For additional information, see the Western Mega-Region

Links to Material from the California Assessment Group

• Workshop (Santa Barbara, March 9-11, 1998):
  • Potential Impacts of Climate Change and Variability for the California Region. Report (PDF)
  • Climate Change and Variability in California.  White Paper (PDF).
• Assessment Report: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change for California.  The California Regional Assessment.  A report of the California Regional Assessment Group, for the USGCRP.  Draft final report (dtd June 2002) from the California Regional Climate Impacts Assessment, University of California, Santa Barbara. See also New climate study shows California's vulnerability to global warming, press release (dtd 3 June 2002) from University of California, Santa Cruz. (link posted 3 June 2002)

Related Articles from the National Assessment's Newsletter, Acclimations.

• Next Steps for California - Robert Wilkinson. (July/August 1998)

The Workshop

A workshop was held in Santa Barbara, March 9-11, 1998 as part of the series of US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) regional climate change workshops. This series of workshops is seen as a first step in a U.S. national assessment of the potential consequences of climate variability and change. The purpose of the workshop was to engage in discussions on the possible consequences of climate change in the state. The larger objective of the workshop was to create a process through which scientists, decision-makers, and stakeholders in California can identify areas of concern and opportunity resulting from climate variability and change. The workshop explored what scientists presently understand about global warming and climate change, and sought to apply that knowledge to specific concerns in the California region. Stakeholders were asked to assess potential impacts on the state-such as critical water supplies to agricultural lands, coastal urban centers, and the environment-to establish adaptation strategies and research priorities.

Issues for Analysis

The California regional assessment examines current stresses and potential impacts of climate change and variability on the state with special focus on the following sectors: water systems (extensive discussion of systems and potential changes); natural resource and ecological systems (including biodiversity, nature's services, and ecosystem functions); economic, infrastructure, and social systems (including impacts on the built environment and key economic sectors); and implications for human health. The regional assessment also includes a review of climate science and the USGCRP process, the California economy and natural environment, and other elements. Coping and adaptation strategies, and further research priorities, are also included.

Strategy for the Assessment

The California assessment involves a diverse set of stakeholders who are contributing to an improved understanding of potential impacts of climate change and variability. Scientists, professional associations, businesses, resource managers, state and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, and elected decision-makers are now actively involved in discussions of the potential implications of climate change in the region. Several million dollars per year is being budgeted for climate change research in California through state funds. The strategy for the assessment is to facilitate and support this effort in order to provide the basis for continued prosperity and restoration of environmental systems through coping and adaptation strategies that build resilience in critical systems. The Assessment Report is expected during 2002.

Workshop Steering Committee

• Jeff Dozier, University of California - Santa Barbara
• Richard Berk, University of California - Los Angeles
• Dan Cayan, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD)
• Frank Davis, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
• Nicholas Graham, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD)
• Peter Gleick, The Pacific Institute
• Charles Kolstad, University of California - Santa Barbara
• Jim McWilliams, University of California - Los Angeles
• John Melack, University of California - Santa Barbara
• Harold A. Mooney, Stanford University
• Peter Moyle, University of California - Davis
• Walter C. Oechel, San Diego State University
• Claude Poncelet, Pacific Gas and Electric Company
• Thomas Suchanek, Western Region NIGEC / University of California - Davis
• Henry Vaux, University of California
• Douglas Wheeler, Secretary of Resources, State of California