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Extreme weather linked to climate change like drought, severe heat, floods, and wildfires costs California dearly, claiming lives and resulting in huge economic losses. New legislation would prioritize nature-based solutions to the issues.

Assembly Bill 2184 establishes a guaranteed funding stream from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, supported by California’s Cap and Invest program.

Baani Behniwal, carbon drawdown director at the nonprofit Climate Center, praised the benefits of the proposed solutions.

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"They reduce emissions from the reduction of fertilizer use on farms. They sequester emissions by storing carbon in soils and biomass," Behniwal outlined. "But very importantly, nature-based solutions also provide resilience to extreme weather."

Nature-based solutions include programs to plant trees in cities, which scrub the air of carbon dioxide and create shade, lowering the temperature and reducing the need for air conditioning. Shoreline restoration projects plant seagrasses to absorb carbon and buffer inland areas as sea levels rise. Workers may also thin dead wood in forests and deploy herds of goats to munch dry grass on hillsides to reduce wildfire risk.

Nature-based solutions also apply to California farmers, who lost an estimated $2 billion in the 2022 drought alone.

Brian Shobe, policy director for the California Climate and Agriculture Network, said sustainable agricultural practices can help them use less fertilizer and water.

"We are looking for investments in multi-benefit solutions that help farmers stay viable, that keep food affordable, and that also deliver clean air, clean water, or biodiversity," Shobe explained.

He noted healthy soil can also hold more water and improve crop yields. Assembly Bill 2184 has no opposition on record. It passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee with bipartisan support and is currently before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.