KQED's Climate Watch artwork

KQED's Climate Watch

8 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 12 years ago - ★★★★ - 8 ratings

A special series from KQED's "The California Report" providing in-depth coverage of climate-related science and policy issues from a California perspective.

Natural Sciences Science climate california kqed public radio environment energy policy
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Episodes

Expanding the Pool For Renewable Energy

August 17, 2012 16:50 - 3 minutes - 1.42 MB

Despite the state's push toward renewable energy, most Californians can't choose solar power at home. But a bill moving through the state legislature may soon provide a way for more people to jump on board the clean energy bandwagon.

Climate Change Speeds Up Loss of Historic Artifacts

July 30, 2012 16:50 - 5 minutes - 2.56 MB

Rising seas from warming oceans are generally seen as a threat to the future. But archaeologists are realizing that they're also a threat to the past. Coastal erosion is destroying Native American sites, including graves and places where people once cooked and camped.

Bringing California's Dams Up to Date

June 19, 2012 16:50 - 6 minutes - 2.79 MB

There are more than 1,400 dams in California. When the earliest of them was built, the goals were clear: store water, control floods and generate electricity. Since then, new priorities have been added, such as protecting endangered species, which makes relicensing the dams a very pricey and lengthy process.

Shrinking Snowpack Puts Hydroelectric Power at Risk

June 18, 2012 16:50 - 5 minutes - 2.63 MB

While much is uncertain about California's warming climate, there's little doubt that it's already changing the fundamentals of how most of us get our water. And that has some far-reaching implications that could even show up on your electric bill.

Power Needs Water

June 12, 2012 16:50 - 5 minutes - 2.64 MB

The state's water managers rolled out a plan this week to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by moving water around the state. If that sounds odd, it turns out that moving and treating water takes a lot of electricity. But the reverse is also true -- generating power uses a lot of water.

Water Needs Power

June 11, 2012 16:50 - 6 minutes - 2.79 MB

Here in California we're constantly prodded to save energy, and to save water, too. But what if we told you that by saving one, you can save both? That's because water and power are inextricably bound together, a fact that is starting to get the attention of policymakers.

Cleaning Up the Cloud

May 23, 2012 16:50 - 4 minutes - 2.24 MB

We imagine all our music, apps and photos stored somewhere "out there" - in the sky, perhaps. In truth, data lives in data centers that run on electricity. There's a fight going on between Greenpeace and Apple over the energy source behind Apple's iCloud.

Climate Change May Mean More Mosquitoes -- And Diseases

May 04, 2012 16:50 - 5 minutes - 2.36 MB

Scientists are concerned that as the climate warms, West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses will gain a stronger foothold in North America.