California Report Will Guide Climate-Change Decisions

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — State planners must consider higher temperatures, more intense wildfires and an increased demand for electricity as they factor climate change into their decision-making.

That's the finding of a report by two state agencies that was released on Tuesday. The report is designed to show where the state is vulnerable to climate-change effects such as rising sea levels, potential power disruptions and even crop damage.

The report is a follow-up to a 2009 study that concluded climate change is happening in California. It's designed to help guide the state's citizens, so they can adapt to this new reality.

The report says that temperatures statewide are up 1.7 degrees since 1895. By 2050 California is expected to be 2.7-degrees warmer than it was in 2000.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.