ADAPT NOW
Adapt Now California is committed to encouraging California’s next governor to lead a generational investment in climate change adaptation, one that provides compelling benefits for Californians, transforming regions, communities, and people's lives.
The investment we need is $300 billion over the next 15 years,
which is 0.5% of California’s GDP, and less than 5% of the profits of our top 20 corporations.
THE MISSION
THE PROBLEM
Emission reductions are a global imperative, but to protect our economy, our environment, and our people, California needs to adapt to climate change on a much larger scale, and with much greater urgency.
Our current response to weather extremes is wholly inadequate; barring extraordinary leadership, we will remain stuck in underinvestment, scarcity, conflict, escalating costs, and unacceptable risks.
The 2020 wildfires in California released twice the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than the state’s previous 15 years of emission reductions. And the cost of wildfires? Over $200 billion since 2017.
Despite significant progress on conservation, the city of Los Angeles remains at risk for severe water shortages, even though it generates 25% of the state’s $4 trillion dollar economy and uses just 1.2% of the water supply.
We are haphazardly losing 50,000 acres of farmland every year, with no clear plan to invest in a farming sector that is a strategic food security, statewide water reliability, environmental, and social equity asset.
..Our habitats are reaching biodiversity tipping points. Ninety percent of the wetlands in the Central Valley no longer exist, leaving migratory birds, fish, and other species without refuge.
And what about our people, our essential workers, the ones who keep our economy running? They experience the harshest conditions, have no financial resiliency, little or no healthcare support, and live under the constant threat of losing everything.
WHY CALIFORNIA?
There is no better place in the world to implement large-scale climate adaptation. First, the need is great. Climate costs are fast approaching $100 billion per year because of our population, our GDP of $4 trillion, and total assessed property values of $8 trillion.
We have the financial capacity, institutions, and people to act. Our economy ranks 4th in the world. We have a large and diverse workforce, progressive electorate, and world leading defense, technology, and entertainment industries. Our farming industry produces 12% of the U.S. agricultural output, and we have an unrivaled higher education system.
But it’s more than just our economy. California is the poster child for environmental climate risks and opportunities, with its deserts, major rivers, mountains, 30 million acres of forests, and over 800 miles of coastline.
Unfortunately, there remains a major challenge. Our leaders do not fully appreciate the climate threat and how spiraling climate costs are affecting the affordability crisis. And California, like most places, has an extractive economy that creates a landscape of scarcity and conflict, leaving us with insufficient resources to respond appropriately. A prime example: California companies will likely invest $1 trillion in A.I. over the next 5 years, yet finding $300 billion over 15 years for climate adaptation is viewed as impossible.
THE BOTTOM LINE
We need our next governor to lead the way, so California can adapt to climate change on a level consistent with who we are, and the scale and pace of the threat.
THE SCOPE OF THE INVESTMENT
WILDFIRES
Investing in scaled-up ecological forest restoration and fuels management, always-on early detection and warning systems, overwhelming early response even in high winds, and a much larger, highly dispersed force of air and ground firefighting assets.
STRATEGIC FARMING
Building a 21st-century farming sector—one that is profitable for farmers, builds healthy soil, is resilient to global climate change impacts, ensures food security for Californians, enhances the environment, and supports urban water reliability.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Creating a state water system that is resilient to intensifying weather extremes by optimizing flood control and water storage, building new water conveyance systems, dramatically increasing operational groundwater storage, and investing in local/urban water reliability projects.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Integrating next-level environmental benefits into every adaptation investment, creating sustainable habitat and biodiversity outcomes, protecting our forests, rivers, wetlands, and wildlife.
ENERGY GRID
Going beyond current wildfire resiliency efforts to ensure that our energy system is efficient,and our electricity grid can withstand weather extremes that are significantly worse than we are experiencing today.
ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Turning rural farming communities into vibrant economic engines - great places to live and work, and profoundly altering the wellbeing of essential workers throughout the state—those who keep our communities running.
