Ian James is a reporter who covers water in California and the West for the Los Angeles Times. He has written extensively about the consequences of groundwater depletion and how climate change is shrinking the flow of the Colorado River. Some of his award-winning projects have examined the effects of water overexploitation in the western U.S. and in countries from India to Peru. He has also reported on costly struggles to curb industrial pollution and clean up toxic contamination in drinking water. His reporting on the climate crisis has included stories about crop failures, worsening wildfires and the degradation of desert ecosystems. He has won awards including the National Headliner Award for environmental writing, the New America Award, a Science in Society Journalism Award, an American Meteorological Society science writing award and the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism. He previously worked for The Arizona Republic, The Desert Sun and The Associated Press.  As the AP’s bureau chief in Venezuela, he covered Hugo Chavez’s presidency. He also worked for the AP as a correspondent in the Caribbean. He is the author of the book "Ninety Miles: Cuban Journeys in the Age of Castro," which focuses on the lives of three Cubans during Fidel Castro’s rule. He has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, PBS NewsHour and other television and radio programs.