What Sonoma Residents Need to Know About Climate Change
Despite resistance at a national level from certain quarters, Petaluma has been at the forefront of advocacy for decisive action to combat climate change. The city’s climate action plan has been in place since 2002, and in conjunction with the Sonoma County Regional Climate Action Plan, has taken many concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Scientific studies have concluded that climate change in the North Bay region is already underway. Over 200 Petaluma residents live in a zone that is expected to be the scene of at least one major flood of over 3 feet sometime during the next three decades.
Our business here at Restoration Certified Specialists is in helping consumers contain and remedy the effects of emergencies. We also believe in helping Sonoma area residents to be fully informed of potential disasters. That's why we support the city and county’s initiatives in addressing climate change and why we post material about such on our company blog. Here are some of the chief concerns which we wish to share with you.
Why We Care About the Impacts of Climate Change?
The health of our citizens as well as our energy, water and land use is already being impacted by the adverse effects of climate change because they influence:
• The health of our senior and younger populations.
• The structure of our demands for water and the quality and quantity of our water supply.
• Costs associated to both our commercial and residential energy consumption.
• Crops that farmers are able to grow at certain locations.
What Are the Dangers Attributed to Climate Change?
There are three main concerns here, any one of which poses potential dangers to our area.
1. We enjoy a climate that is favorably compared to Mediterranean climates known for arid and extended dry seasons. Climate change has the potential to adversely affect us by creating an increase in extreme weather, a shortening of our winter season, and by contributing to drier and shorter summer seasons, all of which increases arid conditions which can lead to increased drought.
2. If climate change is not curtailed, we can expect to see temperatures in summer rising by as much as 6-8 degrees, and the data from scientific studies portends a decrease in the amount of our rainfall.
3. Sea levels might rise by as much as 5 feet by century’s end. This could lead to conditions of extreme flooding along the coasts of the entire North San Francisco Bay Estuary. Also in danger are the freshwater rivers and streams along coastal regions at the confluence of the estuary and the ocean.
What Sonoma is Doing to Fight Climate Change
With an aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30 percent, the city has undertaken 24 separate initiatives. Here are some of these efforts already underway.
• Planning regulations that emphasizes increased walkable areas.
• Replacing city vehicles with electric and hybrid ones with zero emissions.
• Upgrading the city’s waste water treatment to facilitate production of natural gas to power city vehicles.
• Requiring new construction to be energy efficient, including installation of solar panels.
We encourage you to be aware of climate change. But know that should you ever need our emergency services from water and sewage damage or in the removal of mold, we’re there for you 24-hours a day. Contact us here.
