Gov. Brown to address UN at climate summit over threat of rising sea levels to Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The United Nations Tuesday will make an urgent call to reverse global climate change, with nations making pledges to reduce their carbon footprint.

Governor Brown is among those addressing the United Nations because the Bay Area is one of those regions that will be impacted by rising sea levels.

This week's call for climate change began with demonstrations on Wall Street marching through lower Manhattan.

During the United Nations one-day summit on global warming, countries are expected to agree to cut emissions.

Governor Jerry Brown brings to that summit several environmental bills he recently signed into law, including the one introduced by State Senator Mark Leno to reduce methane emissions caused by leaks in the state's aging natural

gas lines.

"Methane, natural gas's main component, is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide," Mark Leno said.

Researchers have proven these greenhouse gases are the cause of rising sea levels. The San Francisco Bay Area is considered one of several sinking cities around the world.

The San Francisco tide station at Crissy Field has been measuring the rise of the coastal water since 1854. Over the last century, there has been an 8-inch rise.

Along San Francisco Bay, king tides seen in December through February flood the shoreline area.

"The Manzanita parking lot near Sausalito, Mill Valley in Marin County is frequently under water on high tide days and there are other places in the Bay that experience flooding during the King Tide," Joe LaClair, a spokesman for the Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Environmentalists are especially watchful of the marshlands. A recent report by the United States Geological Survey found some of them will be inundated by the end of the century.

"One of the important things is protecting our existing wetlands and making sure they have somewhere to migrate so as the sea level rises, they have somewhere to go," Deb Self, a spokeswoman with San Francisco Bay Keeper, said.

LaClair added that the San Francisco International Airport is especially vulnerable.

"If it were to go down it would have a significant impact on the economy," he added.

In light of what's ahead, there has been talk of creating a sea wall.

It's not just coastal regions in the state that will be impacted by climate change. A new report by the United States Department of the Interior shows that climate change will have an especially big impact on the Central Valley.

According to the report, warming temperatures will cause more runoff during the winter months and reservoirs would fill up sooner. Excess water would have to be released earlier in the year to prevent flooding, which could mean less water in the spring and summer for farmers.

Those effects may be seen this century.

A glacier at Mount Shasta has begun to melt, causing mud and debris to flow. Two roads remain closed in the area because of all the mud that has developed.

The United States Forest Service said Monday although the exact cause of the mudslide hasn't been determined, they believe it's because of the drought that has left Mount Shasta's glaciers exposed to the heat. Mud has reached Lake McCloud, which is many miles away.