KCETLink Media Group, a leading national independent, nonprofit, public broadcast and digital network, has collaborated with Los Angeles-based nonprofit Climate Resolve to launch Climate Change LA, an online platform that will debut climate studies from UCLA’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, among others. The site will provide context around the studies and educate both consumers and businesses about the impacts of climate change and offer everyday actions and solutions that can be adopted to address climate change in their regions. Climate Resolve will also be updating the hub with original content, including interviews with local leaders working on climate change solutions.
The latest climate study, “Identification of Two Distinct Fire Regimes in Southern California: Implications for Economic Impact and Future Change,” investigates the impact that climate change will likely have on wildfire threats, is now available in full at the ‘Climate Studies’ section of the online hub. Published in the September 2015 scientific journal Environmental Research Letters, the study assesses the effect of climate change on both the wind-driven Santa Ana fires (usually October through April) and non-Santa Ana fires during hot and dry weather (usually June to September). A summary of the wildfire study and a blog post titled “10 Things to Know About California Wildfires” are also live on Climate Change LA.
The study’s release comes weeks after California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency to fight a series of wildfires burning thousands of acres across the state that is more vulnerable due to the historic drought.
For the wildfire and climate study, researchers built models of wildfire risk based on their observations of the relationship between fire risk and climate variables (temperature, winds, and relative humidity) in the present climate. Then they fed these models with data from five projections of future Southern California climate from 2041 to 2060. The key findings: the area burned by Santa Ana fires is projected to increase by 64%, mainly because four of the five global climate model projections showed more intense Santa Ana wind events; the area burned by non-Santa Ana fires is projected to increase by 77%, mainly because of an increase in temperatures.
Other studies currently available on the hub focus on the noticeable changes in sea level, temperature, snowpack and precipitation.
“KCETLink is proud to unveil Climate Change LA during a time when water issues and our drought crisis is an imperative conversation for Californians,” said KCETLink Media Group Senior Vice President, Content Development and Production, Juan Devis. “We plan to frame this important scientific research from Climate Resolve in a way that the public can readily understand and help them navigate through this unprecedented moment in our state and country.”
“Our work on climate change in Southern California is guided by climate science and we’re excited share insights and solutions on a fact-based platform that is known and trusted,” said Climate Resolve founder and Executive Director Jonathan Parfrey. “We also share a love of Southern California–appreciating what we have and showcasing ways to make it better.”
The portal will also aggregate news content and programming from KCET highlighting climate change, including suggestions to make lifestyle modifications both at work and at home. Another exciting feature of the site is the ‘Future Possibilities’ section that allows visitors to visualize what is possible regarding the future of Los Angeles via a series of images that have been created to imagine a greener city.
To learn more, please visit http://www.kcet.org/climatechangela. Join the conversation on social media using #ClimateChangeLA
Elsewhere on social media:
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ABOUT CLIMATE RESOLVE
Climate Resolve is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to creating real, practical solutions to meet the climate challenge while creating a better city for Angelenos today and in the future. https://www.climateresolve.org
ABOUT KCETLINK MEDIA GROUP
KCETLink Media Group is a national independent, nonprofit, public broadcast and digital network that provides high-quality, culturally diverse programming designed to engage the public in innovative, entertaining and transformative ways. With a commitment to independent perspectives, smart global entertainment, local communities, and opportunities for engagement and social action, KCETLink depicts people and the world through a lens unavailable elsewhere in U.S. media. A viewer-supported 501(c)(3) organization, KCETLink content is distributed nationally via satellite on Link TV – DIRECTV channel 375 and DISH Network channel 9410 – and on KCET in Southern and Central California via broadcast and cable, as well as through various digital delivery systems. For additional information about KCET and Link TV productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org or linktv.org.
CONTACT:
Caitlin Rose for KCETLink Media Group
crose@kcet.org
747.201.5298
Stef McDonald for Climate Resolve
smcdonald@climateresolve.org
