Industrial risk is no longer limited to the smokestacks, pipes, and visible discharges our laws were built to regulate. It is increasingly cumulative, regional, and hard to detect. The five emergencies that recently struck the Los Angeles area should be a wake-up call — and an opportunity to fix the systems failing to protect us, before it’s too late.

From rainwater capture to restored wildlands, resilient landscapes and local water systems can reduce fire risk, protect waterways, and prepare LA for climate whiplash. 

Greening schoolyards by removing pavement and implementing nature-based solutions can make schoolyards safer and healthier for students.

“Water is life” is more than a phrase–it’s reality! Water shapes our survival, health, and resilience. Yet we still fail to treat water with the respect and protection it deserves. Dive deeper into how water shapes Los Angeles’ climate resilience and learn how Great Cities Start with Great Water.

The organizations will continue their fight to preserve open space in frontline communities, and protect the LA River from further development 

The environmental justice group Riverpark Coalition (RPC) and the environmental watchdog organization Los Angeles Waterkeeper filed a lawsuit last week against the City of Long Beach over the City’s approval of a self-storage warehouse project along the Los Angeles River at 3701 Pacific Place.

The Los Angeles River could be — and should be — one of the Los Angeles region’s most powerful tools for climate adaptation. Instead, it remains a symbol of past planning failures — and an example of how those mistakes continue to shape the future of cities along the river like Long Beach. 

One thing is clear: the road to recovery will be long and challenging, but it is one we must navigate with care, foresight, and a commitment to real change. 

Unveiling the 2024 RAFT Report: Community Science for a Healthier LA River

The Emerald Necklace is a vision nearly 20 years in the making, a vision to create a 17-mile loop of parks and greenways connecting 10 cities and nearly 500,000 residents in the Rio Hondo and San Gabriel Rivers watershed of LA County’s San Gabriel Valley. LA Waterkeeper’s litigation helped make this vision become a reality.