Four prominent San Diego institutions have joined forces to combat global warming and reduce its impact on the county. The partners' efforts will include lectures, an exhibit and about $350 million for research grants and rebates for solar panels.
“Forget about the Himalayas. What's happening here?” said Irene Stillings, executive director of the San Diego Regional Energy Office, one of the partners in the newly formed Climate Smart Initiative.
The other participants are the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Birch Aquarium, the San Diego Natural History Museum and The San Diego Foundation, a major financial backer of nonprofit groups in the region.
The partners want to inform residents about the risks of climate change in the county and steps they can take to limit its impact. That means reducing emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, which trap the Earth's heat.
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Lectures
Two talks are scheduled to take place at the San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego.
 Nov. 14: “Global Climate Change, Sea Level and Western Megadrought” by Jonathan Overpeck of the University of Arizona, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Jan. 9: “How We Know the Climate is Changing” by Mark Thiemens of the University of California San Diego, 6:30 to
8 p.m.
For more information, call (619) 232-3821.
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The burning of fossil fuels is the major human-generated source of greenhouse gases.
“We are hoping to get people on an individual basis to take more responsibility for their carbon 'footprint' and we are hoping to influence government,” said Delle Willett, the museum's marketing director.
Scientists and policy makers say the county's biggest potential threats from climate change are shriveled water supplies from the Sierra Nevada and damage to coastal communities from rising sea levels.
Some politicians, business leaders and others doubt the extent to which human behavior influences climate change. However, Climate Smart Initiative officials say people must start reducing their energy use by driving less, planting shade trees and turning off unused lights.
“We have a choice to act before it is too late. Government, business, nonprofits and individuals can all make a difference in slowing climate change,” said Bob Kelly, president and CEO of The San Diego Foundation.
The foundation is planning to award up to $500,000 from its Blasker-Miah-Rose Grant Program over the next three years to support climate change research in the region.
Local politicians are starting to address the issue, in part because of a steady stream of scientific reports showing dramatic changes to rain forests and tundra that are driven by rising temperatures worldwide.
For instance, one local scientist has predicted that without a dramatic reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, in 40 years downtown San Diego would be as hot as La Mesa is today. La Mesa, in turn, will feel like present-day Campo, said Daniel Cayan of the Scripps Institution's climate research division.
The initiative's initial focus will be on public education through efforts such as showing documentaries and hosting lectures by climate experts.
The museum is showing “Too Hot Not to Handle,” an HBO film about global warming, twice daily in its theater.
In addition, the Birch Aquarium plans to open an exhibit in May. “Feeling the Heat: The Global Climate Challenge” will feature a state-of-the-art computer simulation that aquarium officials describe as a “fast-forward glimpse of environmental conditions in the Golden State when today's children have children of their own.”
The partnership's members want to help link people with rebates for climate-smart choices, such as using solar power.
By early next year, the regional energy office will start marketing its share of the California Solar Initiative, which provides rebates to businesses, government and consumers to install solar panels. The region is expected to get incentives of roughly $300 million in the next decade.
“You have four nonprofit organizations who are banding together to do what each one of us alone probably could not do,” Stillings said.
For more details on the global warming partnership, visit www.sdclimatesmart.org.
Mike Lee: (619) 542-4570; mike.lee@uniontrib.com
