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Atmospheric water harvesting is the act of harvesting water from the atmosphere. While it sounds futuristic, the concept is ancient. Folks in the Middle East employed lithic mulching—the use of rock piles to protect plants and harvest dew—more than 4,000 years ago. A recent rockpile reconstruction produced up to 95 gallons per day. The Aztecs and the Incas made nets from human hair to harvest water from fog. Other prehistoric societies around the world captured dewdrops from trees....

The surprising part of the recent (July) release of the Department of Energy’s report was the clear acknowledgment of climate change and humanity’s effect on it. In his foreword, U.S. Energy Secretary Christopher Wright states that “Climate change is real, and it deserves attention.” Simply acknowledging the scientific reality of climate change is a big deal. He goes on to say, “Climate change is a challenge—not a catastrophe.” Challenge and catastrophe are normative words as is “greatest threat,” clearly in the world of policy, not science. That’s not a criticism—that’s reality. It is also where, in my humble opinion as a scientist, the heated discussions should be: on the policy, not the science....

Unless you’ve been living under an air-conditioned rock, you might have noticed it has been getting warmer in Texas. Anyone who has been in Texas for more than a minute has surely felt the temperature rising – ample reason for us all to get “All Shook Up.” I’ve lived...