Dear Governor Newsom:

Climate change is here and no Californian will be untouched by its impacts. We are feeling it right now in extreme rain events, flooding, historic drought, and catastrophic wildfires. While most of the discourse around climate change focuses on temperature and emissions, water is the fundamental factor that most directly impacts us.

California’s increasingly severe drought is not caused by climate change, it is climate change.

Unfortunately, this was not a good year for climate policy legislation and California’s Delegation to the recent 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference did not even acknowledge that our state’s water must be equitably managed as part of the climate solution.

Water is foundational to life as we know it: essential for the quality of human life and the survival of our state. Yet despite the simple truth that water is integral and irrevocably interconnected to everything, we regularly isolate it and treat it as a stand-alone issue.

Climate change, wildfire management, housing, equity, justice, agriculture, jobs, economic growth are all water issues, and it’s time that we start treating them as such.

Climate Change → Water cycle disruption will increase drought, flooding, and reduce snowpack; rising temperatures will increase evaporation and reduce reservoir storage.
Wildfires → Healthy watersheds are more fire resistant, produce clean water and act as natural water storage.
Development → Increased water demand comes with new construction. CA needs efficiency, reuse, recycling, catchment, native landscaping, and green infrastructure.
Justice & Equity → Failure to deliver on the Human Right to Water disproportionately burdens low-income and communities of color, further exacerbating inequities.

We are at a critical juncture. California's current financial windfall is a once in a lifetime opportunity to set us on the course to a brighter, equitable future. Through the lens of funding and policy, we can choose to approach climate resilience holistically and ensure these enormous public investments advance California as far as possible to a climate and water resilient future. It is clear that business as usual will doom us to a grim future.

Governor Newsom, as the leader of our great state, we implore you to meet this moment by recognizing the interconnectedness of water and climate change and committing to spend taxpayer dollars to safeguard them in 2022.

1. INVEST IN HEALTHY RIVERS - At every level and through every decision, prioritize funding for 21st century water solutions, not more deadbeat dams. Projects must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, secure the human right to water, and keep water in rivers for generations to come.

2. VALUE THE HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHT TO WATER - A thriving economy depends on healthy rivers and healthy people.

3. CONNECT CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND WATER RESILIENCE - Recognize that healthy, thriving rivers are critical to California’s 30 x 30 initiative, and key to successful statewide climate change adaptation.

Our work, here and now, is to give ourselves and all future generations cleaner water, healthier rivers, and a more sustainable California. What can be more important than this?

Sincerely,

A Concerned Friend of the River and all of California

“A reminder: the people in power don’t need conferences, treaties or agreements to start taking real climate action. They can start today. When enough people come together then change will come and we can achieve almost anything. So instead of looking for hope - start creating it.”
- Greta Thunberg, November 15, 2021