“For millions of Americans, climate change is no longer just a chart or a graph. It’s the smoke on our tongues from massive wildfires. It’s the floodwater invading our homes and record-breaking hurricanes and heat waves.” — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Yeah. That.

Plus, wildfires till the world don’t look level. Plus, an autonomous vehicle struck a car and killed a child. Plus, I heard on the BBC world news that planting loads of trees increases the rainfall where the trees are planted AND downwind of the trees. Good for dry areas, not so good for already-too-wet areas.

Also, solar power is A Good Thing, but solar arrays take up a chunkity-chunk amount of area that could be blanketed in vegetation. What’s to do?

Well, according to Planting the Seeds for Solar: The Multiple Benefits of Pollinator-Friendly Vegetation in Solar Fields, an article on the EESI site:

One solution that has gained popularity is planting vegetation—with an emphasis on native and flowering plants—between rows of solar panels. This dual use of land bolsters pollinator populations, whose rapid decline in recent years threatens agriculture in the United States and globally. … Importantly for solar facility operators, planting ground cover on-site can also raise energy output. Compared to traditional solar farms, those that integrate plants into their solar arrays have lower ambient air temperatures, which enables higher energy output. This approach also could lower costs because it requires less ongoing maintenance than turfgrass and circumvents the need to remove topsoil during site preparation.

Anna Sophia Roberts

Hoping for better news next week.

A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: Write about flowers.

MA