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 By dramatically increasing the quantity of certain gases released into the atmosphere and destroying natural areas that had absorbed those gases (forests, grasslands, etc.) we are altering the earth’s natural greenhouse effect – in essence creating blankets of pollution that are heating up the planet.
These “greenhouse gases” come from a variety of sources, primarily the combustion of fuel products as well as some industrial processes. In California, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is from transportation fuels. Other sources include electricity use, manufacturing, agricultural practices, and waste disposal.
Without intervention, the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is projected to increase rapidly in the coming decades, both globally and here in California. As higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause global temperatures to rise, the effects are felt throughout the world. In California some of the most prominent effects include declining snowpack in the Sierra Nevada; sea level rise causing inundation of low-lying areas along the coast, bays and estuaries; heightened wildfire dangers; and public health challenges such as new disease risks, heat related illnesses, and exacerbation of air pollution from higher temperatures.
Many of these effects are already being observed in California. Average snowpack in the Sierra Nevada has decreased by 11 percent since 1950 and peak river flows are as much as four weeks earlier in spring. Sea levels along the California coast have risen by four to eight inches over the last century.
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