How the West is adapting for a drier future
What we're writing
The West's challenge is still water scarcity, wet winter or not
With climate change affecting water supplies that are already strained by urban growth, states in the Colorado River basin are being forced to innovate and adapt. First in a series on solutions to the West's water challenge. //聽Zack Colman
Fracking led to聽6,000 spills in 10 years, study finds
A new study looks at fracking sites in four states, finding 6,648 spills between 2005 and 2014. The research聽highlights the opportunity for a聽data-driven conversation about hydraulic fracturing聽鈥� and could聽help prevent future incidents.聽//聽Ellen Powell
US聽'bee map' charts a聽decline 鈥� but aims to help
The map聽shows聽a dearth of the pollinators in some key farming聽areas, revealing where conservation efforts are needed. One scientist聽is also developing an app to help farmers attract and keep more wild bees on their properties.聽//聽Charlie Wood
In time of division, can聽science find a way to unite?
In the current聽divisive political atmosphere, many Americans appear to be aligning themselves as if ready for battle. But at an annual gathering of聽the science community, some talked about how to arm聽themselves for conversation rather than a fight.聽//聽Eva Botkin-Kowacki
What we're reading
Inside the race to make carbon a profitable commodity for industrial use.聽// Marketplace
A global deal calls for聽reducing聽the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). One study finds replacement chemicals聽so far have problems like flammability.聽// InsideClimate News
It's not easy, but some of the best options include trees, 'green roads,' and fewer cars.聽// The Guardian
What's trending
Amid big drought, African famine and response
鈥淭he funding system for humanitarian aid is broken. We are stuck in a Kafka-esque situation where humanitarians can see a crisis coming but they cannot mobilize significant funding."聽//聽Debbie Hillier, adviser to Oxfam, quoted in 海角大神
"Coal has accounted for 34 percent to 40 percent of North Korean exports in the past several years, and almost all of it was shipped to China, according to South Korean government estimates." // Choe Sang-Hun, writing in The New York Times
"The absence of a wandering polar vortex may partly explain the early spring-like weather. In past years the Arctic's polar vortex -聽a low-pressure system that spins frigid air counterclockwise around the North Pole -聽has ventured beyond its northerly home into the United States, lowering temperatures." // Laura Geggel writing in Live Science
