Photo: Los Angeles Times

UCLA scientists have just completed detailed projections of the Sierra Nevada's future climate - and their findings tell the story of a snowpack on life support. If GHG emissions continue unchecked, by the end of this century, the Sierra snowpack in a typical April will be 64% smaller than at the end of the 20th century. Large snow storms will instead become heavy rain events, and runoff will come in earlier, flashier spurts rather than the predictable spring and summer supply that water managers are used to. The timing of flow will shift significantly, with the midpoint of the annual runoff coming earlier by 50 days on average, from May to March. Equally worrisome, California's water infrastructure is not resilient enough to make up for the loss. A first step would be to undertake a comprehensive assessment of our current water infrastructure's vulnerabilities to climate change and conduct cost-benefit and environmental-impact analyses for all possible options for replacing the storage capacity of the Sierra snowpack. ( LA Times)

A new study warns that over 90% of snowpack monitoring sites with long records across the western US now show declines, of which 33% are significant. Declining trends are observed across all months, states, and climates, but are largest in spring, in the Pacific states, and in locations with mild winter climate. Averaged across the western US, the decline in average April 1 snow-water equivalent since mid-century is roughly 15-30% or 25-50 km3, comparable in volume to the West's largest man-made reservoir, Lake Mead. ( Nature )

New analysis by the Climate Impact Lab brings more bad news for American skiers. Within the next 20 years, the number of days at or below freezing in some of the most popular ski towns in the US will decline by weeks or even a month. If GHG emissions continue to rise, ski resorts could see half as many sub-freezing days compared to historical averages by late century, with Lake Tahoe, Sun Valley, and Whitefish especially affected. Winter temperatures in Nevada County are projected to average 50F by late century, and by 2100, Truckee could experience only 8 days per year at or below freezing. While reducing GHG emissions will slow the pace of decline, American ski areas will still face significantly shorter seasons in the years ahead. ( Link)

	Photo: Los Angeles Times

Several weeks of monumental storms would be all it would take to overwhelm California's flood control system and cause widespread flooding and destruction. In 2011, the USGS modeled one such extreme scenario - the ARkstorm - that could collapse 50 miles of levees, submerge Sacramento, Stockton and Silicon Valley, and force 1.5 million people to evacuate. Just 6 to 10 percent of economic losses would be insured. Currently, state and local agencies spend $30 million a year to maintain 1,600 miles of levees in the Central Valley; they should be spending $130 million annually to meet current federal standards. ( LA Times)

Photo: John Chacon / California Department of Water Resources

California has plenty of salty inland water, such as the water in the upstream Delta or in underground aquifers that have absorbed soil salts. As local agencies look for more potable water sources, desalinating that local water may become an important part of the equation. But it's not cheap. Brackish desalination can run from about $800 to $3,000 per acre-foot. While this is generally cheaper than ocean desalination, costs vary significantly by location. Still, proposed projects in Antioch and Camarillo show that, despite the cost, there is still a lot of interest. ( Link)

	Photo: Raphael Alves/AFP/Getty Images

Human destruction of nature is rapidly eroding the world's capacity to provide food, water and security to billions of people, according to the most comprehensive biodiversity study in more than a decade. Among the standout findings are that exploitable fisheries in Asia-Pacific are on course to decline to zero by 2048 and that freshwater availability in the Americas has halved since the 1950s. Conversion of forests and wetlands has had a devastating cost to species - such as pollinating insects and oxygen-producing plants - on which our climate, economy and well-being depend. In the Americas, more than 95% of high-grass prairies have been transformed into farms, along with 72% of dry forests and 88% of the Atlantic forests. In the Americas - which has about 40% of the world's remaining biodiversity - the regional population is gobbling up resources at twice the rate of the global average. Despite having 13% of the people on the planet, it is using a quarter of the resources. The missing link is to involve policymakers across government and to accept that biodiversity affects every area of the economy. ( Link)

Photo: Dan Peled/AAP

Current warming has already left a discernible mark on 77 of 94 different ecological processes, including species genetics, seasonal responses, overall distribution, and even. But genetic changes don't necessarily mean successful adaptation; in many instances, genetic diversity is being lost. Humans will face a drop in productivity of crops and timber, a drastic loss in marine fisheries, and a potential rise in new diseases. Another study found that 47 percent of land mammals and 23 percent of birds have already suffered negative impacts from climate change, including nearly 700 species that are already threatened with extinction, including snow leopards and all elephants. A third study found that more than 450 plants and animals have undergone local extinctions due to climate change, which may lead to global extinction. ( Guardian)

