“Amid a major heatwave that is stressing energy grids in states across the western United States, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed an emergency proclamation to free up additional energy capacity,” the governor’s office said in a statement.

In preparation for the extreme temperatures, California energy agencies have been calling on individuals and businesses to “flex their power” by reducing energy use in the evenings, through Friday.

The proclamation suspends certain permitting requirements, allowing the use of backup power generation and freeing up additional energy capacity to help alleviate the heat-induced demands on the state’s energy grid.

For the next several days, much of the West and Southwest are expected to see triple-digit heat, making it imperative that individuals take precautions to stay safe from the heat and do what they can to conserve energy.

Climate change in California has resulted in higher-than-average temperatures, more temperature extremes, and decreased rainfall, leading to increased occurrences of drought and wildfires. During the next few decades in California, climate change is likely to further reduce water availability, increase wildfire risk, decrease agricultural productivity, and threaten coastal ecosystems.

The state will also be impacted economically due to the rising cost of providing water to its residents along with revenue and job loss in the agricultural sector.

California has taken a number of steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the state. (ILKHA)