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San Diego's Climate Change Plans
By Marlena Krcelich
January/February 2022
 Courtesy City of San Diego |
For years, SOHO has been actively working to expand the role that our organization, and the greater field of historic preservation, play in combating the changing climate. SOHO is encouraged to see the City of San Diego addressing the realities of climate change through two comprehensive documents: the Climate Action Plan and the Climate Resilient SD plan. Both aim to prepare everyone in managing and combatting our changing climate.
The Climate Action Plan outlines the primary objectives in decreasing the citywide impacts on the climate, with a main goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035. A mitigation-based approach to climate change, this plan was first issued in 2015, with the first revision recently released in November 2021. It leads the City's effort to create a more sustainable future, providing programs and policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate Resilient SD is an adaptation-based approach that addresses impacts from climate change-related hazards. This draft plan dates to mid-2021 and guides our communities in how to adapt to climate conditions and become more resilient to the changes we will inevitably face. Sea level rise, extreme heat, wildfire, and flooding are the main hazards San Diego is already experiencing, and the plan explains multiple strategies for tackling them. The City Council approved this plan on December 14, 2021 and it will be updated regularly.
Climate change is a harsh reality that we cannot ignore. SOHO understands that we all must be well informed about our city's vulnerability, take action to reduce our own impacts, and participate in updating these important plans. SOHO supports the City's work, and we are continuously making recommendations and advocating for policies that acknowledge the critical role that historic preservation plays in supporting climate resiliency and adaptation strategies. Our recommendations include drawing stronger connections between climate change and older buildings, prioritizing adaptive reuse, and identifying how the natural and built environments impact and support community identity, connectivity, and mental health in the face of climate change.
Stay tuned, as SOHO will keep you informed, and share how to participate in and support these essential mitigation and adaptation plans.
To learn more about the draft Climate Action Plan, go HERE. For more about Climate Resilient SD, and to submit comments, click HERE.
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