According to a report from the Legislative Analyst's Office, the main effects of the drought have been on the agricultural sector, which makes up 2 percent of the state economy and 3 or 4 percent of the workforce. However, agriculture is the bedrock of the economy in some parts of the state, and an increase in prices will affect consumers. The biggest potential risk is a continuing drought that slows down the home-building industry. The drought could also hurt consumer confidence and affect tourism to the state. (SacBee)

Photo: Mark Rightmire/ZUMA

A new study from the National Park Service and UC Berkeley estimates that wildfires and deforestation are contributing more than expected to California's greenhouse gas emissions. As wildfires are predicted to increase for the western US, these results could have implications for meeting AB 32 targets, which assumes no net emissions from wild land ecosystems by 2020. California's forests hold a great deal of carbon - 850 million tons - but that carbon is released when forests are lost to deforestation or wildfire. Carbon loss from forests and wild lands was as high as 5 to 7 percent of California emissions between 2001 and 2010. (Mother Jones)

Photo: AP

Also known as community or shared solar, community solar gardens allow customers who lack the roof space (like renters) or can't afford solar on their own to participate in solar energy. The community project sells electricity to the local utility, and participating customers will receive a credit on their utility bills. In late January, California issued community solar regulations that require the state's three large utilities to contract for 600 MW of capacity. (US News) 

Photo: SunShot Initiative

Shared solar programs allow a greater portion of the community, not just homeowners with ample roof space, to benefit from solar energy. One of 15 projects selected for funding by the Department of Energy's Solar Market Pathways program, Extensible Energy will be working with SMUD to develop new market-based business models for community solar. The project will increase the scale, reach, and value of community solar programs through strategic solar technologies and design, prioritizing local sites, and integrating demand response and energy storage. (DoE)

Check out Sac State's entry for the Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a solar home that integrates outdoor and indoor living spaces and is ultra-efficient and affordable. The project brings together students from multiple departments and disciplines to design, fund, and build the house, which will compete with entries from universities across the US in October 2015. (DoE, Solar Decathlon)

Photo: Sarina Dayal

The airport plans to install 7 megawatts of solar panels that could potentially save $15 million in the next 20 years. It will reduce its power by 15 percent by 2020. As of now, the airport spends $3.4 million each year on electricity. So far, 14 vendors have responded to a request for proposals, and the solar panels will aim to be operational in summer or fall 2016. (Link)

Over 80% of California residents and businesses will soon be able to buy 100% renewable electricity from their utilities. A California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decision directs the state's three big investor-owned utilities - PG&E, Southern California Edison, and SDG&E - to offer a Green-e Energy-certified 100% renewable energy option to their customers. The utilities are encouraged to develop a range of renewable energy options to fit all income levels. The CPUC also approved a PG&E program that will charge 2 to 3 cents more per kilowatt-hour in exchange for 50 or 100% solar energy. The program will allow customers who cannot install their own solar panels to support solar energy, which will come from newly developed small and mid-sized projects within its service area. (Dept. of Energy)

This grant funding opportunity will fund applied research and development projects that reduce the environmental and public health impacts of electricity generation and protect the electricity system from climate impacts. The studies supported by this solicitation should foster proactive adaptation efforts and management strategies to address climate variability, integrate consideration of resilience into energy system. Research should help support the implementation of adaptation strategies and development of decision-support tools that will enhance the resilience. Deadline: May 26, 2015, 3pm (CEC)

Support research that addresses natural gas sector climate resilience policy, implementation, and management needs as articulated in the Energy Commission's 2014 Integrated Energy Policy Report, the Climate Change Research Plan, and Safeguarding California. Deadline: May 26, 2015, 3pm. (CEC)

Learn about the cap and trade program and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Tell us how you'd like to see this money used to make your community a healthier place. Free but RSVP required. (Register)

The National Adaptation Forum is the biennial gathering of the adaptation community to foster information exchange, innovation, and mutual support. At the Forum, participants learn how to make their work climate-informed, share what they have learned with others, and develop a stronger network of collaborative peers. The 2015 program focuses on integrating adaptation into all activities and breaking out of silos to create holistic, durable solutions. (Register)

Learn more about partnering with CivicSpark to implement community projects during our next Project Recruitment Webinar on May 19, 2015 11:00am PDT. Register in advance at: Project Recruitment Webinar

This webinar series will provide tools and resources to integrate social vulnerability into climate adaptation and help participants make connections between urban vulnerable communities and rural landscape changes. Water scarcity, water pollution, and flooding are all upstream climate impacts that will disproportionately affect those least able to adapt in downstream urban areas. In this opening webinar, join panelists from the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program and the Gullah/Geechee Nation in exploring the importance of understanding social vulnerability and resilience. The subsequent four sessions will dive deeper into some of the key practice areas for social vulnerability: community engagement, indicators for social vulnerability, conducting social vulnerability assessments, and strategic communications. (Register)

The Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative is a membership based collaborative network designed to promote greater climate change resilience planning coordination in the six-county Sacramento Region. The purpose of this collaborative network is to create a forum where leaders from government, academia, environmental and community groups, the business community, and labor can come together to exchange information, identify vulnerabilities and data gaps, leverage resources, and advance comprehensive solutions in an effort to create stronger, sustainable, and economically viable communities in the Sacramento Region.  If you are interested in learning more about the Climate Readiness Collaborative, joining the Collaborative, or being added to the list serve, visit: www.climatereadiness.info/