climate change California fire season has been quiet. A heat wave could change that fast By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | July 29, 2026 California has so far escaped devastating fires this summer, but a coming heat wave increases the potential for dangerous conditions.
climate change California can’t replant its forests fast enough to keep up with wildfires By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | July 24, 2026 Climate change and more than a century of overzealous fire suppression are fueling severe wildfires.
climate change Data centers are guzzling California’s water. We have no idea how much By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | May 17, 2026 Data centers are the ganglia of artificial intelligence — and they are spreading to regions reliant on overtapped groundwater.
climate change California salmon fishing poised to finally reopen. Can the industry recover? By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | April 11, 2026 State and federal decisions could reshape California’s water systems and rivers.
climate change Endangered salmon returned to California’s far north — then the money dried up By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | April 5, 2026 State officials say the one-time funds were tied to the state’s drought response and have now been used up.
climate change Sparse snowpack in California fuels concern over fast-approaching fire season By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | April 1, 2026 Only the extreme drought year of 2015 beat this year’s snowpack for the worst on record.
climate change Record heat, melting snow: What does it mean for California’s reservoirs? By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | March 20, 2026 A rapidly Sierra Nevada snowpack means less water when the state needs it most.
Environment Is California’s ski season deadlier than usual? Here’s why we don’t know By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | March 6, 2026 The state doesn't track resort injuries or deaths.
California Facing ‘extinction vortex,’ California grants new protections to some mountain lions By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | February 12, 2026 Officials declared Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions threatened under the state’s endangered species act.
Bay Area ‘Little death bombs’: Illegal cannabis farms poison California’s forests. Who’s cleaning them up? By Rachel Becker | CalMatters | February 9, 2026 An environmental research group sounds the alarm on lasting consequences of pollution on public land.