Faith Kearns

Welcome! I am a scientist and science communication practitioner. I write and talk about water, wildfire, disasters, and climate change. My work has been published at High Country News, New Republic, On Being, and more. My award-winning book Getting to the Heart of Science Communication is available wherever books are sold. I co-host the award-winning Water Talk podcast with Mallika Nocco and Samuel Sandoval.

Twitter: @frkearns | Instagram and Bluesky: @fkearns | Newsletter: The Hard Stuff | Podcast: Water Talk

Getting to the Heart of Science Communication is available wherever books are sold. If you read and enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review!

"Dr. Kearns has given us much-needed tools for sharing science with empathy, engagement, and the full humanity that our audiences deserve. A brave and brilliant guide to the shifting terrain of science communication." Cynthia Barnett, University of Florida Environmental Journalist in Residence and author of the books Mirage, Blue Revolution, and Rain

“Getting to the Heart of Science Communication is a must-read for amateurs and professionals alike. Kearns delivers thoughtful and transformational advice on addressing power and accountability in the sciences.” Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Professor of Soil Biogeochemistry, University of California, Merced

“In Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, Faith Kearns captures the voices of real science communication practice—and maps where we need to go to build public trust in science, relationship by relationship. This is the book the field needs now.” Bob Lalasz, CEO, Science+Story

SELECTED POPULAR WRITING

Wildfire is a growing threat to the West’s water systems | High Country News

Trauma, care, and solidarity: Addressing the emotional toll of chronic drought | Water Resources IMPACT

California fires reveal our illusion of control over disasters | Bay Nature

Loss for words: Art, language, and life on a changing planet | The Conversation

Adapting to the changing climate is mission critical for California | Bay Nature

California fire damage to homes is less ‘random’ than it seems | CBS News

Why we need to treat wildfire as a public health issue in California | The Conversation

How fierce fall and winter winds help fuel California fires | The Conversation

Fighting climate change will take more than science | New Republic

California's water paradox: Why enough will never be enough | The Conversation

Stepping stones of integrating emotions into practicing science | On Being

The art and science of waiting (for rain in drought) | Hippo Reads

Check out the award-winning Water Talk podcast!
Mallika Nocco, Sam Sandoval, and I wrapped Season 5 of Water Talk and are on to planning Season 6! Listen wherever you get podcasts, and if you like what you hear please subscribe, star, and leave a review.

RECENT MEDIA

Wildfires now threaten drinking water systems across the Western U.S. | Environmental Health News

Groundwater is drying out, heating up, and causing sea level rise | Grist

Building a Career in Science Communication, Listening as a Skill, and Working with Communities | Environmental Professionals Radio podcast

It's not just big alfalfa farms. La Paz residents fear groundwater grab by big cities | Arizona Republic

New water supply + wildfire research and policy coordination network | UCLA

UCLA, UC ANR establish water supply-wildfire research and policy coordination network | UC Ag and Natural Resources

Californian fires have inflamed age-old debate over water supply | Sunday Post

California's Problem Now Isn't Fire—It's Rain | Wired

Wildfire and Water Infrastructure | Water Talk podcast

Why fire hydrants ran dry as wildfires tore through Los Angeles | Washington Post

Here's what really caused L.A. fire hydrants to run out of water | National Geographic

LA Fire Hydrants Running Dry Poses New Danger in Combating Blazes | Bloomberg

The Los Angeles Wildfires Have Created Another Problem—Unsafe Drinking Water | Wired

Why fire hydrants and water supply failed during Los Angeles wildfires | Al Jazeera

'A new wildfire paradigm': Why California fires are growing larger and more destructive | USA Today

An even bigger threat is looming behind California’s fires | Vox

Why fire hydrants ran dry as wildfires ravaged Los Angeles | Axios

California environmental policies misleadingly blamed for LA fires | AFP

Why Misinformation About the L.A. Fires Keeps Spreading | Heatmap

Why the L.A. Fires Are Exceptionally Hard to Fight | Heatmap

Conservatives blame California wildfires on Delta smelt fish, DEI and more | NBC News

Los Angeles wildfires most destructive in city’s history | BBC: The World Tonight

California wildfires: How and why did fire hydrants run dry across Los Angeles? | The Independent

Here’s exactly how and why fire hydrants ran out of water during the LA wildfires | The Tab

Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth | book by Kate Schapira

Why California Can’t Catch a Break | The Atlantic

Why we need new words for life in the Anthropocene | BBC

Most Californians view state’s water shortage as extremely serious, poll finds | LA Times

‘A subtraction problem:’ A shrinking Colorado River faces sharp, sudden cuts | Nevada Independent

Climate Adaptation: The Basics | Kneedeep Times

Southwest drought is the most extreme in 1,200 years, study finds | Washington Post

Getting to the Heart of Water Communication | Water Talk podcast

Compassionate communication key to spurring action on research results | Times Higher Ed

American west stuck in cycle of ‘heat, drought and fire’, experts warn | Guardian

Is California ready for brown lawns and shorter showers? Drought requires less water use | LA Times

Reservoirs are drying up as consequences of the Western drought worsen | Washington Post

Finding the Heart to Talk About Climate | Climate One podcast

More than the Message | Science

The conventional wisdom on how to talk about climate change? It’s wrong. | Grist

When blazes spark, ‘Fire Twitter’ heats up | San Francisco Chronicle

The weight of the world | Mother Jones

Deadly, destructive fires happening to more Californians, over and over again | Ventura County Star

Last day in Paradise: the untold story of how a fire swallowed a town | Guardian

Wildfire scientists brace for hotter, more flammable future as Paradise lies in ashes | CNN

Lack of snowpack leaves the West hung out to dry | Grist

California agriculture faces serious threats from climate change, study finds | Desert Sun

California's climate emergency | Rolling Stone

RECENT ACADEMIC WRITING

Building Resilience to Public Safety Power Shutoffs Through Public Education | Journal of Extension with V. Koundinya, C. Chiarella, S. Kocher, and S. Drill

Disasters Happen: Supporting Cooperative Extension Personnel for Disaster Management in California Communities | Journal of Extension with V. Koundinya, C. Chiarella, and S. Kocher

Supporting sustainable groundwater management | California Agriculture with D. Parker

Climate change trends and impacts on California agriculture: A detailed review | Agronomy with T. Pathak, M.L. Maskey, J.A. Dahlberg, K.M. Bali, and D. Zaccaria

Building climate change resilience in California through UC Cooperative Extension | California Agriculture with T. Grantham, S. Kocher, T. Pathak, and L. Roche

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