Environmental issues and climate change in California

1. Environmental issues and climate change in California

2. Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPPC) • 2500 expert scientific reviewers, • 800 contributing authors, • 450 lead authors, • over 130 countries, • 6 years, • 4 volumes…

3. IPPC emission scenarios • Higher scenario: high fossil fuel intensive growth, peaking global population mid century, carbon dioxide emissions continuously rise. • Medium-high scenario: continuous population growth, uneven economic development, gap between rich and poor of the world does not decrease, carbon dioxide emissions triple. • Lower scenario: shift toward less fossil fuel intensive growth, new resource efficient technologies, emissions peak mid-century then decline.

5. IPPC working group III“Mitigation of climate change” Released 5/7/07 • "no one sector or technology can address the entire mitigation challenge“ • Mitigating the effects of climate change is not only cost-effective over the next 25 years, but it is actually affordable

6. California's diversity Precipitation Ranges from 2 to 80 inches Temperature Ranges from 104°F to -40°F

7. 38 Million People… and a lot of cool resources 55 million by 2050

8. California’s Projected Warming

9. How do we know this is already happening? http://www.climatehotmap.org/namerica.html

10. Where do all the greenhouse gases come from?

11. 2003: 24 million registered cars and trucks • 45,000 miles of cars bumper to bumper

12. Driving in California As of 2003: • Miles driven daily by the average driver: 36 • Miles driven every day in California: 825 million • Gallons of fuel burned every day in California: 47 million • Pounds of pollutants created daily: 5.4 million http://www.driveclean.ca.gov/en/gv/media/index.asp

13. For every 500 gallons of gas used 15 planted trees can absorb the emitted carbon dioxide • 1,410,000 new trees everyday

14. Health Impacts

15. California experiences the worst air quality in the nation! 90% of the population live in areas violating the state’s air quality standard

16. Water Issues • 75% of California’s precipitation falls in the winter North of Sacramento. • The majority of the demand comes from Southern California in the summer,

17. Great! more precipitation… right?

20. Sea Levels Accelerated coastal erosion, threaten levees, disrupt wetlands, bring salt water into fresh estuaries…

22. If we act now… LowerEmissions:Shift to service& information economy with lots of green technology  Source: Cayan, D., Luers, A., Hanemann,M. , Franco, G.  and Croes, B. 2006. Climate Change Scenarios for California: an Overview.  California Energy Commission PIER working paper.

23. Videos • http://www.climatechoices.org/impacts_water/index.html

24. Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order # S-3-05 on June 1, 2005. • The Executive Order established greenhouse gas targets: • By 2010, Reduce to 2000 Emission Levels • By 2020, Reduce to 1990 Emission Levels • By 2050, Reduce to 80 percent Below 1990 Levels

25. Government Action AB 32: “nations most comprehensive, economy wide global warming emissions reduction program” • Requires the states global warming emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020. • Top modelers found that 83,000 jobs and $4 billion in income could be generated by meeting the 2020 goal

26. Locally… City College: Environmental Stewardship committee • Sustainability in the curriculum • Recycling • Green building (LEED certification) • Student Environmental Organization!

27. But what can I do? • Come up with ten great practical ways you can act personal to have a positive effect on the environment. • Discuss them as a group • Decide on your two best ideas and present them to the class.