Through December 12, Dubai is hosting the United Nations’ COP28, where world leaders and scientists are discussing the implications of our warming planet and how to reduce climate effects, which are affecting the Golden State.
“In Southern California, we’re seeing already impacts on water resources. … We’ve already seen a reduction in water availability during our dry spells … increases in the size and intensity of wildfires … [and] increases in heat extremes,” explains Alex Hall, professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA.
As carbon emissions continue, more severe droughts and wildfires won’t be the only threats.
Sea levels are projected to continue rising in the coming decades, leaving low-lying areas along the coast like Marina Del Rey vulnerable to infrastructural damage. In Orange County, dredging projects have already started to replenish diminishing beach space with more sand.
Luckily, Hall and other climate scientists at UCLA are working diligently to reverse these effects. Hall is the director of the Sustainable LA Grand Challenge at UCLA, which aims to turn Los Angeles into one of the world’s most sustainable megacities by 2050.
He believes there has been major progress in decarbonisation efforts and renewable energy. And in California specifically, reducing water consumption with urban landscaping, wastewater recycling, and managing wildfire risk are leading the charge.