At its current pace, warming could take huge toll on California's greenery in 100 years

Jane Kay, Chronicle Environment Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2008


If temperatures rise rapidly in California this century, up to two-thirds of the state's native plants might lose large swaths of suitable habitat, according to a new study.

Scientists from UC Berkeley, Duke University and other institutions released maps Tuesday showing how 2,300 plants found only in the state might respond to the effects of global warming.

"The pace of climate change in the next 100 years poses a very serious threat to California's native plants," said David Ackerly, a UC Berkeley biology professor and an author of the new study published in the PLoS One, the Public Library of Science.

Scientists know that plants can respond to changing climate over thousands of years, Ackerly said. "But in less than a century, there is very little chance for plants to establish new populations and to migrate to keep up with these dramatic changes."

more:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/25/MNJ811EEAC.DTL


While mature redwoods might survive warming in places such as John Muir Woods, their seeds would perish, and eventually all would die out, researchers theorized. Chronicle photo by Brant Ward

:(

is currently charredery.

It is here... at least it LOOKS like snow. :crazy:

Mostly it's just hard to breath. I feel like I'm living in a cigar box.

x(

doing as little as possible and breathing only when necessary. Nasty times.

so happy that I was able to see Muir Woods before climate change sucks the life out of everything.

My trip to San Francisco last year was a trip of a lifetime (for me - we love to travel, but have never had the funds to do it. Only got to go to SF because my sisters and Mom took me on a surprise trip for my birthday and paid for airfare and hotel.)

Muir Woods was probably my favorite part of the trip. It's hard to choose because it was all so wonderful, but I'm a nature lover and being in those woods in the cool, quite, serene beauty of those magnificent trees was just awe-inspiring.

If climate change ends up destroying them.....damn. Just damn. The inaction of our government in addressing climate change just pisses me off to no end. I know that the laundry list of major issues that need addressing is very long (thanks Georgie!), but this is the mother of them all. Yet we hear nothing of it on tv or from our government or the candidates. Maybe a token mention now and then. Disgusting. And frightening. My children are being left a dangerous and dying world to grow up and survive in and it breaks my heart and makes me very afraid for them.

Seed banks are popping up around the globe, so I'm sure this has probably been considered.
It will be difficult for ALL living things to adapt in the event of an abrupt climate change.

...FASTER THAN EXPECTED!

I certainly hope not. I actually like the weather here, rain and all.