	Photo: Randy Pench/Sacramento Bee

California is home to 31 kinds of salmon and trout. Of those, 23 are at risk of going extinct over the next century. Many factors affect the health of California fisheries, including water diversions and pollution, forestry practices, mining, dams, and climate change. Recreational fishing supports more than 35,000 jobs and generates $4.6 billion annually for the state's economy. Fisheries are a tourism draw, and local businesses thrive during annual festivals that attract thousands of sportsmen and women to celebrate all that salmon and trout give us. ( Sac Bee)

The conference featured 8 in-depth thematic tracks, over 50 sessions, and 200 speakers - all coming together to equip and inspire policymakers and community leaders to improve equity and livability in their communities. Nearly all presentations from the 2018 conference are available, organized under their respective sessions on the program page. ( Link)

Communities are exploring how resilient solar can help strengthen resilience, advance renewable energy goals, and best serve vulnerable neighborhoods during disasters. This Institute of Sustainable Communities report showcases examples of resilient solar in New York, Baltimore, Duluth, and San Francisco, providing tools, resources, and lessons learned. With leadership by community-based organizations, universities, and municipalities, these collaborative projects are demonstrating the power to improve the health, safety, and well-being of communities, particularly those who are historically underserved and often most vulnerable to disaster. ( Link)

Through the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is developing a State Adaptation Clearinghouse. OPR is currently conducting beta testing of the Clearinghouse database, and would like to receive your input. They are seeking feedback on functionality, ease of use, and any gaps in resources. OPR's goal is to ensure that the Clearinghouse is easy to navigate and provides relevant resources across a diverse set of user needs. See the Clearinghouse database and then provide feedback.

Many common agricultural practices degrade soil health, threatening long-term agricultural productivity. Healthy soil promotion practices could play a major role in addressing key environmental challenges in California, including reducing harmful nutrient losses and increasing water security. Professor Timothy Bowles will discuss cases in California on how farmers are working to build soil health and how this impacts the benefits we derive from soils. ( Link)

The series will introduce participants to climate change adaptation and resilience leaders working in policy, innovation and technology, and climate justice and social equity from across various scales of government and other sectors. These experts will share cutting-edge examples of how they are putting effective, innovative and equitable climate adaptation into practice. The first webinar focuses on climate adaptation policy at the state and local level, with speakers including Michael McCormick from OPR. Subsequent webinars will address innovations in climate solutions, climate justice, and other timely and impactful subjects. ( Link)

This webinar will provide a first look at the new California State Adaptation Clearinghouse, which aims to be a centralized source of information and resources to assist decision makers at the state, tribal, regional, and local levels when planning for and implementing climate adaptation efforts. The Adaptation Clearinghouse is a main component of the Integrated Climate and Adaptation Resiliency Program. The Office of Planning and Research is currently conducting beta testing of the Adaptation Clearinghouse and looks forwarding to receiving input from the Alliance of Regional Collaboratives for Climate Adaptation. ( Register)

Join the Local Government Sustainable Energy Coalition and SMUD for an information and networking forum on energy storage for local government energy professionals. Speakers will provide insights on California's Energy Storage Roadmap, the state of the technology, emerging policy, decision-making tools for implementation and first-hand project experience. ( Link)

This session will examine two transformative trends in transportation. The first is the rise of the sharing economy, private sector ride-hailing services, autonomous vehicles and associated web-based tools for trip planning, ride hailing and fare payment. The second is the emergence of new parking technologies like parking space sensors, automated vehicle identification and payment systems, and web-based tools for finding parking and for paying parking fees and fines. These trends are impacting parking demand and parking management in urban areas, but what do they have to offer in places like Lander WY, Twin Falls ID, or Livingston MT? ( Register)

Hazard mitigation planning affects everyone and at all levels of government, and having plans in place for your community and yourself personally is key to surviving a disaster. It is important to: (1) enact preventative measures that reduce or eliminate risk from hazards, and (2) help communities recover more quickly post-disaster. This 4-hour online course, presented over two 2-hour webinars, will introduce professionals to the main concepts of hazard mitigation planning and connect them to tools to initiate effective planning in their communities. ( Register)

Join Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) experts from across the state for a day-long event about accelerating CCA adoption, sharing best practices, and creating more benefits for our communities. A pre-symposium workshop on June 4th will focus on distributed energy resource projects that build local resilience, provide unique customer services, and contribute to local economic development. ( Link)