STANFORD, Calif., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Heat waves, extreme heat, and heat-related human mortality in Los Angeles could double or quadruple by century's end, Carnegie Institution researchers say.
The warming could also impact agriculture, potentially threatening California's status as a producer of high-quality wines, according to Christopher Field of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology in Stanford, Calif.
"More frequent heat waves, dramatically reduced Sierra snow pack, and decreased quality of wine grapes are in California's future unless we take action now to minimize climate change," he said in a statement.
The researchers compared the expected climate change with a heavy reliance on traditional fossil energy sources to a future that includes extensive investment in energy sources that do not emit carbon dioxide or other heat-trapping gases.
Both paths lead to significant climate changes over the coming decades, but the amount of climate change and its impacts can be cut by half through emphasis on reducing emissions, the researchers say.
"We truly have a choice," said Field. "Leadership in developing innovative technologies, policies, and strategies can pave the way to a much more positive future."
The findings are published in the online Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
