Hearing on adapting to climate change set at UC Merced

State leaders will hold a regional hearing on climate change adaptation Tuesday at UC Merced.

The hearing on “Central Valley Regional Adaptation Efforts to Climate Change Impacts” will include state and local officials from agriculture, fire, water and air departments and districts, according to a news release.

The hearing is open to the public and set for 11 a.m. in the California Room at the campus, 5200 N. Lake Road.

State Sen. Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, said this will be the latest regional hearing on climate change adaptation. Another meeting was held earlier this year in Sacramento, according to his staff.

“The purpose of the hearing is to learn more about the Central Valley’s regional effort on its priorities and challenges involving climate change adaptation,” Wieckowski said in a statement. “It’s the second of three regional hearings we are holding around the state to improve coordination and collaboration on this critical issue so we become better prepared to deal with a drought, prolonged fire seasons, floods and the long-term effects of a changing climate.”

The panelists will include UC Merced representatives such as Sierra Nevada Research Institute Director Roger Bales and Tapan Pathak, a specialist for climate adaptation in agriculture.

The meeting includes time for public comment.

Other representatives scheduled to be at the meeting come from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability.

Another regional hearing is planned in October in Los Angeles.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Hearing on adapting to climate change set at UC Merced."