Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County is stepping up its planning for sea level rise in the Humboldt Bay area and is pursuing creation of a multi-jurisdictional agency to deal with it. What was described at the September 3 Board of Supervisors meeting as the “huge implications” of sea level rise is…
Should climate change deniers help make policy?
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County’s interest in forming a Climate Advisory Committee hinges on an initial question – should those who are skeptical be disqualified from its membership? The idea of forming a committee to recommend climate change responses was discussed – and debated – at the August 27 Board of…
Humboldt County, cities join climate pact
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt’s county government is joining all seven cities in devising a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is also becoming a member of an international group that promotes global sustainability policies. The county’s Board of Supervisors took several actions to advance the drafting of a Climate Action…
Arcata, county look at ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Freddy Brewster Mad River Union ARCATA – On Monday, May 20 the City of Arcata, along with representatives from the Humboldt County Planning Department, held a public workshop forum to brainstorm ideas to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Arcata. There was one central question posed to the nearly 30 attendants and that was “what…
Climate change talk at Bayside’s HUUF as Sunny Brae solarizes
Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship BAYSIDE – “Toward a New Personal Norm for Our Climate” is the presentation on Sunday, March 3 at both 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. by Connie Roser-Renouf, Ph.D. at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Bayside. As a scientist working through George Mason University in Washington, D.C., Dr. Renouf has studied how people…
County grapples with ‘monumental’ sea rise issues
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Words like “huge” and “monumental” were used by county staff as the Planning Commission was briefed on the potential effects of sea level rise and the challenges of responding to it. Policy options for avoiding and dealing with the impacts were outlined as the commission held a fourth…
Fishermen sue Big Oil over closures
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – West Coast fishermen are fighting the oil and gas industry, accusing 30 fossil fuel companies of advancing climate change and causing a series of Dungeness crab closures. Filed on Nov. 14 in California State Superior Court in San Francisco by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, the…
Arcata braces for rising seas
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA – With the Humboldt Bay and the Pacific Ocean lapping thirstily at its southern edges, Arcata’s low-lying lands are facing eventual inundation. It likely won’t happen overnight, and property in the area may still see use, and even fresh construction, for decades to come. But preparing for the…
October is Sea Level Rise Awareness Month
City of Arcata ARCATA – Do you worry that government won’t do enough to protect us from a changing climate? Wondering how your life would look if you downsized your personal carbon footprint, or if it’s even possible? In this series of six meetings, led by Patrick Carr, we consider the practical options for reducing…
Sea level rise response requires radical rethinks
Patrick Evans Mad River Union ARCATA – Arcata is almost an island in a photo taken after heavy winter rain in 1975. Water laps at the edges of U.S. Highway 101 and Samoa Boulevard and connects the Mad River to Humboldt Bay via the Arcata Bottom. The photo is a preview of the city’s future,…