The San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), a local think tank focused on sustainable growth, has just released a 40-page report that outlines the Bay Area's biggest climate risks and lays out a road map for how communities can start preparing. Report author Laura Tam says: "We have known about the perils of climate change for more than two decades. But global efforts to slow it down by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions have largely failed. Even where major efforts are moving forward, such as California’s Assembly Bill 32, planned reductions will not even begin for 10 years, and they only represent a fraction of world emissions. In the meantime, the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases has continued to rise at an increasing rate.

Even if we are somehow able to stop producing greenhouse gases tomorrow, the high concentration of carbon dioxide already in the atmosphere from historic emissions—since we began burning fossil fuels for energy in the 19th century—will cause the climate to continue to change (Figure 1). As a result we must not only intensify our efforts to reduce climate change both now and in the future, but we also must prepare for and adapt to its inevitable effects."

So what's the impact going to be?

 The physical manifestations of  changes in the climate are expected to be:

• Higher temperatures and heat waves
• Water uncertainty: drought, wildfire, extreme storms and flooding
• Sea level rise

Take a look at the recommendations from SPUR on how we might handle rising seas and warming climates here in the Bay area. Among the recommendations are:

•  Reduce urban heat-island effect through three principal “no regrets” strategies: expanding the urban forest, promoting white roofs and using light-colored pavement materials.
• Conduct health surveillance and monitor environmental conditions for signs of increasing health risks
• Build communications and public warning systems for extreme events such as heat, flooding and poor air quality.

Feel better now?  Read the whole thing and learn more--

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