What would you do with a 10-million-acre area of California desert? The Obama administration just announced it will use a piece of federally-owned land for two purposes: renewable energy development, and preservation of the unique and valuable desert ecosystem. The so-called Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) is impressive: it’s unprecedented in scope and nature, covering an area from Death Valley to San Diego County, spanning seven counties. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the land has the potential to support 20,000 megawatts of renewable solar and wind projects, which is about equal to the amount of solar energy installed nationwide today. The DRECP has been viewed as a tool to help California meet its climate targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels.
Climate-friendly makeover will turn California desert into clean energy paradise
More of Today's Solutions
How citizen scientists are driving tangible change in Australia
Citizen science has evolved as a formidable force in conservation, propelled by regular people's passion and dedication to conserving our planet's irreplaceable ecosystems. Citizen ...
Read MoreMeet Dr. Wade: writer of thousands of Wikipedia pages for women scientists
Though the world has made some strides in gender equality, there is certainly still room for improvement, especially in the field of science, technology, ...
Read MoreArt preserves endangered flora in Himalayas—where conservation and culture co...
"In 2002, I was returning to Kalimpong in the eastern Himalaya region of India, and I found numerous trees had been cut down for ...
Read MorePrescribed thinning and controlled burns critical in preventing California wi...
A pioneering two-decade-long study done in California's Sierra Nevada mountains confirms the effectiveness of forest management strategies such as restorative thinning and regulated burning ...
Read More
