By Rachel Nuwer , Science.  Excerpt: A new study finds that as climate changes, dewdrops are forming on plants’ leaves earlier in the spring, triggering a chemical cascade that hastens flowering. ...According to findings published last week in the  Proceedings of the   National Academy of Sciences , tiny water droplets that come into contact with the surface of leaves set off a cascade of chemical signals that  tell a plant it’s time to bloom ....  Full article at https://www.science.org/content/article/could-dewdrops-explain-why-plants-are-flowering-earlier . 

By Dr. Juliet Lamont, Ecesis — the News Journal of SERCAL California Society for Ecological Restoration .  This is a story about an urban creek, degraded by decades of short-sighted engineering decisions, that was brought back to health. Bringing nature back into our cities is essential not only for climate resilience, but also for generating support for biodiversity. Direct engagement can reconnect us to the natural world in our backyards and on our streets, to foster a deeper environmental ethic that spreads beyond city borders and across future generations....  Full article at https://sercal.org/s/ecesis-25iv-yes-backyards.pdf . 

By Kenny Torrella, Vox.  Excerpt: More than one in 10 Americans rely on the Colorado River to take showers and drink clean water. But with no end in sight to the decades-long drought in the western US and rapidly decreasing river levels, this essential resource is fueling bitter disputes over who, exactly, should be cutting back on water. This fight has been coming to a head especially among the seven states that make up the Colorado River Compact — California, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming — as well as a sliver of Mexico and over 20 tribal nations that rely on the 1.9 trillion gallons of water pulled from the Colorado River for use each year. ...Farming accounts for about 75 percent of annual Colorado River water usage, according to a 2024  paper  published in the journal  Nature Communications Earth & Environment . But not all agricultural sectors are equally thirsty. While a small share of the Colorado River water is used on far...

By Raeanne Raccagno , Inside Climate News.  Excerpt: Standing inside the New Jersey Statehouse last month, Claudia Mutzus wore a T-shirt from the Service Employees International Union ...gathered with other union members to mark the start of a new organized labor coalition,  Climate Jobs New Jersey , with lofty ambitions: to secure energy independence through solar construction and, in the process, address the state’s electrical affordability crisis.  New Jersey residents have been facing increasingly high electrical bills since they began to spike as much as  20 percent  in June 2025. With large electricity demands from data centers and the state’s need to purchase off-grid power to meet energy requests, costs have surged, leaving many residents baffled with no relief.   One of Climate Jobs New Jersey’s priorities is a statewide solar and battery storage program that coalition leaders say will enable the state to take back control of planning its own ...

By Katie Myers  &  Rebecca Egan McCarthy , Grist.  Excerpt: The Tennessee Valley Authority’s quarterly meeting in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, opened with a triumphant video homage to its work during Winter Storm Fern. Energy had come through, yet again, to defeat extreme cold. The montage credited this to the utility’s “coal workhorses,” then noted that nuclear provided “uninterrupted power” and “hydro responded instantly.” The list ended there, despite years of promises that the agency would bolster renewables and battery storage. The message was clear: Solar had been unceremoniously dropped from the mix, and coal, which the agency had been phasing out, was back. What the video hinted at, the board made official. Its seven members unanimously dropped renewable energy as a priority, ended diversity programs, and granted two of the agency’s  four remaining coal plants  a reprieve. The decision followed the seating of four members selected by President Trump,...

By ScienceAdvisor.  Excerpt: Every day, aerosols form in clouds and swirl throughout the turbulent atmosphere. Aerosols, especially those under 10 nanometers, can be dangerous to humans when inhaled because of how easily they enter body tissues; estimates suggest exposure to fine aerosols causes around seven million premature deaths annually. Researchers wanted to see if climate change may alter how aerosol production occurs. Scientists have generally assumed that hot temperatures should hinder the formation of new aerosols.... To check, a team took measurements of nanoparticles and trace gases during a heat wave in central Texas. ...To their surprise, the researchers reported this week in  Science  that  at conditions nearing 40ºC, new particles formed in droves . ...gaseous organic acids, an important precursor to new particle formation, which come from industry sources like traffic and biological sources like oak and pine trees. ...fatty acids in nanoparticle form...