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Climate Change Will Alter California’s Coast. Here’s How The State Plans To Manage It
Carbon Beach, also known locally as "Billionaire Beach," will see significant sea level rise over time because of the effects of climate change. Photographed from the air on September 9, 2019 in Malibu. (James Bernal for LAist)
Climate change together with the impact of millions of us living along California’s coast, doesn’t bode well for our future here. That’s why today, California’s Ocean Protection Council approved a five-year strategic plan to try to address some of the issues, before it’s too late.
Key objectives:
- Make sure the state, up and down the coast, is prepared for 3 1/2 feet of sea level rise by 2050. That’ll mean deciding what’ll stay and what’ll go, including in Malibu and Santa Monica.
- Save and build up coastal wetlands — crucial for sequestering carbon and providing a buffer for rising sea levels.
- Expand kelp forests, which can help fight ocean acidification.
- Ensure beaches are largely free of poop water by 2025.
- Stop trash from flowing from cities into the ocean by 2030.
- Get rid of at least one offshore oil rig by 2030.
- Possibly establish an offshore wind farm by 2026.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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