Region is vulnerable to rising seas, flooding from climate change
Kristin Agostoni
Daily Breeze
07/26/2011
The Los Angeles region is vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased flooding as a result of climate change, and efforts to plan for these and other water-related effects require more work, a new report has found.
The nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council on Tuesday released a study that compiled local and regional research about the effects of climate change in 12 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles.
The environmental activist group's report is a "national call for action, but not a call for alarm," Senior NRDC attorney Steve Fleischli said in a phone call with reporters. Many cities already are identifying their vulnerabilities and developing resiliency plans for the future, he added.
Still, the study says that while California leads states in addressing climate change, Los Angeles "lags a bit" in terms of developing local vulnerability assessments when compared to other large cities.
The authors note, however, that the city and county are working with a regional coalition of government agencies, universities, utilities and others "to correct that shortcoming."
The study cites previously published information from a 2009 Pacific Institute report that examined statewide impacts from a 55-inch rise in sea level. In the Los Angeles area, that shift would double the number of hazardous facilities in the county at risk from a 100-year flood, and leave eight power plants vulnerable, including the NRG plant in El Segundo, the study states.
If the sea level were to rise 55 inches, 171 miles of county roads and highways also would be at risk from a 100-year flood, and 14 miles of roadway would be threatened, according to the study.
