Plan to Transform Housing Could Save Redwoods

California's redwoods could face extinction due to climate change, but luckily a new plan could rescue the state's ecological balance by transforming the way we live and work.

The problem comes down to fog, or a lack thereof. Redwoods depend on damp air to survive, but if climate change causes fog to burn off, the trees could start to die out, according to the CC Times.

Reports warn that the die-off could be just around the corner -- or has possibly already begun.

But a proposal to rethink urban planning in Contra Costa could be a model for turning the environment damage around.

The plan connects housing to traffic and transit, reducing the need to drive.

Measures in the proposal include reducing the number of cars on the road by charging drivers fees for entering congested areas. It will also require more transit-oriented development, with homes close to mass transit corridors.

Cities that do not participate in the plan will have their funding cut for transportation projects.

Although the terms of the plan have not been finalized, it's clear that cars are fading fast as a preferred mode of transportation. And as they go, the redwoods will hopefully return.