The basin surrounding the Mediterranean Sea is the largest area with a Mediterranean climate, accounting for about half the total area in the world with this type of climate. There are only four other regions in the world that have it, and much of coastal California enjoys the Mediterranean climate in the United States.

Regions with this climate are found roughly between 31 and 40 degrees latitude north and south of the equator, on the western side of continents, but they can extend eastwards for thousands of kilometers into arid regions if not interrupted by mountains or confronted with moist climates. The Mediterranean areas of California and Chile are constricted to the east by mountains close to the Pacific coast.

One of the best places to see the coastal landscape from ground level is Shoreline Park near the Aquarium. Viewed from one of the high-rise office buildings in downtown Long Beach, the view is even better. If you visit the observation deck at the Port of Long Beach’s Administration building, you can also enjoy a meal. Take special note of the concentration of people near the coast: people running, cycling, rollerblading, and strolling along the beach, swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, sailing and building sand castles. You can also see the diversity of uses ranging from the largest container ships in the world to offshore oil islands masquerading as island oases. The diversity of uses of our coastal environments and our dependence on water - both salt and fresh - has led to the movement to have Long Beach designated as the “Aquatic Capital of the United States.”

A soon-to-be-released book by the University of California press entitled Beaches and Parks of Southern California is an outstanding guidebook for anyone who wants to explore Southern California’s beaches, coastal parks, museums, and aquariums. It is packed with useful information to help you plan trips to experience this region’s rich and varied coastal offerings. Brief vignettes of coastal habitats and ecosystems, information on coastal plants and animals, and suggestions for caring for our coast are an added bonus. Among the features of Long Beach highlighted in the book are the Port of Long Beach, Eldorado Park and Nature Center, Queensway Bay, Rainbow Harbor, the Golden Shore Marine Biological Reserve, local fishing piers and boat ramps, and more.

Long Beach makes it clear in a very compelling way that humans not only are part of the ecosystem, but that increasingly we dominate it. The best of Long Beach is in the opportunities we have to create a model coastal urban city, one striving to live in harmony with an evolving environment.

Science makes it clear that well before the end of this century we will live on a very different earth than we now know. It will be a warmer earth, with a higher standing sea, with less biodiversity, a more acidic ocean, and fewer coral reefs. All of these are driven by climate change, and humans are a major driving force. We should start planning now. We should have a bold vision for our city’s future and the qualities we want it to have.

The challenges are formidable, but inevitable. The rewards for thoughtful planning, preparation and execution will be huge.