Desert

Aerial view of Buckeye, Arizona with sunset sky.

Arizona Town Looks for New Water Sources, Insists Development ‘Full Steam Ahead’

While many Southwest cities are looking for ways to conserve water and limit growth as water supplies become strained, one town is pressing ahead with rapid development.

October 29, 2023 - The Guardian

View of desert mountains with yucca plant and cholla in foreground

New National Monument Proposed South of Joshua Tree

The 700,000 acre monument would protect threatened species and important historic and cultural sites.

October 31, 2022 - The Press-Enterprise

Coachella Valley

A Stark Picture of the Climate Gap in the Coachella Valley

In the low desert of Southern California, dwindling water supplies and a lack of infrastructure funding pose major challenges for working-class communities struggling to survive.

September 12, 2021 - ProPublica

Desert Fountain

Legislative Attempt to Block Mojave Water Drilling Project Dies

A proposal to drill for water in the Mojave Desert will have an easier path to approval, after a bill requiring Additional environmental review of the project dies int he California State Senate.

September 4, 2018 - The Desert Sun

Arizona Sprawl

Phoenix Called Out as the 'Least Sustainable' City in the World

Phoenix is growing, it's now America's fifth largest city, but its water supply is shrinking.

March 22, 2018 - The Guardian

Skyline and Beach

Largest Desalinated Water Reserve Ever Unveiled in Abu Dhabi

The UAE has created a storage facility under the desert that can provide up to 100 million liters per day in the event of an emergency.

January 17, 2018 - Quartz

Desert Fountain

Water Controversy in the Palm Springs Desert

The city of Los Angeles is weighing in on a proposal to pump groundwater from the desert near Palm Springs.

August 3, 2017 - The Desert Sun

Salton Sea

California's Plan to Save the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is drying up, and California is poised to spend $383 million to keep that from happening. At stake are Colorado River water negotiations between California, Arizona, and Nevada.

March 20, 2017 - The Desert Sun

Big Solar: It's Green vs. Green

No form of energy production comes without controversy, including solar, despite it being renewable. In advance of the world's largest solar thermal plant opening in Calif's Mojave Desert, KQED's Lauren Sommer shows both sides of the green debate.

July 17, 2013 - KQED Science

Following Up on Dire Predictions About Water in the West

25 years after the publication of Cadillac Desert, scientists have scrutinized the predictions of the hallmark history of water in the Western U.S. and find that its dire warnings are not far off.

May 12, 2011 - Miller-McCune

Making the Desert Productive

Officials in Jordan are moving closer to creating an ambitious project aimed at producing food, fresh water and energy in the Sahara Desert.

January 22, 2011 - Gizmag

Ghost Town Swallowed by Desert

A town built in the Namibian desert has been abandoned for decades. The sand has taken over.

October 15, 2010 - Environmental Graffiti

Can This Desert Oasis Project Actually Be Green?

This piece from Fast Company Design looks at plans for an eco-conscious-yet-inappropriately lush desert development being planned in Oman, and wonders whether a project so out of place will actually work.

August 27, 2010 - Fast Company Design

Environmental Concerns Slow Solar in California

The White House is pushing for more solar power projects nationwide, but environmental concerns are stalling the progress of plans to build solar projects in the California desert.

October 20, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

California Desert A Hotbed for Alternative Energy

On the state's path towards drawing 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by the end of 2010, California is focusing on its southern desert as the site of this alternative energy generation.

April 5, 2009 - NPR

California Desert Contested in Alternative Energy Plans

California wants solar and wind power, but just where it goes is rife with controversy. Senator Dianne Feinstein is coming out against plans to build huge solar and wind farms in sensitive desert areas.

March 26, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Preventing Desertification With a Wall of Trees

Officials in Africa have approved a plan to plant a "wall of trees" across the continent to prevent the southward spread of the Sahara desert due to winds and drought.

July 10, 2008 - Environmental News Network

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