Faith Kearns, Ph.D.
@fkearns.bsky.social
Scientist writing about humans, water, wildfire, climate, and disaster in Arizona and California | views=mine
“Almost a third of housing nationwide today is situated in the wildland-urban interface, according to 2020 Forest Service research. As climate change primes the landscape for wildfires, these places are increasingly in harm’s way.”
Faith Kearns, Ph.D.@fkearns.bsky.social · 8h agoMuch more to learn, but this has been the pattern for a bit now -- fires that start in "wilder" areas spread into nieghborhoods where the houses then become the primary fuel www.hcn.org/articles/the...
Much more to learn, but this has been the pattern for a bit now -- fires that start in "wilder" areas spread into nieghborhoods where the houses then become the primary fuel www.hcn.org/articles/the...
The Spokane burns show that not even suburbia is immune to wildfire - High Country News
The Old Trails Fire burned through the city’s northwest corner — an area considered outside the highest risk zone.
hcn.org
A challenge for maintaining water supply and pressure for active firefighting - going to become a bigger issue, I fear
Angutekaraq Qakvalria@angutekaraq.bsky.social · 12h agoRooftop sprinkler system for fire prep. We're HERE now?!? Okay.
“PriorityEvac is another illustration of how people with greater financial resources can purchase more convenience and certainty during a disaster"...A hazard may affect the whole community, “but the capacity to protect oneself is not distributed equally.”
Want to be first to escape a hurricane? This new company is selling seats on private planes
A new company called PriorityEvac, which launched in June, is offering private evacuation flights from Florida’s coasts. For $1,250 a year, a member is guaranteed a spot aboard an Airbus A320 aircraft...
ctvnews.ca
Republican-led states and industry groups sued the Biden era EPA to rescind cyber security guidelines for #water treatment plants. And here we are. GIFT LINK www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/u...
Suspected Iran Cyberattacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect (Gift Article)
Federal and state officials are racing to address an assault on the nation’s water supply that they believe is the work of Iranian hackers.
nytimes.com
In CA, where water is never certain, nature-defying engineering keeps dry regions wet even when nothing falls from the sky. I took a look at what happens when a critical water conduit descends into chaos — and what that means for major water projects in the rest of CA calmatters.org/environment/...
Colorado River states can't agree — so California is poised for more cuts
With no long-term deal in sight, water agencies are left guessing how deep the next cut will go — and when.
calmatters.org
"As of May, FEMA has pushed out over 6,400 employees since President Donald Trump took office last year." It also cut many FEMA contractors who supported those offices. My colleagues and I at the FEMA Climate Resilience Integration Branch (RIP) were among them.
Natalie Alms@almsnatalie.bsky.social · yesterdayAmong the ways that FEMA is flying blind here -- it hasn’t conducted workforce planning the 2026 hurricane season. www.notus.org/agencies/fem...
“he observed one speaker comparing his experience promoting data centers to counter-insurgency tactics the speaker used during military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, such as “going undercover in bars and churches to gauge a community’s potential for resistance to a data center development.”
Justin Hendrix@justinhendrix.bsky.social · 17h agoAs opposition to data centers grows across the United States, the tech industry is "pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks" to bypass it, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni—from nonprofit front groups to super PACs to tightly managed public forums.
"This can only continue as long as their is enough ice. In just 24 years, Swiss glaciers have lost about 38% of their volume. And over the past 50 years about 1,200 smaller glaciers have disappeared completely." "If global warming continues, only small remnants of ice will remain by the year 2100"
Record-breaking snowmelt in the Swiss Alps
Extreme heat is taking a toll on the glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Experts warn that melting is starting earlier and becoming more severe, with far-reaching consequences for the environment and water su...
dw.com
“Employees who voiced honest, informed objections to AI in the workplace were passed over for promotions or targeted for layoffs.”
T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦@tryangregory.bsky.social · 18h ago
Something that keeps happening: I find an amazing article and look up the author who conducted the analyses (distinct from the author who was PI or senior author, BTW), and the vast majority of the time, said author is precariously employed at the institution listed on the publication.
A new report says arcing from electrical equipment owned by the utility sparked the January 2025 fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes (via LAist).
Edison equipment caused deadly Eaton Fire, LA County Fire investigators conclude
A new report says arcing from electrical equipment owned by the utility sparked the January 2025 fire that killed 19 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
n.pr
GGRF unlocked. A federal appeals court ruled EPA cannot block roughly $20B in already-awarded GGRF grants based on a policy disagreement. If it stands, this is a major step toward getting long-delayed capital into affordable housing, building retrofits, community solar.
