Extreme climatic events have recently impacted marine ecosystems around the world, including foundation species such as corals and kelps. Here, we describe the rapid climate-driven catastrophic shift in 2014 from a previously robust kelp forest to unproductive large scale urchin barrens in northern California.

The ongoing sixth mass extinction may be the most serious environmental threat to the persistence of civilization, because it is irreversible. Thousands of populations of critically endangered vertebrate animal species have been lost in a century, indicating that the sixth mass extinction is human caused and accelerating.

County-bycounty review of the changes to be expected with climate change.

A New Report Offers A Roadmap: nature as a financial asset that provides humanity with food, water, shelter and “spiritual fulfillment.”

With climate change intensifying and scientists warning that humanity is running out of time to limit global warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels, 2021 has been a fraught year for the planet. nDownload the full report.

We found that the presence of oaks had the largest effects on soil properties, with soil organic carbon, microbial biomass and other measures of soil fertility increasing beneath oak canopies. The presence of grazing increased compaction and total nitrogen, and decreased pH.

The world’s most eminent climate scientists and biologists believe we’re headed for the collapse of civilisation, and it may already be too late to change course.

“Making peace with Nature is the defining task of the 21st Century*”

Even “sustainable” technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines face unbreachable physical limits and exact grave environmental costs

Hotter summers come with an increase in “stagnation events”—stationary domes of hot air that can cause air pollutants to get trapped and persist in the lower atmosphere. Climate Central found a positive correlation between summer maximum temperatures and the number of summer stagnant days in 98% of the contiguous U.S. cities analyzed.

Our country’s fixation on fossil fuels is killing us in new ways every day- and it’s up to us to stall it.

Intact forests—largely free from human intervention except primarily for trails and hazard removals—are the most carbon-dense and biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems, with additional benefits to society and the economy.

The growing consensus of scientific findings is that, to effectively mitigate the worst impacts of climate change, we must ... also substantially increase protection of our native forests in order to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere and store more, not less, carbon in our forests.

“If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, land temperatures will rise so substantially that large areas of Earth will become inhabitable. That’s according to new research by an international team of scientists, published May 26, 2020, in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

Our country’s fixation on fossil fuels is killing us in new ways every day- and it’s up to us to stall it.

Protecting and stewarding intact diverse forests and practicing proforestation as a purposeful public policy on a large scale is a highly effective strategy for mitigating the dual crises in climate and biodiversity

Natural solutions to climate change: “proforestation” — leaving older and middle-aged forests intact because of their superior carbon-sequestration abilities.

Relevant Mendocino County papers on water and energy assembled and curated by Brian Corzilius.

Union of Concerned Scientists assessment of the fracking-yielded natural gas.

an interactive map starting on the North Coast

and Consequences

A collection made over several drought years: information about water conservation.

The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) is a long term, innovative and successful collaboration among Northern California Tribes, counties, and diverse stakeholders. The NCRP region covers over 19,000 square miles – 12% of the California landscape – and includes the Tribal lands and the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Trinity, Siskiyou, Modoc, Mendocino and Sonoma.

Climate Central: Visualize sea level during annual flooding by decade from 2030 to 2100

Official summaries of current wildfire incidents in California

A very superficial treatment of how badly we are served by our electric utility

What to pack if you have to leave home in a hurry

“By supporting the development of climate-smart communities and advancing research to enhance the State’s climate work, the SGC is blazing the path towards a cleaner and greener California...”

“A bold vision for the future of our communities and our world. The ultimate goal? Mitigate climate change, preserve our environment, adapt to the nature of a changing climate and the threats that come along with it, and nurture a better, more just, and greener economy for all.”

Excellent free overview of Brown act responsibilites: a prerequisite for new MCCAAC members

MCOG is updating the Mendocino County Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and would like to hear from members of the community about transportation needs, deficiencies, and mobility barriers/challenges.

“Whereas, because the United States has historically been responsible for a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions, having emitted 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions through 2014, and has a high technological capacity, the United States must take a leading role in reducing emissions through economic transformation...”

A Planning Guidebook: “ By taking proactive steps now and integrating the impacts of a changing climate, California can minimize future disruption by enabling communities, infrastructure, and natural systems to withstand, respond, and adjust to changing average conditions and extreme events.”

Climate Action 2020 and Beyond builds on prior commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a community-wide climate action plan (CAP) for all communities in Sonoma County.

Click on “Draft Strategy for Public Comment” below to access the draft, learn how to send comments, and check out opportunities to share feedback in regional workshops and tribal listening sessions. Comments are due November 17 - we look forward to hearing from you!

“Building a world of resilient communities ... Insight and inspiration for turbulent times”

Recommendations to President Obama for Resiliency and Climate Preparedness: “Recognizing that climate change will affect virtually all aspects of the Nation’s future, the Task Force focused on opportunities to build climate preparedness and resilience in key domains, including disaster recovery, infrastructure investment, natural resource management, human health, community development, and agriculture.”

“Community Resource Hubs and Alternate Rescue Routes Throughout Mendocino Coast Health Care District: A set of tools for supporting each other and our leaders through challenging times.”

An ever-changing selection of short posts about relevant projects and concerns

A “framework to discover and document climate hazards, then develop workable solutions to lower climate-related risks.”

Mendocino Voice (our local online news source) has accumulated a useful collection of advice and links for wildfire survival.

A strange collection of documents and books

“Governor’s Initiative AmeriCorps program that is dedicated to building capacity for local governments to address emerging environmental and social equity resilience challenges such as climate change, water resource management, affordable housing, and mobility.”

“The United States is the largest economy in the world and the biggest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases – which in-turn drives climate change. Since 2008, ISC has been working with municipal and community leaders, companies, and nonprofits to accelerate climate and sustainability solutions for counties, urban regions, cities, and neighborhoods – with a particular focus on the most vulnerable communities and populations.”

COVID lockdowns reduced global CO2 emissions to levels last seen over a decade ago. While this decline is temporary, there’s still a lesson to be learned: an unsustainable halt in economic activity and mobility was needed to make a material dent in global CO2 emissions. In our tenth annual Eye on the Market energy paper, we take a look at when and how renewable energy transitions might accomplish the same thing. A lot of ideas flicker in the distance, but few are capable of being scaled and substantially commercialized in the foreseeable future.

56 page PDF with magnificent graphics outlining the steps needed to assure global health and wellbeing.

A “selection of publically available decision-support tools, datasets, and other research products relevant for California planners and decision-makers.”

websites and backend data management

“Network of leading regional collaboratives and allies from across California that work together to advance adaptation statewide and increase local capacity to build community resilience. Through ARCCA, adaptation practitioners connect with peers across the state to exchange knowledge, engage in targeted problem-solving, and implement joint campaigns, effectively breaking down silos across sectors and jurisdictions.”

A tool for establishing buy-in and teasing out consensus on difficult or divisive decisions.

Estimate tree cover and tree benefits for a given area with a random sampling process that lets you easily classify ground cover types.