California’s electricity sector is more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought, as higher temperatures will impede the state’s ability to generate and transmit power while demand for air conditioning rises, a report said Tuesday.
The data is part of the latest report released by the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Energy Commission, which are trying to help state and local leaders prepare for life in the hotter, drier California of the future. (Report: r.reuters.com/zag79s)
Wildlife, agriculture and coastal communities are also at serious risk from climate change, the report said. Sea levels could rise by more than a foot by 2050, and more intense storms combined with less overall precipitation will present a host of challenges.
California is considered a national leader in setting policies to combat climate change, with a strong renewable electricity mandate in place and a carbon cap-and-trade program coming into force next year.
