Climate Model Predicts California will be Underwater in 100 Years

A team of researchers has used a climate model to predict California’s future — and while the results aren’t exactly promising, they do reveal the state will no longer have to deal with its wildfire issues down the road.

The model, which provides a snapshot of California 100 years from now, shows such landmarks as Huntington Beach and the Santa Monica Boardwalk completely submerged by rising ocean levels.

“It’s really sad to think it could disappear one day beneath the rising sea,” says Benjamin Strauss, CEO of Climate Central. “Really, neighborhoods from Golden West all the way out to Los Altos would be all well below sea level. Could be 10 feet, almost.” However, the future isn’t set in stone, Strauss emphasizes.

If people start taking better care of the environment, there’s a chance that California could side-step its predicted watery grave. “Their ability to exist into the future depends on the actions we take,” Strauss says.

Climate Central, a nonprofit organization, released models showing startling images of landmarks around the world, including a few parts of Southern California like Long Beach and Huntington Beach, being impacted by rising sea levels https://t.co/SwG9jL8KVl

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) October 15, 2021