{"id":15360,"date":"2018-05-10T08:13:31","date_gmt":"2018-05-10T15:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/?p=15360"},"modified":"2018-05-10T08:13:31","modified_gmt":"2018-05-10T15:13:31","slug":"impacts-of-climate-change-in-california-significant-and-increasingly-stark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plantingseedsblog.cdfa.ca.gov\/wordpress\/index.php\/2018\/05\/10\/impacts-of-climate-change-in-california-significant-and-increasingly-stark\/","title":{"rendered":"Impacts of climate change in California significant and increasingly stark"},"content":{"rendered":"

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From Cal-EPA<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

From record temperatures to proliferating wildfires and rising seas, California is already feeling the significant and growing effects of climate change, according to a\u00a0new report\u00a0<\/a> that tracks 36 indicators of climate change and its impacts on the state.<\/p>\n

The report documents the growing number of extreme weather-related events in recent years, such as the devastating 2017 wildfires and the record-setting 2012-16 drought. Some of the long-term warming trends underlying these events, including the rise in average temperatures and the number of extremely hot days and nights, have accelerated in recent decades, the report shows.<\/p>\n

The report also tracks a variety of other climate change indicators: the declining snowpack and dramatic retreat of glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, unprecedented tree mortality in California forests, a rise in ocean temperatures off the California coast, and the shifting ranges of many species of California plants and animals. These impacts are similar to those that are occurring globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs California works to both fight climate change and adapt to it, it is critical that we understand the dramatic impacts climate change is already having in our state,\u201d said California Secretary for Environmental Protection Matthew Rodriquez. \u201cCalifornia\u2019s climate leadership is unquestioned, and this report builds on the essential scientific foundation that informs our efforts to respond to climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

CalEPA\u2019s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) compiled the 36 indicators of climate change, drawing upon monitoring data from throughout the state and a wide variety of research studies carried out by state and federal agencies, universities and research institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese indicators illustrate in stark terms how climate change is affecting our state, and the growing threat climate change poses to our future,\u201d said OEHHA Director Dr. Lauren Zeise. \u201cThis report demonstrates the value of California\u2019s extensive research and monitoring efforts, and is a valuable resource for state and local policymakers addressing critical climate adaptation and mitigation needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the more positive outcomes discussed in the report is that despite an increase in the state\u2019s population and economic output, California\u2019s pioneering policies designed to curb emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) have led to an overall decline in emissions as well as decreased emissions per capita and per dollar of its gross state product.<\/p>\n

Additional key findings of the report include:<\/p>\n