Has Climate Change Affected California?

Wildfires+in+California+have+been+rampant+with+the+changing+climate.+Credits%3A+nature.org

Wildfires in California have been rampant with the changing climate. Credits: nature.org

Tola Aluko, General, Opinons

California is becoming prone to natural disasters. The Golden State has suffered major wildfires nearly every year; along with droughts, rising sea levels, and other natural disasters. In June of this year, the state experienced record breaking heat waves. 

 

California is the most popular state for tourism in the United States, as well as the most populous state within the United States. So with natural disasters becoming more frequent, it begs the question, ‘how has California been impacted?’

 

California’s population fell by more than 182,000 last year. This is the first yearly loss ever recorded for America’s most populated state. Up until 2020, California’s population was increasing. 

 

Now some may say that California’s population decline was mainly caused by the pandemic, but the state’s population growth has been getting smaller in recent years, it’s growth just reached an all time low last year. To the point where California will be losing a congressional seat for the first time in the state’s 170 year history. This came after a census, where the population had shrunk. The state’s seats in Congress will shrink from 53 to 52.

 

California’s growth has plateaued. “According to estimates by the California Department of Finance, California’s population grew by 6.5% (or 2.4 million) from 2010 to 2020, slower than the rate of growth in the rest of the United States (6.7%). In the past year, growth has essentially ground to a halt (0.05% gain).” 

 

In the last decade, natural disasters have become the norm for California, and the population has had smaller growth simultaneously. As the climate crisis worsens in California, only time will tell if the infamous Golden state can survive.