The year is 2070. The location, Berkeley, California. It’s a warm summer evening, and a humid breeze blows through the grass. The sun is setting over the hills, and the sky is ablaze with orange, red, and purple streaks. You’re content, the temperature soothing and the fabric of your shirt and shorts soft.
California passed SB 100 in 2018 to set a state goal of moving to 100% clean energy by 2045. While an admirable effort by legislators to encourage and insist upon clean energy for our future, the question remains: how exactly can we reach this target?
When the power grid failed in Texas, millions were left without electricity, struggling to get basic necessities. Frigid temperatures led to increased energy demand as people cranked up their heaters to stay warm. If Californian leaders don’t take action, the state risks a similar power grid failure affecting the safety and comfort of millions of residents.
If you are from California, there is a good chance that you are familiar with droughts. From switching to a drought-tolerant lawn and the rise of astro-turf, to shorter showers and no at-home-car-washes, the scarcity of water in this state is an everyday reality for millions of Californians.
You walk through the Sierras, and the crisp air on top of the sweet sugar pine scent helps tone down the worries you carry from your day-to-day life. That moment of peaceful bliss comes to a close when you stumble upon acres and acres of burnt trees. Of course, wildfire is a natural stage of succession, the process forests go through to enable regeneration and the recycling of nutrients. Although, you encounter more tree carcasses and notice the same little insect using them as hosts: bark beetles.
Record rainfall flooded homes, stores, and the UC Berkeley campus during the Big Blow of 1962. Chicken Creek, a tributary of Strawberry Creek by the fire trails, flooded the Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area and caused considerable damage to the Hass Clubhouse and all the way down to the International House. The floods and landslides created a wall of mud and debris that broke through a ground floor window at IHouse, flooded the lobby, and broke through the main doors. Down on campus, Strawberry Creek flooded its way through ASUC offices and underground basements.
