Over the years, the San Diego region has experienced the effects of climate change. Long-term shifts in temperatures and global climate patterns have caused increased extreme weather events locally and across California and beyond. In San Diego county specifically, climate change has resulted in a hotter and drier climate, more frequent and intense wildfires, droughts, and a rising sea level.

The unincorporated area has experienced how susceptible it is to the ongoing impacts of climate change and associated natural disasters such as the 2003 Cedar Fire, 2021 drought emergency, and increased incidence of extreme heat events in recent years. These natural disasters contribute to existing vulnerabilities like personal health risk and reduced water availability and create new ones such as damage to transportation infrastructure for our unincorporated communities.

The County’s Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) includes measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help mitigate climate change. Through its implementation, the CAP will create co-benefits that reduce wildfire risk, increase energy reliability, and conserve water, thereby helping to make unincorporated areas of the county more adaptive and resilient to the impacts of climate change.

How To Get Involved

Natural disasters can create emergency situations for communities around the region. To help residents prepare for emergency response situations, our team will be speaking at upcoming public trainings for County Fire Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to provide information on the impacts of climate change and how the public can make small changes in their everyday life to mitigate its impacts.

CERT trainings are for volunteers from across San Diego County Fire’s jurisdiction who will assist in basic disaster response for future emergencies. In recent years, San Diego CERT volunteers have aided in several wildfires by conducting welfare checks, distributing supplies, and performing disaster recovery operations. An upcoming three-part training series is scheduled for the month of February. Trainings are open to the public and pre-registration is required. If you are interested in attending, contact Teresa Greenhalgh by phone (619) 857-8050 or via email:Teresa.Greenhalgh@sdcounty.ca.gov.