• A series of severe winter storms has caused flooding, mudslides, and power outages in parts of California, resulting in 14 deaths in the past week and an undetermined amount of damage. In response to a request by Gov. Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in a 17-county area.
• While first responders work to keep people safe from the current storms, the deluge has sharpened concerns about the state's flood resilience. A proposed state budget Newsom introduced Jan. 10 includes $202 million in new investments for flood prevention projects under the state’s 2040 water plan that officials shared last August.
• The projects would modernize water diversion and conveyance infrastructure, and would better capture stormwater to alleviate California’s ongoing drought woes, he said. With the state simultaneously experiencing a drought emergency and a flood emergency, DWR Director Karla Nemeth said it is “yet another” signal of the effects of climate change.

• ExxonMobil’s own scientists accurately predicted future global warming in reports dating back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, despite the company publicly continuing for years to cast doubt on climate science and lobby against climate action, according to a new analysis.
• Researchers examined climate projections produced between 1977 and 2003 by Exxon, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies. They found the company’s science was not only good enough to predict long term temperature rise, but also accurately predicted when human-caused climate change would become discernible, according to the report published Thursday in the journal Science.
• In a statement, Exxon did not address the new study directly but said “those who talk about how ‘Exxon Knew’ are wrong in their conclusions,” referring to a slogan by environmental activists who have accused the company of misleading the public about climate science.

DeSimone Consulting Engineering D.P.C. (DeSimone), a New York-based engineering firm providing structural engineering, façade consulting, forensic, and construction consulting services for all types of buildings, announced its acquisition of the global detailing, preconstruction, and building information modeling services business of Dowco Group (Dowco), a Canada-based global leader in specialized preconstruction modeling, detailing, building information modeling (BIM), and virtual design and construction (VDC) services. “Through the acquisition of Dowco’s detailing and BIM services business, DeSimone can now more quickly deliver projects by bringing engineering and detailing into the design phase early,” said Stephen DeSimone, chairman and CEO of DeSimone Consulting Engineering D.P.C.

Sweco, a Sweden-based engineering consultancy specializing in consulting engineering, environmental technology, and architecture, has acquired Belgium-based VK architects+engineers (VK), a provider of architectural, technical, and infrastructure design solutions within the infrastructure and building segments. “This is completely in line with our growth strategy. The world is in transition which drives demand for both specialized and extended expertise in a range of different disciplines. Sweco and VK complement each other well both in terms of expertise and corporate culture and, adding to that, we share the same vision and values, to transform society in a sustainable direction. VK is a great match for Sweco and I would like to extend a warm welcome to our new colleagues,” says Åsa Bergman, President and CEO of Sweco.