Report Climate Change and California’s Public Health Institutions By Louise Bedsworth Nov 17, 2008 Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on public health in California. The direct effect will likely be an increase in heat-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, climate change could worsen air quality, alter the incidence and transmission of vector-borne illness, and increase the risk of large wildfires. Public health officials recognize the risks associated with climate change, but feel that they lack the information and resources to adapt to the new challenges. This report was prepared as part of the Preparing California for a Changing Climate project.
blog post Testimony: Adapting California’s Water Rights System to the 21st-Century Climate By Ellen Hanak, Brian Gray, Jeffrey Mount Feb 28, 2023 PPIC Water Policy Center director Ellen Hanak and senior fellows Brian Gray and Jeffrey Mount testified before the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee Informational Hearing, “How Should California’s Water Right System Adapt to a 21st Century Climate?” today. Read their prepared remarks.
Report Climate-Smart Tools to Protect California’s Freshwater Biodiversity By Ted Sommer, Jeffrey Mount, Brian Gray, Letitia Grenier ... May 24, 2024 Half of California’s native freshwater species are highly vulnerable to extinction within this century. Our new report describes the urgent action needed to save them.
blog post Make California’s Water Grid Climate-Ready By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak Sep 6, 2018 Climate pressures are seriously stressing the state’s water system. California must prepare its water grid for greater extremes and growing water scarcity.
blog post Groundwater Management is Key to Adapting to Climate Change By Jeffrey Mount, Ellen Hanak Oct 30, 2018 Sustainable groundwater management is vital to adapting to a warmer future and should be a top policy priority for the next administration.
blog post A Changing Water Landscape By Ellen Hanak Jan 13, 2020 A look back at the PPIC Water Policy Center’s work in 2019.
Occasional Paper, Report Climate Change and California’s Local Public Health Agencies By Louise Bedsworth Feb 19, 2008 This paper presents the results from a survey of local public health officials conducted between August and October 2007. The survey found that although most public health agencies have a number of programs in place to help mitigate the health risks associated with a changing climate, local health officials generally feel ill-prepared, both in terms of information and resources, to respond to the public health threat posed by climate change.
Report Adapting California’s Water Management to Climate Change By Ellen Hanak, Jay Lund Nov 17, 2008 Among the potential impacts of climate change, accelerated sea level rise and a reduced Sierra snowpack are the most certain. Both will pose significant challenges for water supply and flood management. Water utilities have already begun to plan for these changes, but flood control agencies are lagging behind and face greater regulatory constraints. State leadership is needed to resolve some threats, including the risk of catastrophic failure in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This report was prepared as part of the Preparing California for a Changing Climate project.
blog post Lessons from the Pandemic for Addressing Climate Change By Lori Pottinger May 1, 2020 What can the environmental “silver linings” of the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about addressing climate change? We talked to Louise Bedsworth of the California Strategic Growth Council about this issue.
blog post Commentary: How Better Wastewater Management Can Help California Adapt to Climate Change By Caitrin Chappelle, Henry McCann May 9, 2019 Climate change is bringing major challenges to wastewater management, which protects public health and the environment. Shifts in policy and planning are needed.
