Master's class here from my editor in how to handle willful reporters (i.e. me)

Rare sighting of a column chart taking a dip at Hove Beach.

#dataviz

Do you want to see the "big picture" on climate change?

Here it is.

Emissions are on the left, and include CO2, CH4, N2O, and f-gases. Natural CO2 sinks (from healthy forests & oceans) are on the right. And carbon removal, what little there is, is on the right, too. All expressed as GWP100.

6/ The idea faces steep opposition and failed once before.

But as disasters grow more costly, the question isn’t going away: who should pay for climate damage?

5/ The bill would give the state a way to try to recover some of those costs. Supporters say it could help ease pressure on California’s strained insurance system.

4/ For fire survivors, the financial toll can last years. Insurance doesn’t always cover losses, and rebuilding is slow — or out of reach.

3/ The argument: climate change is making disasters more destructive and expensive — but those costs are largely falling on the public, not the companies that produced the emissions.

2/ State lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow California to sue major oil companies for damages linked to climate-fueled disasters, including wildfires.

‘Who’s Not Paying?’: Fire Survivors Back California Bill to Hold Big Oil Accountable | KQED Legislation introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener would allow California’s attorney general to sue fossil fuel companies for climate disaster damages.

New from me:

1/ Wildfires are getting more destructive — and more expensive.

The people paying, through insurance premiums, taxes and out-of-pocket costs, aren’t the ones who caused the problem.

LINK: www.kqed.org/science/2000...

The Amazon's silent crime crisis (commentary) The Amazon is approaching a dangerous threshold. Long understood as the world’s largest tropical forest and a critical regulator of the global climate, its future is increasingly shaped by the converg...

The Amazon is nearing a critical ecological tipping point due to the convergence of deforestation, degradation, fire, and #climatechange, risking an irreversible collapse. This is exacerbated by organized environmental crime, including illegal logging and mining.

news.mongabay.com/2026/04/the-...

News to me and the 8 billion people who live on land

I'm covering the insurance commissioner's race for my station, and I'll tell ya, I am not encouraged by the organization of most the campaigns. It's like pulling teeth to get answers to emails

I made a "Swalswell that ends well" joke to my husband, but didn't feel good about it

California Insurance Commissioner Candidates Debate Solutions to Wildfire-Driven Crisis (by @dventon.bsky.social)

www.kqed.org/science/2000...

‘Asked about what would be considered a benchmark for success, state Sen. Ben Allen said with a laugh, “One real benchmark would be that there would be less interest in the insurance commissioners’ position. Because it’s always been kind of under-the-radar.“‘
www.kqed.org/science/2000...

And if you haven't read the book, don't worry! Just come as you are. I'll see you there.

Event is at 7:30pm, 5th floor, Environmental Center. My guest is the incredible Claudia Polsky of UC Berkeley, a real-life environmental hero following in the footsteps of Rachel Carson.

Hear about Polsky's work in my interview with The Latest (a KQED news podcast): www.kqed.org/science/2000...

Hellooooo Bay Area! Tomorrow night I'm hosting a conversation about 'Silent Spring' at the San Francisco Public Library for the Night of Ideas. Look! Here I am on the flyer 👀

Holy smokes! An incredible start to the 'Wildfire Season' in the US this year - owing to an abnormally hot and snowless winter in some parts of the country.

"To put it bluntly, an X post today receives less than 3% of the views a single tweet delivered seven years ago."
If you think it is necessary to be on Twitter to communicate your fact-based worldview, the reality is that worldview is being smothered.

Bloody hell. Researchers invented a disease, published two fake papers to see if LLM’s would ingest them and kick them up as fact — and then it broke containment and all the major AI’s bought in. Information pollution.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Will movies made about this time in the future remember to juxtapose the hope and joy that comes with witnessing the Artemis mission with the terror and dread of worrying about what we're doing to the Middle East?

Opinion | NASA Flew by the Moon, but Behind the Scenes, Its Science Is a Chaotic Mess

The images of Earth from Artemis are amazing. But if we destroy our ability to understand (and live on) our planet, all they are is pretty pictures

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/o...

Agree. Now, I hate writing headlines and I have found it sometimes helpful for making suggested heds that I then can tailor, edit, fit to my tastes. For me, its an OK use. But I still want to struggle through drafting the body of the text

Heard there was a new state report about fire resilience out today, but don't remember the bill it was connected to and not quite sure where to find it. Fellow fire nerds ... help me out if you know?

I can't believe we have reached this point, but this bears crystal clear emphasis: Our global climate system ensures that even "limited" use of lower-yield "tactical" nuclear weapons against civilian or industrial targets would have major regional-to-global scale consequences.

It’s like the nightmare scenario headlines of the 90s are all suddenly true

So … anyone else find this terrifying?

In 2026, the Bay Area Still Has Lots to Learn from ‘Silent Spring’ | KQED KQED takes on the seminal work in the context of the MAHA movement, PFAS, climate change and more during a discussion at the Night of Ideas on April 11.

Join KQED for a discussion of Silent Spring and its legacy and lessons for us on April 11 at the San Francisco Public Library as part of the Night of Ideas, at 7:30 p.m. inside the Periodical Room. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the book yet. Come just as you are. 7/7