California's poor hit hardest by unsafe drinking water

More than 3,000 of those residents are in the San Diego region, living in poor communities near Potrero, Pauma Valley and Borrego Springs.

Marine life improved in California’s protected areas, study says

A new report finds early signs that California’s unique network of marine protected areas is successfully protecting and rebuilding marine life.

8 Million Californians have been drinking polluted water for years

California is expected to set a strict state-level maximum contaminant level for a probable human carcinogen ― 28 years after the state’s Water Resources Control Board first detected the chemical in its drinking water system.

New estimate of ocean heat finds more warming

The oceans may be storing 13 percent more heat than previously estimated, according to a new study co-authored by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Can desalination plants quench California's thirst for water in a clean way?

The development of desalination plants in California has sparked a debate about the sustainability and efficacy of water desalination.

California has its own Flint, needs funding for safe drinking water

The lack of access to clean water has left more than 300 communities in California vulnerable.

The plastic plague: Can our oceans be saved from environmental ruin?

Approximately eight million tons of plastic enter oceans every year. Experts believe that there will be more plastic than fish in oceans by 2050.

Study: 'Urgent' action against global warming needed to save coral reefs

The researchers documented the extent of the damage the reef off the coast of Australia, and found that only 8.9 percent of more than 1,000 reefs escaped with no bleaching along a stretch more than 2,300 kilometers long.

Why is plastic harmful?

Plastic is a material made to last forever, yet 33 percent of all plastic - water bottles, bags and straws - are used just once and thrown away. Plastic cannot biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.

10 ways to reduce plastic pollution - help keep our marine life from eating and swimming in garbage

The best thing we can do to protect our waterways is try to keep as much plastic as possible out of the waste stream in the first place. There are many small ways you can have a big impact.

Video captures moment plastic enters food chain

A scientist has filmed the moment plastic microfiber is ingested by plankton, illustrating how the material is affecting life beneath the waves.

Plastic from tyres 'major source' of ocean pollution

Particles of debris from car types are ending up in the ocean as "plastic soup", conservationists warn.

The U.S. Geological Survey hails an early spring — and ties it to climate change

The arrival of an early spring in the United States is a major indicator of the sweeping changes caused by climate change. Researchers have identified the risks and disadvantages of this current phenomenon.

Do you live near toxic waste? See 1,317 of the most polluted spots in the U.S.

With 98 Superfund sites in California and more than 1,300 across the country, Americans are suffering from exposure to toxic wastes and chemicals.

Cornfield park in Chinatown reopening in April after $20M renovation

With much anticipation, Los Angeles State Historic Park will reopen after a major expansion and three years of renovation.

Just how park poor is Los Angeles County?

A recent study of Los Angeles County Parks found that "51 percent of county residents don't live within a 10-minute walk (half a mile) of a park.”

In Chicago and Philadelphia, the difference a park makes

The creation of new public spaces and parks have fostered a new sense of community among those living in the urban areas of Chicago and Philadelphia.

Scientists map seawater threat to California Central Coast aquifers

Using Earth-imaging technologies, scientists have studied the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater aquifers along the California coast.

UCLA study unearths high lead levels in soil of Los Angeles parks

Media Park, Lennox Park, MacArthur Park South and Woodbine Park top the list of Los Angeles parks with the highest lead levels.

California’s oil is an opportunity to combat climate change

As the country's third-largest oil producing state, California must reduce its oil refinery emissions by 20 percent by 2030.

SoCal beach water quality's up, but LA County still has 3 of California's most polluted beaches

According to new reports, water quality in Southern California beaches are improving, but L.A. county leads California in the number of beaches with poor water quality.

Ocean plastic pollution at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

There is currently a dire plastic pollution problem. If nothing is done, researchers predict there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

California's reservoirs are filled with gunk, and it's crowding out room to store water

If sediment in California's dams were cleared and recycled, the state could expand water storage capacity and provide sand for beaches and spawning beds for steelhead trout.

Oroville Dam faces another risk: Earthquakes from rapid rise in water levels

Oroville Dam not only faces a spillage crisis, but a seismic one as well. Scientists say the filling of the reservoir could produce a damaging earthquake in a generation.

'Extraordinary levels' of pollution have contaminated even the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean

PCBs — chemicals that have been banned since 1979 — have been found to have far-reaching effects. Recently, researchers have discovered traces of the chemical in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Worst erosion in 150 years tears 180 feet from SF's Ocean Beach

Because of the powerful El Nino that hit the Pacific Ocean a year ago, scientists say that beaches lining coasts between Mexico and Canada will eat away at seaside cliffs and low-lying coastal towns.

Why L.A. needs more green space, now

A lack of green spaces has been found to correlate to poor health, crime and domestic violence. That's why L.A. needs parks more than ever.

California won't meet its climate change goals without a lot more housing density in its cities

If California is going to meet its sustainability goal by 2030, then the state must first solve its housing density problem.

Latinos Marinos - advocacy group connects California’s grassroots coastal advocates

Latinos Marinos meet with legislative staff in Sacramento as part of Ocean Day 2017.The 12th annual Ocean Day 2017 drew over 100 representatives from some of California's leading coastal advocacy organizations.

Hundreds of thousands of Californians exposed to contaminated water

Nearly 1 million people don't have access to safe, reliable drinking water at home or at school.

Climate change adds stress to California dams

Older dams may not be designed to deal with the severe weather patterns California has experienced because of global warming.

Sea levels may rise by more than 8 feet by the year 2100 due to climate change

A new report shows that under extreme future climate change, global sea levels could rise by more than eight feet by the end of the century — one of the highest estimates yet to be presented in a federal report.

Drinking water crisis brewing in California

Researches show that “more than 400 California communities have drinking water that does not meet safe standards.”

Why we should be worried about California’s coast

California State Treasurer John Chiang speaks on the need to protect the environment from offshore drilling especially in California.

Safe drinking water evades the poor

An in-depth look at the everyday challenges of a family that does not have access to clean water in California, and the culprits.

Fish eat plastic like teens eat fast food, researchers say

Study shows that some fish are being attracted to eating plastic and scientists have found lower levels of hatch rates among plastic polluted waters.

Food scarcity caused by climate change could cause 500,000 deaths by 2050, study suggests

A new study shows climate-related impacts on agriculture could lead to an overall global decline in food availability leading to many deaths.

California's coastal system facing collapse

Reports show an economical impact linked to the collapse of local wildlife found in Bay Area coastal ecosystems.

How climate change is leading to an ‘ecological recession’

Study shows animals are struggling trying to adapt to climate change by moving to cooler areas but still are unable to survive.

How plastic ends up in our seafood and what you can do about it

A walkthrough on how fish sold in markets have human-made debris inside them and how there are indirect environmental consequences to our everyday lives.

Toxic water plagues rural California

Contaminated water with lead and copper are not uncommon even in California and a Fresno community is heavily affected.

How climate change transformed the Earth in 2016

A stark overview of the many ways how climate change has made a global impact.