EPA cannot block billions in climate grants, US appeals court rules
A federal appeals court said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cannot freeze about $20 billion of clean energy grants awarded to several nonprofit groups, handing a defeat to the Trump adminis...
reuters.com
Data centers have become one of the U.S.'s most potent political flashpoints, uniting coalitions on the left and right like few issues do. We sent @mollytaft.com on a journey into the data center resistance. The Unabomber, Steve Bannon’s tech guy, and Bernie Sanders made appearances along the way:
How Data Centers Broke American Politics
What the Unabomber, Steve Bannon’s tech guy, and Bernie Sanders taught me about the great data center backlash of 2026.
wired.com
If you are an expert on air quality and have 10-15 minutes to talk to me today or tomorrow about important things journalists should know while reporting on wildfires and smoke, my DMs are open, or you can email me at karen at OpenNews dot org.
This wasn't on my adaptation bingo card. "Romania used 180kg explosive to blow rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor
Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output
theguardian.com
California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust, @ianjames.bsky.social reports: www.latimes.com/environment/...
California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust
According to a new report, California groundwater regulations threaten to put many small farms out of business.
latimes.com
The presidents of WashU, Arizona State, Kansas, and Johns Hopkins, in concert with the Association of American Universities, helped draft a new version of last year's White House compact. “We’d much rather be a partner than play the guessing game as we have been,” Kansas' president told Bloomberg.
Trump Has Released a New ‘Call to Action’ for Universities. 4 College Presidents Helped Draft It.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter Monday imploring colleges to adopt a series of familiar-sounding reforms — this time, in partnership with leaders in the Association of American Univers...
chronicle.com
Buckle down in southern AZ today (Aug 3rd). A rare yellow hatched "slight" from Storm Prediction Center. Thunderstorms this afternoon will be capable of 75+ MPH outflow wind gusts. Flash flooding also possible. #azwx #monsoon #monsoon2026
Nine Michigan water systems reported cyber attacks. “All systems continued to operate safely, issues were addressed by local operators, and there are no known impacts that posed a public health concern..." www.mlive.com/news/2026/08...
Michigan reports cyberattacks on water systems, FBI investigates
Michigan has joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on water systems, but an official said all were operating “safely.”
mlive.com
The emergency response to Spokane fires has been exemplary and heroic. We also need to remember this isn’t the limit of our ability to reduce wildfire risk. After 100 years of strict fire suppression, millions of acres of WA forest need fuel reduction treatments like prescribed fire & thinning.
Barry Geraghty@bgeraght.bsky.social · 4d agoHere’s the thing that frightens me. Everyone executed their roles almost perfectly in the response to these fires and it was still this bad. Everyone. Responders, city, county and fed officials. Detection and warning systems. Everyone did their jobs very well. This was a best case outcome.
Best recommendations for viewing active wildfires across the globe?
Krunchie@foxyvalli.bsky.social · 3d agoIs there a resource for seeing what active wildfires are happening on a global scale?
For interested folks, I created a wildfire experts list from my old starter pack. I also know a lot of new people have joined Bluesky since I last updated it, so let me know if you’re an expert who would like to be added bsky.app/profile/did:...
I don’t say this lightly or hardly ever but this is triggering.
The Bulwark@thebulwark.com · 4d agoRep. Max Miller: "My former wife has claimed that during a custody exchange at my home that day, I assaulted her…If I had assaulted her, would she have offered to cook me dinner six days later?"
England received only 7% of the long-term average rainfall for July. Southern England, just 1%. Factoid: There has been a weather station in Kew Gardens for 155 years. This July was the first month ever to record 0mm of rain. Tomorrow, London will again hit 30C+ www.theguardian.com/environment/...
July set to be driest on record for England and Wales after relentless heatwaves
Climate scientist urges better planning as southern England had just 1% of long-term average rainfall last month
theguardian.com
“The climate emergency kills,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday in the midst of devastating wildfires. “…What we have to do is reduce its causes, anticipate its effects, &, consequently, better prepare our country to protect people’s lives.” www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Climate change kills’: Pedro Sánchez speaks plain truth to Spain’s deniers
PM has long history of speaking out on realities of global heating but political opponents remain unnmoved
theguardian.com
What is even happening anymore One of my first science communication projects (three full decades ago) was a brief about how we know what we know about Lyme disease origins and spread from long term ecological research
Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 4d agoRFK told Dana Bash that Lyme disease “almost certainly” came from gain of function research. Which is utterly false. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
