The Golden State goes green
Pictured above is a sinkhole which has appeared after the severe flood rains in Los Angeles. Photo Courtesy of The New York Times.
January 19, 2023
If you have been keeping up with the recent news, you might have seen that California’s drought has been matched by severe flooding. California has been struggling recently with the second-highest level of drought. Little did they know, it was only the calm before the storm.
California has undergone intense storms, some areas receiving 3 feet of rain since Christmas. Since California has mountains on either side, the water has nowhere to run but to the center of California, which is why the flooding has been so severe.
The California environment has seen many changes in recent years due to climate change and because of this, the California Air Recourses Board has announced their strategy for battling their climate crisis. By decreasing emissions and electricity use, California plans to cut their emission levels in half. Currently, they emit close to 400 million metric tons of C02.
This plan will alter California’s economy, vehicles, and how buildings and appliances are powered. Their new plans will be mandated for all people of California because “failure is not an option.” This plan will cost $18 billion in 2035 and $27 billion in 2045. It is important to mandate their new plan as soon as possible to keep the cost down.
This plan is very important because California is currently seeing dangerous changes in snowfall, rainfall, wildfires, and drought. Without a change soon, damage could be permanent.
