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4.5 – Greenhouse Gas Emissions
<br />Draft Environmental Impact Report February 2021
<br />14800 W. Schulte Road Logistics Center 4.5-6
<br />Impacts of climate change on biological systems, including humans, wildlife, and vegetation, have also been observed,
<br />including climate change impacts on terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. As with global observations,
<br />species responses include those consistent with warming: elevational or latitudinal shifts in range, changes in the
<br />timing of key plant and animal life cycle events, and changes in the abundance of species and in community
<br />composition. Humans are better able to adapt to a changing climate than plants and animals in natural ecosystems.
<br />Nevertheless, climate change poses a threat to public health, as warming temperatures and changes in precipitation
<br />can affect vector-borne pathogen transmission and disease patterns in California, as well as the variability of heat-
<br />related deaths and illnesses. In addition, since 1950, the area burned by wildfires each year has been increasing.
<br />The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) has released four California Climate Change Assessments (CNRA
<br />2006, 2009b, 2012, and 2018a), which have addressed acceleration of warming across the state; more intense
<br />and frequent heat waves; greater riverine flows; accelerating sea-level rise; more intense and frequent drought;
<br />more severe and frequent wildfires; more severe storms and extreme weather events; shrinking snowpack and less
<br />overall precipitation; and ocean acidification, hypoxia, and warming. To address local and regional governments’
<br />need for information to support action in their communities, the Fourth Assessment (CNRA 2018a) includes reports
<br />for nine regions of the state, including the San Joaquin region, where the Project is located. Key projected climate
<br />changes for the San Joaquin region include the following (CNRA 2018b):
<br />• Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors under climate change due in part to more frequent and
<br />severe drought, as well as tighter water supply.
<br />• Ecosystems in San Joaquin Valley are highly vulnerable to climate change given existing anthropogenic
<br />stressors and the lack of organization of landscape-scale science, funding, and mitigation of adverse
<br />impacts within the region.
<br />• Water resources within the San Joaquin Valley region will be severely impacted by climate change.
<br />• Infrastructure in San Joaquin Valley, including urban, water, and transportation systems, may face increased
<br />stress from higher temperatures and extreme precipitation events, including droughts and floods.
<br />Agriculture. Some of the specific challenges faced by the agricultural sector and farmers include more drastic and
<br />unpredictable precipitation and weather patterns; extreme weather events that range from severe flooding to
<br />extreme drought to destructive storm events; significant shifts in water availably and water quality; changes in
<br />pollinator lifecycles; temperature fluctuations, including extreme heat stress and decreased chill hours; increased
<br />risks from invasive species and weeds, agricultural pests, and plant diseases; and disruptions to the transportation
<br />and energy infrastructure supporting agricultural production.
<br />Biodiversity and Habitat. Specific climate change challenges to biodiversity and habitat include species migration in
<br />response to climatic changes, range shift and novel combinations of species; pathogens, parasites and disease; invasive
<br />species; extinction risks; changes in the timing of seasonal life-cycle events; food web disruptions; and threshold effects
<br />(i.e., a change in the ecosystem that results in a “tipping point” beyond which irreversible damage or loss has occurred).
<br />Energy. Specific climate change challenges for the energy sector include temperature, fluctuating precipitation
<br />patterns, increasing extreme weather events, and sea-level rise.
<br />Forestry. The most significant climate change related risk to forests is accelerated risk of wildfire and more frequent
<br />and severe droughts. Droughts have resulted in more large-scale mortalities, and combined with increasing
<br />temperatures, have led to an overall increase in wildfire risks. Increased wildfire intensity subsequently increases
<br />public safety risks, property damage, fire suppression and emergency response costs, watershed and water quality
<br />impacts, and vegetation conversions.
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