By 2050, the ocean is expected to consistently flood Imperial Beach, California, but in recent years, high tides have already flooded many streets. The town is now discussing how to confront rising sea levels. One tactic is called a managed retreat, and the discussion alone has many property owners trying to sell.
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Surf Where You Least Expect It
Do you want reliable California breaks with reliable California crowds, or are you ready to take your chances in frigid Irish water where you’ll share waves with no one else?
Inside the Chaos of Immigration Court
Gabriel Thompson takes us into San Francisco Immigration Court and the labyrinthine system that asylum seekers—and attorneys and judges—are up against.
The Case for Letting Malibu Burn
Many of California’s native ecosystems evolved to burn. Modern fire suppression creates fuels that lead to catastrophic fires. So why do people insist on rebuilding in the firebelt?
The Hare Krishnas of Coal Country
The world is full of make-believe. Some of it is sweet, some of it is sick. It persists because we have found no other antidote for pain.
The Wonder Valley Desert of Gram Parsons
A week alone in a California desert cabin leads one woman to the music of the legendary country rock songwriter and a sense of metaphysical perspective under the stars.
Public Education’s White Flight Problem
More than 50 years after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, little has changed, and several groups are hoping to use policy and practice to fix this longstanding issue.
Longreads Best of 2020: Science and Nature
Our top picks in science and nature stories for 2020.
Honey Bees, Worker Bees, and the Economic Violence of Land Grabs
Melissa Chadburn challenges her own belief that environmental justice issues are reserved for people of privilege.
