Entering the California Climate Change Portal is like opening the door to my PackRat Aunt's overstuffed garage -- you crack it a little, and out tumble strategic plans, the Climate Action Team, a dozen-or-so subgroups, working groups, advisory committees, analysis, reports, rulemakings, standards, regulations, programs, and much more.   The Portal is a testament to the important action that California has initiated with the Global Warming Solutions Act, (AB 32), a landmark law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy to prepare for the expected impacts of climate change.

California's efforts are very laudable, but strong leadership, political cooperation, and resolution of the state's budget crisis are also needed to ensure that action is swift and steady.  The complexity of the Portal is  an indicator of how challenging it will be to address Climate Change Impacts in a proactive, strategic way.  The first report of the Climate Action Team (CAT) -- comprised of 14 state agencies, divided into 11 subgroups holding hundreds of meetings -- makes it clear that we must move quickly to address the impacts of climate change that are very likely to occur.

On March 11, the CAT issued its first set of conclusions about the projected impacts of Climate Change on California.  It found that the negative impacts from future climate change will occur in nearly every sector -- agriculture, forest resources, electricity demand and generation, coastal resources, water resources, air quality, public health, and ecological services.  As the LA Times Reports, immediate action is needed to protect against rising sea levels that will be responsible for many of these negative impacts.  This action includes redesigning ports, building levees, and moving people out of low-lying vulnerable areas.  

The Ocean Protection Council, a member of one of the CAT's many subgroups, also leads the Oceans and Coastal Resources Adaptation Strategy working group, which developed an outline for assessing climate change and sea level rise impacts and adaptation strategies for coastal habitats and infrastructure.

Experts say that mean sea level rise is expected to be 12-36 inches by the end of the century.  This image shows what San Francisco International Airport and the surrounding area would look like, if the bay rose a meter (roughly 36 inches).

With the vast majority of California's population of over 38 million living along our 1,100 miles of coast, and the state's particular vulnerability to droughts, sea level rise, severe storms, and erosion, calculating and addressing the impacts of climate change in our the Golden State will not be easy.   Success in this daunting effort requires cooperative leadership from our lawmakers, particularly to ensure that  sufficient funds are available to implement AB 32 and the actions recommended by the CAT.