The Oct. 20 hearing at the Santa Monica City Council Chambers included a panel featuring Pavley, Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (a candidate in the race for Malibu's Assembly seat) and other state legislators. The panel heard from a variety of experts.
"We have a pretty good handle on what's waiting for us," said Tony Haymet, director at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. "That's the good news. We're still a wealthy community. We have the resources."
Haymet described a very dry future for the state, including rising sea levels that would seriously harm area beaches. He said such environmental change would negatively impact the local economy, which depends on beach tourism.
Much of the testimony predicted a dire future for the state, with vanishing resources and a growing population. Various solutions were proposed to help the region adapt.
Matthew Heberger, a research associate at the Pacific Institute, said it was "necessary" to adapt. He proposed increasing and restoring coastal wetlands to deal with rising sea levels. Martha Dina Arguello, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, encouraged the creation of more green spaces and community gardens in urban areas. Read the full report here.
Source: by Anne Louise Bannon, Malibu Patch.
