California Assessment for USGCRP

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Home Executive Summary Climate Change Science The California Region Potential Impacts Response Strategies Research Priorities

A Report of the California Regional Assessment Group for the US Global Change Research Program
Preparing for a Changing Climate
The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change

Eureka! The California state motto, probably intended to refer to the discovery of gold in California, could today be used to describe the vast diversity that can be found in the state's culture, economy and environment.
Everyone talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it
- Mark Twain
We may not be able to change the weather but we can make credible assessments of our climate: what has happened, what could happen, and how do we prepare for change. This assessment addresses these issues with topics ranging from A (agriculture) to Z (zinfandel).

Key Findings

The climate is changing. Climate change and variability pose significant potential challenges to California's businesses, communities, and natural resource and ecological systems.

We need to learn more about the dynamics of climate systmes, and the models we use need to be improved to more accurately represent changes and interactions at a regional scale.

Building resilience in critical systems is a good strategy with multiple benefits.

California's already over-appropriated water systems will remain a critical issue.

Restoring and protecting the environment is a good investment.

Successful research efforts and policy responses to climate change require partnerships between business, government, communities, non-profit organizations and the research community.

(Click here to download the entire 432 page report in PDF format)

California's complex natural systems and extensive human activities are highly susceptible to climate variability and change. There is broad scientific agreement that global warming is occurring and that climate change and variability pose important challenges. The rate of climate change causes concern because rapid change and increased variability in the climate system may be difficult for both natural and human systems to adapt to.

The executive summary gives a brief overview of the California assessment and describes the US Global Change Research Program assessment process. Following the executive summary is a table of contents describing what is available from the California assessment on these web pages.

Climate change science describes the impetus for the assessment including climate change, climate patterns, global warming and modeling climate change.

The California region provides a detailed description of California's population, geography, envirnoment, economy and infrastructure.

Potential impacts zooms in on details of key concerns for water, ecology, economy and people.

Response strategies addresses how we might cope and adapt to potential climate impacts with multiple benefits and no regrets responses.

Research priorities recommends focus on water systems, ecosystems, economic adaptation and regional climate modeling.

US Global Change Research Program Web Page

This work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA)

Please click here for a list of contributors to the USGCRP California Assessment.

Robert C. Wilkinson is the author of the USGCRP California Assessment. If you have comments/suggestions about the report, please send e-mail to Bob:
wilkinso@lifesci.ucsb.edu

Last update: 2 July 2002
This page will be updated as progress continues on research issues of importance to California climate change.

This page sponsored by the California Applications Program
If you have comments/suggestions for this web page, please send email to Mary Tyree:
mtyree@ucsd.edu

	The executive summary gives a brief overview of the California assessment and describes the US Global Change Research Program assessment process. Following the executive summary is a table of contents describing what is available from the California assessment on these web pages.
	Climate change science describes the impetus for the assessment including climate change, climate patterns, global warming and modeling climate change.
	The California region provides a detailed description of California's population, geography, envirnoment, economy and infrastructure.
	Potential impacts zooms in on details of key concerns for water, ecology, economy and people.
	Response strategies addresses how we might cope and adapt to potential climate impacts with multiple benefits and no regrets responses.
	Research priorities recommends focus on water systems, ecosystems, economic adaptation and regional climate modeling.