by jbs121009 j3 — December 14, 2009—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently released California’s Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS) final report, a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive, multi-sector analysis that will enhance the state’s management of climate impacts from sea level rise, increased temperatures, shifting precipitation, and extreme natural events.
The governor also took action on two of the recommendations in the report by announcing the creation of the Climate Adaptation Advisory Panel and announcing a new Google Earth-based application, Cal-Adapt, that will allow Californians to see the risks of climate change impacts in their communities.
The announcement was made on Treasure Island, which is projected to be under water from sea-level rise within a century. A Next10 study also estimates that over $2.5 trillion dollars of California assets such as highways and buildings are at risk from climate change, despite the state’s best efforts to mitigate the change.
The CAS final report focuses on seven different sectors—public health, biodiversity and habitat, ocean and coastal resources, water management, agriculture, forestry, and transportation and energy infrastructure—and lays out several recommendations focused on reducing climate risks to people, the environment and infrastructure.
These include many proposals that already align with key California initiatives such as reducing water consumption, improving water storage and conservation, and increasing renewable energy use.
The CAS report and recommendations can be found on the state’s Climate Change portal.
