California farms, vineyards in peril from warming, (may vanish by 2100) U.S. energy secretary warns

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-warming4-2009feb04,0,7454963.story

California farms, vineyards in peril from warming, U.S. energy secretary warns

Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press

'We're looking at a scenario where there's no more agriculture in California,' Steven Chu says. He sees education as a means to combat threat.

By Jim Tankersley

February 4, 2009

Reporting from Washington -- California's farms and vineyards could vanish by the end of the century, and its major cities could be in jeopardy, if Americans do not act to slow the advance of global warming, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said Tuesday.

In his first interview since taking office last month, the Nobel-prize-winning physicist offered some of the starkest comments yet on how seriously President Obama's cabinet views the threat of climate change, along with a detailed assessment of the administration's plans to combat it.

Chu warned of water shortages plaguing the West and Upper Midwest and particularly dire consequences for California, his home state, the nation's leading agricultural producer.

In a worst case, Chu said, up to 90% of the Sierra snowpack could disappear, all but eliminating a natural storage system for water vital to agriculture.

…

[county worker]

1. We have apple trees blooming and some apples are formed.

It's way too early for that! I live in Santa Barbara county.

[Tempest]

2. I live in the interior valley

And my roses are still blooming.

I cut them back in December and they were blooming again in early January.

My easter lilies have buds and will bloom long before April, the first time they would have bloomed before easter since I planted them 20 years ago.

It's 83 degrees here and it should be in the low 40s.


As far as agriculture, farms here are taking thousands of acres out of production because of the lack of water and are warning of much higher produce prices this summer.

[XemaSab]

4. All the deciduous trees are budding out

We just planted our "spring" crop of lettuce and other cool season veggies the same day we took out the "fall" crop. :(

[kestrel91316]

3. The wineries can plant prickly pear cactus and figure out how to make

wine from the fruits. Where there's a will, there's a way.

They can also get in the nopalitos production biz.

I'm too clever by half. I want a $50 million bonus.

[Nihil]

5. Looks like there will be a glut in the tequila market ...

... so it is our duty to reduce the impact by increasing demand!
:+