CALIFORNIA
FOCUS
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2017, OR THEREAFTER
BY THOMAS D. ELIAS
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2017, OR THEREAFTER
BY THOMAS D. ELIAS
“NO MORE DOUBT: CLIMATE CHANGE HITTING CALIFORNIA”
President Trump might want to play
ostrich about climate change and place his head in the sand near his Mar-a-Lago
resort in Florida whenever the subject comes up, much the same pose he adopted
toward white supremacists after their notorious rally in Charlottesville, VA.
Regardless of his pose, there can no
longer be any doubt that man-made, worldwide climate change is greatly
affecting California and will affect it much more in the next half century
unless there’s major action.
It’s not merely the five-year drought
this state endured before record rains replenished water supplies last winter.
It’s not merely the run of record-level temperatures much of the state
experienced last summer or the blast furnace of this month’s deadly, devastating
fires in the Wine Country and elsewhere. And it’s not just the threat of
low-lying coastal areas suffering repeated and perhaps permanent flooding if
climate change persists.
Even more pernicious are future
prospects if the warming trend continues to be worst in equatorial areas. That
could drive new waves of illegal immigration as residents of Central America,
Mexico and the north coast of South America look northward, where the hotter
temperatures California is already experiencing would look positively balmy.
That’s when the “invasion of illegals”
so often invoked by many of the far-right politicians and pundits who also deny
climate change could become very real. In fact, the Pentagon reportedly long
ago began war-gaming a variety of scenarios for beating back waves of
immigrants attempting to storm U.S. borders when extreme heat drives them from
their homelands of thousands of years.
But this kind of extreme human event
isn’t likely for decades to come.
The far more immediate prospect is
outlined in a new National Climate Assessment leaked to the New York Times by federal scientists who feared
Trump administration climate change deniers would suppress it.
The assessment, required by law every
four years, was written in part by independent academics and scientists who
have since left U.S. agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Interior Department as the Trump appointees now heading them accelerate efforts
to subvert the intended purposes of those organizations.
Here’s what the report sees for
California, which may not be as seriously affected as some other parts of the
world:
Average annual temperature will rise
across California by more than four degrees over 50 years if the current
acceleration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere continues. If there is no
action to stabilize temperatures, they will likely increase by as much as 10
degrees here by this century’s end.
That would have major impacts on
almost all areas of California life. It could reverse current trends toward
increased population in inland areas where temperatures are highest and real
estate prices lowest.
It would likely spur major flooding in
coastal areas currently at sea level, including places like Venice Beach,
Malibu and much of the Orange and San Diego county coast. That would raise the
price of already high-priced housing on nearby bluffs and hilltops.
The federal report, produced by 13
agencies and approved by the National Academy of Sciences, says these trends
may already be underway.
“One of the clearest signals…is that
California is already a warmer place than it used to be,” Daniel Swain, a UCLA
climate scientist whose work is mentioned in the study, told a reporter.
“That’s not a future prediction anymore.”
But President Trump’s appointees
appear determined to prevent any action. Yes, California is fighting to stick
with its climate change initiatives, like a strong mandate for renewable energy
sources and tough auto and industrial emissions standards. But any good that
does will be overwhelmed by gases the rest of the nation might produce if Trump
appointees persist in delaying or canceling limits on coal-fueled power plants
and other polluters.
And there will be more drought. “It’s
very clear that temperatures (here) are increasing the risk of severe drought,”
said Noah Diffenbaugh, a Stanford University scientist. “During the recent
drought,” he noted, the state had its warmest years ever, with its warmest
winters and its lowest recorded snowpack. “These are all linked with high temperatures.”
So it’s not merely at his own peril
that Trump ignores the danger – yes, Mar-a-lago could become a flooding victim.
But the consequences also figure to damage many other parts of the nation Trump
now leads. As he might say, “sad.”
-30-
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It," is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, go to www.californiafocus.net
Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It," is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, go to www.californiafocus.net
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