Politics & Government
Panel: Californians Must Adapt to Climate Change
A hearing led by state Senator Fran Pavley predicts a dire future for the state as sea levels rise and the environment becomes drier.
At a hearing hosted by state Senator Fran Pavley (23rd District) at Santa Monica's City Hall last week, experts testified that Californians will have to adapt to a drier climate and rising sea levels as a result of climate change.
The hearing, titled "Climate Change Adaptation: Impacts in Southern California," was held Thursday before a panel that included Pavley, who is the chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Senate Select Committee on the Environment, the Economy and Climate Change; Santa Monica Mayor ; state Senators Kevin DeLeon (22nd District) and Ted Lieu (28th District, which includes Mar Vista); and Assemblywoman (50th District).
"We have a pretty good handle on what's waiting for us," Dr. Tony Haymet, a director at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, said. "That's the good news. We're still a wealthy community. We have the resources."
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Haymet went on to describe a very dry future for the state, including rising sea levels that would seriously harm area beaches. He said such environmental change would negatively impact the local economy, which depends on beach tourism.
Much of the testimony predicted a dire future for the state, with vanishing resources and a growing population, and various solutions were proposed to help the region adapt.
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Matthew Heberger of the Pacific Institute said adaptation was “necessary,” and he advocated increasing and restoring coastal wetlands to deal with rising sea levels, while Martha Dina Arguello of Physicians for Social Responsibility encouraged the creation of more green spaces and community gardens in urban areas.
"We have to put social equity at the center of our policy," she said.
Julia Levin, Deputy Secretary for Climate Change and Energy for the California Natural Resources Agency, said adapting to the coming climate change would create much-needed jobs for the state's population.
"It isn't all doom and gloom,” she said.
Following the hearing, Pavley told Patch the event was largely successful but was only the tip of the iceberg.
"I think it's the beginning of the discussion and educating the legislators," she said.
This article was originally posted on Westwood-Century City Patch.
