RES 231365 - Laserfiche WebLink

snowpack in the Sierra Nevada and other mountain catchments in central and northern California will decline by approximately 66 percent from its historical average by 2050.67 Agriculture California has a roughly$49 billion annual agricultural industry that produces nearly a third of the country's vegetables and over half of the country's fruits and nuts.68 Higher CO2 levels can stimulate plant production and increase plant water-use efficiency. However, if temperatures rise and drier conditions prevail,certain regions of agricultural production could experience water shortages of up to 16 percent,which would increase water demand as hotter conditions lead to the loss of soil moisture. In addition, crop yield could be threatened by water-induced stress and extreme heat waves, and plants may be susceptible to new and changing pest and disease outbreaks.69 Temperature increases could also change the time of year certain crops, such as wine grapes, bloom or ripen,and thereby affect their quality.70 Ecosystems and Wildlife Climate change and the potential resultant changes in weather patterns could have ecological effects on the global and local scales. Soil moisture is likely to decline in many regions as a result of higher temperatures, and intense rainstorms are likely to become more frequent. Rising temperatures could have four major impacts on plants and animals:timing of ecological events; geographic distribution and range of species; species composition and the incidence of nonnative species within communities; and ecosystem processes, such as carbon cycling and storage.71,72 67 Ibid. 68 California Department of Food and Agriculture.2021."California Agricultural Statistics Review." https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Stat ist ics/P DFs/2020_Ag_Stats_Revi ew.pdf 69 California,State of.2018.California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment Statewide Summary Report.August 27,2018. https://www.e n e rgy.ca.gov/sites/d efa u It/files/2019-11/Statewide_Re ports-SU M-CCCA4-2018-013_Statewi de_Su m ma ry_Report_ADA.pdf 70 California Climate Change Center(CCCC).2006.Climate Scenarios for California. 71 Parmesan,C.August 2006.Ecological and Evolutionary Responses to Recent Climate Change. 72 California,State of.2018.California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment Statewide Summary Report.August 27,2018. https://www.a ne rgy.ca.gov/sites/defa u It/fi les/2019-11/Statewid e_Repo rts-SUM-CCCA4-2018-013_Statewid e_Su m ma ry_Report_ADA.pdf