desert

New Agtivist: Growing food sovereignty in the desert

In the unincorporated colonias near the borderlands of New Mexico -- an area known for its poverty and lack of infrastructure -- food activist Rebecca Wiggins-Reinhard is planting gardens and inspiring a new take on food.

Totally plausible water solution: Collect ice in the desert

Look, it's very simple. All you need to solve the water shortage is a giant metal leaf that you put in the desert and it uses solar power to grow ice. Then you drink the ice. How is this difficult? Okay, this is not completely for real. The leaf's creators don't think it will singlehandedly […]

The Obama admin opens up the best lands in the west for solar development

The Obama administration is putting forward 285,000 acres of public land in the West as prime territory for solar development. About half of the land is in California; the rest is spread over five states, including Nevada and Utah. These sites, the administration says, have no looming environmental or cultural conflicts, and they're close to […]

Dust bowls, water shortages, and toxins drive people from their homes

Droves of climate refugees across the world are on the move in search of greener and cleaner pastures.

Concentrated solar power plants are all wet

Concentrating solar has promised big additions to renewable energy production with the additional benefit of energy storage -- but there's a catch.

What we can learn from drought-proof El Paso

It hasn't rained in El Paso in 119 days, and its water manager says it doesn't much matter if it doesn't rain next year, either. "We're basically drought-proof," he told the Guardian.