Ocean + Climate Workshop Series: California Coast
August 24 + 25, 2021
For more than a century, California has drawn people from all over the world with its natural beauty, abundant resources and the promise of fortunes to be made. As the crow flies, its iconic coast stretches more than 1,100 miles, and California’s coastal counties – which include the megaplexes of San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego – are now home to nearly 27 million people. The fortunes of America’s most populous state are inextricably linked to its vast neighbor, the Pacific Ocean: The state boasts 11 bustling seaports, a robust commercial fishery and a tourism industry that generated $140 billion annually pre-COVID. But that close relationship is becoming fraught, as warming and rising waters due to climate change are changing coastal dynamics and impacting both ecosystems and economies.
The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources conducted a virtual workshop focused on the ocean and climate along the California coast, designed to help journalists explore ocean issues that are underreported in popular media. Through conversations with a range of experts, this two-day workshop explored regional impacts of climate change on the ocean, the ocean’s potential to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the ocean’s place in human food systems, and the economic, social, scientific, and policy implications of those issues.