California gets unseasonable heat wave

by Sharon Udasin - 10/04/23 3:57 PM ET

Sustainability

The Big Story

California weather whiplash blows in October heat

Interrupting a bout of cool and wet weather, an unseasonable October heat wave is expected to scald much of California through Friday.

“The heat up begins today!” the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Bay Area branch announced Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The agency warned residents to expect temperatures on Wednesday afternoon to rise about 7-12 degrees Fahrenheit above average — with peak heat occurring over the following two days.

Forecasting moderate heat risk across much of the Bay shoreline, the agency warned that even coastal areas “will feel the heat later this week.”

“If you have out of town visitors for the holiday weekend be sure to remind them that we won’t have that ‘natural air conditioning’ in place!” NWS Bay Area stated.

The NWS Los Angeles branch, meanwhile, urged residents of Southern California to limit their outdoor activities over the next few days, as well as drink plenty of fluids and avoid caffeine and alcohol.

The Southern Coast and Coastal Plains could see temperatures in the 80s to 90s, while those in the valleys and deserts could climb up to 100 degrees, the agency reported.

The agency also cautioned drivers to take care amid ongoing Santa Ana winds, which are expected to peak sometime on Wednesday.

This week’s heat-up also coincides with the start of the new “water year” — a term coined by the U.S. Geological Survey for the 12-month period that begins annually on Oct. 1.

And as the new water year rolls in, NWS meteorologists are looking back at the previous year as no less than “remarkable.”

Areas across the state experienced conditions that were 1.5 to 2 times wetter than average, an NWS San Diego forecaster said during a virtual briefing this week.

Describing these developments as “almost two seasons in one,” he noted that parts of Central California reported their wettest water year on record.

“Now that we’re starting a new water year, it looks like dry and really warm conditions,” the forecaster said.

The water year may be starting off dry, but this development is by no means an indication of what’s to come later this year.

State and federal partners are preparing for the possibility of yet another wet season, under strong El Niño conditions, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

“As the new water year gets underway, communities and all Californians are urged to be aware of local flood risks,” a statement from the department said.

“Be prepared to evacuate and know your evacuation routes, and take action immediately when evacuation orders are issued,” the statement added.

Welcome to The Hill’s Sustainability newsletter, I’m Sharon Udasin — every week we follow the latest moves in the growing battle over sustainability in the U.S. and around the world.

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Carbon Pawprint

A vegan diet for pets?

If all U.S. cats and dogs switched to vegan diets, nearly 2 billion land-based livestock could be spared from slaughter annually — freeing up land and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a new study has found.

Lives saved: The livestock consumed by these U.S. pets alone is equivalent to about one-fifth of the quantity eaten by Americans and one-tenth of the livestock eaten worldwide, according to the study, published on Wednesday in PLoS ONE.

Nearly 7 billion land-based livestock could be spared from slaughter each year if all the entire planet’s dog and cat population went vegan.
Billions of aquatic animals could also be spared.

Curbing emissions: Because the livestock sector is second only to the energy industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, switching pets to vegan diets could have a significant impact on global sustainability, the authors found.

The food system is responsible for about 35 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, while 57 percent of those releases come from livestock.
Therefore, about 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions stem from livestock.

A little means a lot: Switching pets to vegan diets would yield the following reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the study:

For dogs, 1.2 percent, greater than all the emissions from the U.K.
For cats, 0.2 percent, more than all the emissions from Israel.

In comparison, if all humans opted to go vegan, the world could see about an 8.4 percent decline in greenhouse gas emissions, the authors noted.

Excess energy: If dogs and cats consumed only vegan foods, the lost energy expended to transform plant- to animal-based ingredients would be available for direct consumption — as plants, the authors noted.

And with so much excess dietary energy available, more people would be able to access food as well, they explained.

Freeing up space: Making this dietary switch for pets could also free up significant amounts of land, according to the study.

Switching all dogs worldwide to vegan foods could give back a plot of land larger than Saudi Arabia.
For cats, the available space would be bigger than Germany.
In comparison, such a change in human diets could free up an amount of space larger than Russia and India combined.

But is a vegan diet healthy for cats and dogs? Vegan diets for cats and dogs can be nutritionally sound and safe, the scientists stressed, citing recent research published in Veterinaria.

That report found that vegan pets could enjoy lifespans and health that were at least equivalent and sometimes superior to those that ate conventional meat meals.

Pay attention to nutrition: The author of the PLoS ONE study, Andrew Knight of Australia’s Griffith University, touted the environmental benefits of vegan diets for humans and pets alike, in a statement released alongside his work.

“However, to safeguard health, it’s important that people feed only vegan pet food labeled as nutritionally complete, produced by reputable companies with good standards,” Knight said.

On Our Radar

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

The Business Council of New York State is pushing for changes in the state’s clean energy goals — citing concerns about potential unintended effects of these policies on the state’s economy, the Times Union reported. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act aims to have 70 percent of New York’s electricity come from renewable sources by 2030 and reach zero-emission electricity by 2040, per the Times Union. The Editorial Board of the Buffalo News, meanwhile, described the ongoing squabbles as “a costly tug of war between business leaders and environmental leaders” — urging parties to engage in a joint effort rather than pushback.

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Around The Nation

Local and state headlines on sustainability issues:

In Kentucky governor race, race, environment, climate change go unmentioned (The Courier-Journal)
Baltimore climate activists are fighting big coal, and winning (NPR/Code Switch)
MTA falls short of climate change plan goals, audit says (Gothamist)

What We’re Reading

Sustainability news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Fight climate change and food waste with one app (NPR/All Things Considered)
Pope Francis takes on climate deniers, ‘irresponsible’ Americans in new climate letter (National Catholic Reporter)
In Shipping, a Push to Slash Emissions by Harnessing the Wind (The New York Times)