A BALL OF A TIME: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power added 96 million shade balls to the L.A. reservoir in an effort to prevent excess evaporation. The balls are expected to save 300 million gallons of water a year.

DOWN UNDERWHELMING: The Australian Prime Minister set goals to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, saying the target balances economic concerns and the need for action on climate change. Scientists and environmental groups are unimpressed.

GREENS IN SPACE: Astronauts on the International Space Station ate lettuce leaves that they grew themselves. The ability to grow food is a necessary ingredient for traveling greater distances in space. 

OH, SHOOT: According to the Global Footprint Network, humans have used up a year’s supply of natural resources in less than eight months. The Earth’s “overshoot day” for 2015 is occurring six days earlier than in 2014. 

WHEN IT RAINS…: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is expecting a strong El Niño this coming fall and spring, possibly the strongest ever recorded. Such an event would alter weather patterns worldwide, raise global temperatures, and help mitigate California’s four-year-long drought.