CURRENTS Spring 2015

What might the future look like if we took climate change seriously?

Joseph Oldham, Statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Best Practices Coordinator
Kif Scheuer Climate Change Program Director

Here at LGC we receive a great number of emails each day.  Many of the items are notices about tools, training, seminars, articles about technology, etc.  We sort through these and file away or send along anything that we feel will be useful to our partners and stakeholders. We rarely take the time to read commentary or pieces that take a really long view. When a piece came in from Merrian Borgeson – Senior Scientist at NRDC – came through and it had such a compelling title, we had to read it carefully.  What we found was that she had taken the very complex issue of what we should do as a nation to adapt to climate change, and distilled it down to three main actions.  By doing so, she has made understanding what to do very simple and easy for layman in this subject to get their arms around it.

Merrian’s post got us thinking hard about what such a question might mean for California specifically. Knowing that this is such a far reaching question, and that we here at LGC don’t have all the answers, we asked some of our thoughtful and visionary partners to share their thoughts on the state of climate change, our progress to date and critical actions needed to get to 2050.

We hope you enjoy this thought provoking dialogue and we invite you to join this conversation by sharing your own perspective on our shared future.

“How will you and your community respond to these opportunities?” Read more…	“By 2050, we could live in a much different, much safer, healthier and more vibrant California.” Read more…
Kate Meis Executive Director, LGC	Kif Scheuer Climate Change Program Director, LGC
“We know we can create that brighter future.” Read More…	“We can create the California we want and the one our children and grandchildren deserve.” Read More…
Nicola Hedge Director Climate Initiatives, San Diego Foundation	Michael McCormick AICP, Senior Planner & Advisor, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
“The time is ripe.” Read More…	“I have hope that this can happen and that we can be relentless.” Read More…
Jonathan Parfrey Executive Director, Climate Resolve	Linda Giannelli Pratt Managing Director, Green Cities California
“It will take new ways of working together.” Read More…	“Seriously’ means that equitable strategies are enforced and regulated.” Read More…
Shana Rappaport Director of Engagement and Correspondent, VERGE® | GreenBiz Group	Salote Soqo SF Bay Area Program Coordinator, Climate Change and Water Justice Environmental Justice Coalition for Water