Skip to main content

New to the Birds and Solar Issue? We've Got It Covered Here

Support Provided By
burned-warbler-usfws-8-25-14-thumb-600x450-79529
A scorched MacGillivray's warbler found by USFWS at the Ivanpah solar project | Photo: USFWS

With last week's appearance of yet another prominent story on bird injuries at solar power plants, ReWire has been getting a lot of traffic on our previous coverage of the issue.

We've been reporting on the issue of burned birds at solar plants since mid-2012. It may have taken other news outlets a few additional months to notice the issue, but we're gratified that the topic is starting to see wider coverage.

As a guide to journalists and other readers who are struggling to come up to speed on the issue, we've compiled our reporting on burn injuries to birds at solar power plants -- over 50 stories in all -- into one handy, interactive post using the popular Storify curation tool. We hope you find it helpful in understanding the issue's broader context. And if you're a journalist, feel free to quote any of our stories with a citation and a link. We like when people do that.

Support Provided By
Read More
A blonde woman wearing a light grey skirt suit stands with her back to the camera as she holds a sheet of paper and addresses a panel at the front of a courtroom

California Passed a Law To Stop 'Pay to Play' in Local Politics. After Two Years, Legislators Want to Gut It

California legislators who backed a 2022 law limiting businesses' and contractors' attempts to sway local elected officials with campaign contributions are now trying to water it down — with the support of developers and labor unions.
An oil pump painted white with red accents stands mid-pump on a dirt road under a blue, cloudy sky with a green, grassy slope in the background.

California’s First Carbon Capture Project: Vital Climate Tool or License to Pollute?

California’s first attempt to capture and sequester carbon involves California Resources Corp. collecting emissions at its Elk Hills Oil and Gas Field, and then inject the gases more than a mile deep into a depleted oil reservoir. The goal is to keep carbon underground and out of the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. But some argue polluting industries need to cease altogether.
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.