Climate Change: How Orange County Plans to Take Action

By: Jayzelle Jahanzeb

(Image from The Nature Conservancy)

People in the state of California have felt the extreme heat these past few weeks, however many brush off the thought that climate change plays a huge role in their lives, even those outside of

the state or the country. Climate change is a subject all persons have heard of and is affected by, yet the community action towards climate change should be recognized as well. Districts in Orange County recently had a board meeting on August 30, 2023 regarding the climate and what actions cities will take to ensure the safety of their communities in order to create Orange County ́s first Climate Action Plan. These panels included experts who provided

evidence for their recommendations on the plan, along with congress people and others involved with the county who wanted to provide insight on their opinions of climate change.

(From the Orange County Register: Coastal Erosion in San Clemente in 2021)

According to the OCgov, Katrina Foley, supervisor of the Fifth District states, “On one side of the Fifth District, we’re seeing the impacts of coastal erosion, while on the other, we’re facing

threats of worsening wildfire seasons. For the health and safety of our communities, we must think globally and act locally to become a greener, more sustainable Orange County.” As the fifth district acknowledges Aliso Viejo and its surrounding areas, Katrina Foley claims that there are many natural occurrences that are happening due to the change in climate. Climate change is not just a theory, but significant consequence of human activity that will continue to impact all parts of the world. Foley also addressed how climate change specifically affects the coastline and environment, in which coastal erosion in South Orange County was a specific discussion subject. Coastal erosion is when sea level rises and wave size increases can lead to the wear down of rocks or surrounding areas on the coast. This conflict is very common within Orange County due

to the close location to the beach and ocean in many cities.

(From the Orange County Register: Vincente Sarmiento and Katrina Foley)

However, this climate resilience summit also involved topics such as the economy and public health. Specifically, from last year's summit in 2022, the OCgov mentions Senator Dave Min, who vocalizes that California aims to ̈create exportable technologies that will transform the world...getting us to a zero emissions economy as quickly as possible. ̈ Min directly addresses the economy and how the economy will be affected by achieving goals against climate change. Climate change can be disruptive to our economy such as through agriculture and other work environments. In this year's summit, many solutions were offered for decreasing emissions such

as Min mentioned. For example, ideas of investments in electric car charging infrastructure and transitions to cleaner energy jobs. By acting against climate change, not only will the environment benefit, but even aspects that affect mankind such as the economy, innovations regarding health and technology, and the everyday lifestyles of many.

The 2023 Orange County Climate Change Action Summit also included various topics such as water quality issues, development of programs for the protection against wildfires, increasing resources, and recycling efforts. Orange County recognizes that climate change will continue to come full circle as human activities began these consequences that in turn affect the survivability of humanity. By taking action against climate change, people will begin to see change that therefore protects their surroundings, but also their own lives.