In some cases, human-caused fires, erosion, and vegetation changes make landslides more likely. Often people locate residences and other buildings in scenic areas where land is unstable. Sea-level rise could open coastal bluffs to erosion which will only make landslides worse. Those are only some of the major ways in which climate change and variability may have important impacts on the way Californians live their lives. Skiing is a popular pastime and important business in Sierra resorts like Squaw Valley, where annual snowfall exceeds 450 inches.
Commercial fishing is economically significant in California, especially in certain coastal cities.
Sea level rise, as well as a possible change in the intensity and frequency of storms, could accelerate the erosion of bluffs, beaches, and other coastal landforms important to Californians. Tourism is a major industry in California, and it depends on the weather in all kinds of ways. California's wines not only tend to be the best in the U.S., but in recent decades have challenged the wines of Europe in attractiveness. Vines are especially picky about what climate they thrive in. Rapid climate change would make it hard for the industry to adapt, since new plantings take a long time to establish.