Source: Xinhua
04-03-2009 10:09
Special Report: Tech MaxLOS ANGELES, April 2 (Xinhua) -- California, the most populous state in the United States, will have less water, experience a loss of cropland and see soaring wildfire rates due to climate warming, according to a newly released report.
 |
| Climate change is any long-term significant change in the expected patterns of average weather of a specific region |
The draft Climate Action Team Report, an update of a 2006 assessment, concludes that some climate change effects could be more serious than previously thought.
Without actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions, "severe and costly climate impacts are possible and likely across California," state environmental protection secretary Linda Adams said in the report carried by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
The document, which officials called the "the ultimate picture to date" of global warming's likely effect on California, consists of 37 research papers that examine an array of issues including water supply, air pollution and property losses.
By mid-century, annual precipitation in Southern California could decline by 10 percent, and by 5 percent farther north, in a band near the state's midpoint, according to the report. Little change is projected in the most northern reaches of California.
Global warming is expected to increase weather swings, from years of flooding to severe drought, the report noted.
