So Cal Looks at Ways to Beat the Coming Heat

Released this week, "Mid-Century Warming in the Los Angeles Region", which researchers at UCLA are calling "the most sophisticated regional climate study ever developed," shows that "climate change will cause temperatures in the Los Angeles region to rise by an average of 4 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit by the middle of this century, tripling the number of extremely hot days in the downtown area and quadrupling the number in the valleys and at high elevations."

"That's the bad news," writes Damien Newton. "The good news, even by acting locally there is something that L.A. can do....Today, the City released Adapt LA [PDF], a fact sheet outlining what principles the city must embrace to both prepare for higher temperatures and work to keep them as low as possible, and C-Change LA , its new climate change website. AdaptLA has four major components: 1) science-based evaluation of the impacts of climate change; 2) assessment of the vulnerability of and risks to City infrastructure and assets; 3) regional collaboration; and 4) public engagement."

The C-Change website outlines the types of things homes and businesses can do to assist in minimizing and responding to climate change. Speaking this week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa outlined some of the ways to keep the city cool: "That could mean replacing incentives with building codes requiring 'green' and 'cool' roofs, cool pavements, tree canopies and parks." 

"'Mid-Century Warming in the Los Angeles Region' is the first of five planned studies [UCLA climate expert Alex] Hall will conduct for the city and the LARC about how climate change will affect the Southland. Hall's team plans to develop similarly comprehensive models for local rainfall, Santa Ana wind patterns, coastal fog (including June gloom), and soil moisture, run-off and evaporation."