Climate Change & Ocean Warming

• Conserve energy. Turn off lights, radio, or TV when you are not in the room.
• Carpool, walk, ride a bike, or take public transit. Help keep roads cleaner from motor oil and our air cleaner! Even one day a week can make a difference.
• Change your ordinary light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb. These bulbs last longer and use less energy.
• Use Cool California to calculate your household energy bills to estimate your household’s annual greenhouse gas emissions and identify ways you can cut your emissions.
• Vote for those that protect the ocean and coast.
• Take the pledge. Return the favor by taking our pledge to protect the ocean.
• Click here for more ways you can take action against climate change.

Climate change is caused by the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into our atmosphere-primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels, such as petroleum and coal, release carbon dioxide that traps heat in our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has increased significantly since the Industrial Revolution and is now at its historical high. Global temperatures have already increased 1.4°F since the Industrial Revolution, with much of this warming occurring in just the last 30 years alone. Many studies suggest that the temperature in California will rise by 3°C (5.4° F) by the end of the 21st century.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an organization established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change, states that the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level.

The vitality of California’s society and economy are inextricably linked to the health of the ocean.  Climate change impacts will hurt California’s $46 billion dollar ocean economy  including tourism, fisheries, and operation of ports.Warmer air and water temperatures are causing many harmful changes to fish and wildlife populations, beaches and other coastal habitats as well as our quality of life.  Below are specific examples of how climate change will affect California.

Sea Level Rise

The global sea level already has risen by eight inches over the past century. In the Arctic, where temperatures have increased almost twice as much as the global average, the landscape and ecosystems are changing rapidly. Since 1979, the summer low-point of the Arctic sea cap has receded by 43 percent. If this trend continues, the Arctic could be entirely devoid of summer sea ice by 2050. If large ice sheets such as Antarctica and Greenland melt, studies suggest that there will be a significant rise in sea levels and decreases in ocean salinity. Global warming is projected to cause ocean levels to rise 55 inches or more by the end of the century, according to the 2009 California Climate Action Team Biennial Report. This will mean that significant areas of coastal California will be flooded and bluffs, beaches and other coastal habitats will be eroded or lost. For example, it is predicted that much of San Francisco International Airport will be under water. In addition, some of California’s water sources will be threatened as sea level rise pushes saltwater further into coastal rivers and aquifers.

More Frequent Severe Storms and Floods
As sea levels rise and the ocean warms, the duration and intensity of storms is predicted to increase. Flooding can create significant damage to houses, transportation, and city infrastructure, with enormous financial losses. Abnormally high seas and storm surge between the 1997 and 1998 El Niño winter caused hundreds of millions of dollars in storm and flood damage in the San Francisco Bay area. Highways were flooded by six-foot waves as they splashed over waterfront bulkheads, and valuable coastal real estate was destroyed.

Ocean Acidification
Given that the ocean has absorbed roughly half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) created through human activities, the ocean has become more acidic. Increased acidity limits the ability of marine life, such as oysters, to form shells that are made up of calcium carbonate that provide them protection. Unchecked, ocean acidification could one day make seawater so corrosive to these organisms that they are unable to grow. And this will lead to catastrophic disruptions in the food chain.

What is California doing?

California produces roughly 1.4 percent of the world’s, and 6.2 percent of the U.S., greenhouse gases. California is implementing a bold plan to cut back GHG emissions and the state is currently developing the first statewide climate change adaptation strategy.

In September 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act. This law commits the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020, a 25 percent reduction under “business as usual” estimates.

In November 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-13-08 directing state agencies to plan for sea level rise and climate impacts. The order calls for state agencies to request that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) convene an independent scientific panel to complete a Sea Level Rise Assessment Report by December 1, 2010. The report will:

(1) Identify a range of sea level rise for planning purposes for the years 2030, 2050 and 2100; (2) develop guidelines for state and local governments to conduct vulnerability assessments using the agreed upon sea level rise values by synthesizing existing information on impacts to coastal infrastructure as well as coastal and marine ecosystems; and (3) conduct several case studies, each focused on a different local jurisdiction to demonstrate how communities can use these guidelines to assess impacts and conduct adaptive planning in their region.

The California Natural Resources Agency is developing California’s first comprehensive Climate Adaptation Strategy (CAS). The CAS will synthesize the most up-to-date information regarding expected climate change impacts to California for policy-makers and resource managers, provide strategies to promote resiliency to these impacts and develop implementation plans for short and long term actions. A discussion draft of the strategy was released in August 2009 and the final strategy is expected by the end of 2009.

To learn more about the state’s actions and for more information about climate change science, visit www.climatechange.ca.gov.

What is the federal administration doing?

President Obama and Vice President Biden have developed a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.

The goals of the Obama/Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan are to:

• Help create 5 million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
• Within 10 years, save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined.
• Put 1 million plug-in hybrid cars - cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015.
• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
• Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.

NOAA and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Release Climate Literacy Guide

A guide is now available to help individuals of all ages understand how climate influences them and how they influence climate. “Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science” is a product of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and was compiled by an interagency group, led by NOAA. The release of the guide coincided with the National Science Teachers Association’s 2009 National Conference in New Orleans, LA.