Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order Nov. 16 to enhance the state’s management of climate impacts from sea level rise, increased temperatures, shifting precipitation and extreme weather events.

The order should facilitate California’s first comprehensive climate adaptation strategy, the governor’s office said. This effort will improve coordination within state government so that authorities can effectively address climate impacts to human health, the environment, the state’s water supply and the economy.

The executive order includes providing consistency and clarity to state agencies on how to address sea level rise in current planning efforts, reducing time and resources unnecessarily spent on developing different policies using different scientific information, according to a press release.