Manola Secaira
Environment Reporter
Manola Secaira is CapRadio’s environment and climate change reporter. Before that, she worked for Crosscut in Seattle as an Indigenous Affairs reporter.
California’s energy future hinges on lithium, from solar panels to batteries. Here’s what we know.
March 10, 2022
President Joe Biden and Governor Gavin Newsom recently spoke about harvesting lithium in Southern California, where some of the most abundant sources of the mineral can be found.
Interview: Climate change is a ‘threat multiplier.’ This researcher says it’ll take cities to stop its effects
March 3, 2022
CapRadio spoke with researcher Eric Chu on his work in the latest U.N. report on climate change and the role of cities in adapting to its effects.
California’s climate action plans fall behind on equity, sticking instead to boilerplate solutions, new study says
February 28, 2022
Of the 170 plans that University of California researchers reviewed, 66 had no mention of social equity at all.
How community science might be key in saving California’s monarch butterfly migration
February 1, 2022
Among the possible reasons for a fluctuation in monarch populations, experts look to changes in climate, varying from rising temperatures to the current drought.
Climate change whiplash could mean more flooding, water-management challenges in California
January 28, 2022
Last year, California saw everything from intense drought to torrential rain. Researchers and water agencies say that the future of the state’s drought depends on adapting to these shifts.
What is a healthy forest in California? These scientists are experimenting west of Lake Tahoe.
January 19, 2022
In Blodgett Forest, researchers grapple with the state’s forest-management history while investigating what it means to have a healthy one.
How a recent proposal to slash solar incentives has its supporters and California utilities butting heads
January 10, 2022
While utilities claim the proposed changes would make solar more accessible, solar consumers and executives worry it would kill the market altogether.
Rethinking the holidays: Sacramento urban farmers look beyond ‘food as charity’
November 23, 2021
In the world of food banks, efforts in the colder months double up to accommodate food drives during the holidays. But those holidays aren’t the main focus for all Sacramentans.
After long wait, Sacramento’s new Museum of Science and Curiosity opens
November 12, 2021
Inside, visitors can expect exhibitions on nature and interplanetary travel alongside displays that investigate solutions for California’s carbon emissions and seasons of drought.
Removing dangerous wildfire fuels is hard, expensive work. Here’s how one California tribe is making it happen.
November 3, 2021
Reducing the excess of flammable materials in forests has become the focus for many communities throughout California seeking protection from future wildfires, but issues with funding and staffing remain.