While others linger in the dark.
News of the world environment
NEWSLETTER | FEBRUARY 9, 2024
Who Gets Power?
I started this week off in the dark. On Sunday afternoon, as California was pummeled by a climate change- and El Niño-fueled atmospheric river, we lost power at our home, along with the rest of our neighborhood and much of our town. It wasn’t restored until the early hours of Tuesday, which meant no light, no heat, no stove or oven (we recently went electric), and (gasp!) no Internet for nearly 36 hours.
Some 1.4 million PG&E customers across California lost power during the storm. Like many, I was annoyed at the inconvenience. I felt anxious about how it might disrupt hard-fought toddler bedtime routines, not to mention childcare on Monday morning. I worried about the food slowly warming in the fridge and temperatures slowly dropping in the bedrooms.
Still, I know, my family had it pretty good. We could afford to replace our groceries if they went bad. (They didn’t.) We had friends nearby with back-up power sources who would take us in if our house got too cold. And we knew that utility crews were on site assessing the problem and doing what they could to get the lights back on.
Not all Americans can say the same. Research shows that when outages occur, poorer communities linger longer in the dark. Specifically, a 1 decile drop in socio-economic status correlates, on average, to a 6 percent increase in power outage length. It’s not entirely clear why this is so, but experts think the delay likely relates to location: Lower-income households are more likely to be farther from critical infrastructure, which utilities prioritize for restoration, as well as in older neighborhoods with aging infrastructure that may require more extensive work to get up and running again.
What we know for sure is that the type of extreme weather events that can lead to power outages — whether atmospheric rivers in California, hurricanes in Florida, or snow storms in New England — are occurring more frequently. It is past time to step up support for vulnerable communities when they experience outages, and to rethink our priorities when it comes to getting the lights back on.
Zoe Loftus-Farren
Managiing Editor, Earth Island Journal
Photo by Several Seconds
TOP STORIES
Uncharted Waters
In January of 2019, Elizabeth Rush joined the first scientific expedition to the Thwaites Glacier. The Quickening is Rush’s account of that journey, braided with her thoughts on motherhood, a second adventure she hopes to embark on soon.
READ MORE
See No Weevil
Date farmers around the world are dealing with the spread of red palm weevils. A Jordanian engineer has designed an AI app that is helping save their trees.
LISTEN HERE
People-Powered Journalism
Because of generous reader donations, Earth Island Journal can say things that corporate media won’t say.
Reader support gives us the independence to amplify voices and perspectives that strengthen communities, especially communities that don’t have access to corporate media.
Your support is essential to our long-term success. And with your help, we can reshape the media landscape. Won't you join us today?
I Support Earth Island Journal
Wetland Wizards
How do beavers provide such an ecological boon to the environment? Two of California’s leading beaver advocates weigh in on our KPFA-Terra Verde podcast.
Photo by CatDancing/Flickr
READ MORE
ICYMI
Bedtime
Yes, we know polar bear images have become a much worn-out shorthand for climate change, but this one by Nima Sarikhani, which won the 2023 people’s choice award for the UK National History Museum’s wildlife photograph of the year, cuts something sharp. The other winning images are worth a looksie as well.
READ MORE >>
Photo of a different polar bear
by Susanne Miller/USFWS
Ocean Commotion
“Most animals mate, but few do so with such frequency, and with so many bodies packed so closely together,” as these amorous marine residents who literally heat up the water.
READ MORE >>
Photo by J. Maughn
Did a thoughtful friend forward you our newsletter? Keep up with the latest from Earth Island Journal!
SIGN UP TODAY
Follow
Follow
Subscribe
You are receiving this email newsletter because you signed up on our website.
If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up to the email newsletter here.
Support our work by subscribing to our quarterly print magazine.
Copyright © 2023 Earth Island Journal, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Earth Island Journal
2150 Allston Way Ste 460
Berkeley, CA 94704-1375
Add us to your address book
Want to change how you receive these emails?
Update your preferences
