Sustainability and Addressing Climate Change

Sustainability and addressing climate change are, and will continue to be, important not just to San Diego County but the entire globe. From year-round wildfires to atmospheric rivers and once-unimagined cyclones, climate change has already affected our county. The County is working hard to respond to those issues through reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing sustainability.

In the past year, the County approved new Vehicle-Miles-Traveled guidelines for development. They will fight climate change and still allow approximately 7,300 homes to be built in unincorporated communities.

The County also bought 425 acres of land next to Mount Olympus County Preserve, expanding the preserve to more than 1,200 acres. The land fits into the County’s North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan area and will permanently protect its chaparral, wetland and riparian habitats and animals.

The County will also continue working on a regional decarbonization framework. That effort could potentially help cities, communities, Native American tribes, businesses, community groups and others achieve zero-carbon emissions by mid-century. To reduce greenhouse gases, the County will spend $2.5 million to design a new Zero Carbon Portfolio Plan for County operations. The plan’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in County facilities by 90% by 2030.

The County will also spend $2.7 million to restore land and improve water quality in the Tijuana River Valley. The County has invested approximately $200 million to stormwater run-off management over the past five years. We also plan to plant more than 5,000 more trees on County property with another 5,000 throughout the county to naturally remove carbon dioxide from the air and lower temperatures.