes it harder for avocado growers to produce the fruits, the criminal underworld has seized on avocados’ ever-growing popularity. 10 foods that could disappear because of #climate change https://t.co/sXQgtoDDbd via @ecowatch pic.twitter.com/fNMr4Byekk — Climate Nexus (@ClimateNexus) December 26, 2015 In January 2015, the Washington Post demonstrated how this once […]

Join our newsletter

The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    How California Became America’s First State to Ban Plastic Bags

    How California Became America’s First State to Ban Plastic Bags

    By Matt Davis California’s environmental protections are not for sale. That’s the message California voters sent to out-of-state plastic bag manufacturers when they upheld Proposition 67 by 53 to 47 percent in November. But how did the Golden State manage to win a state-wide bag ban against a national political backdrop that went the other […]

    102 Million Trees Have Died in California’s Drought

    102 Million Trees Have Died in California’s Drought

    California’s six years of drought has left 102 million dead trees across 7.7 million acres of forest in its wake, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced following an aerial survey. If that is not horrendous enough, 62 million trees died in the year 2016 alone—an increase of more than 100 percent compared to 2015. In […]

    Ireland to Plant Largest Grove of Redwood Trees Outside of California

    Ireland to Plant Largest Grove of Redwood Trees Outside of California

    By Steve Williams An estate in Ireland has revealed plans to create a redwood grove that will be the largest of its kind outside California. The initiative serves as a testament both to Ireland’s heritage and its commitment to fighting global warming. The initiative, Giants Grove, is spearheaded by the seventh Earl of Rosse, Brendan […]

    Record Number of Fur Seals Washing Up Dead or Emaciated Off California Coast

    Record Number of Fur Seals Washing Up Dead or Emaciated Off California Coast

    Rare Guadalupe fur seals are once again washing up in California’s Bay Area in record numbers likely due to unusually warm waters threatening their food supply. Wild Tangerine is one of 32 threatened Guadalupe fur seals we have responded to this year: https://t.co/zgpq6ot6PT pic.twitter.com/lt30hnPR2t — The Marine Mammal Center (@TMMC) November 14, 2016 The East […]

    This City Just Banned Fossil Fuel Extraction in Light of Trump Presidency

    This City Just Banned Fossil Fuel Extraction in Light of Trump Presidency

    The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved legislation Tuesday prohibiting the city “from entering into or extending leases for the extraction of fossil fuel from city-owned land” in an effort to combat climate change. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved legislation prohibiting new fossil fuel leases on city-owned property in an effort to combat […]

    Sonoma County Bans GMO Crops

    Sonoma County Bans GMO Crops

    The Center for Food Safety celebrated a huge victory in Sonoma County, California, on Wednesday when voters approved a measure that will prohibit genetically engineered crops from being planted in the county. The passage of the Sonoma County Transgenic Contamination Ordinance, better known as Measure M, will protect local and organic growers and producers who […]

    Monterey Becomes California’s First Major Oil-Producing County to Ban Fracking

    Monterey Becomes California’s First Major Oil-Producing County to Ban Fracking

    Voters in Monterey County, California’s fourth-largest oil-producing county, on Tuesday passed Measure Z to ban fracking and other dangerous extraction techniques. The measure won with more than 55 percent of the vote, despite supporters being outspent 30 to 1 by oil companies, including Chevron and Aera Energy. Measure Z also phases out toxic wastewater injection […]

    10 Satellite Images Show How California’s Reservoirs Are Drying Up

    10 Satellite Images Show How California’s Reservoirs Are Drying Up

    By Catalin Trif California is drying up. The ever increasing demand for freshwater has taken its toll and the state’s reservoirs are only at 46.4 percent of their capacity. Now, by using imagery provided by the Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 satellites, we can also see how the reservoirs have changed during the 21st century. […]