To address environmental justice and social equity, the City of San Diego uses the term “climate equity,” which incorporates both concepts. 

San Diego’s Climate Equity Index was developed in 2019, and revised in 2021, to measure the levels of access to opportunity residents have within a census tract and assess the degree of potential impacts of climate change on these areas.

The City also brought together an informal Climate Equity Working Group to provide feedback and guidance on developing the Climate Equity Index. From their feedback, the City recognizes that areas with very low, low, and moderate access to opportunity face the largest barriers and should be prioritized. The Climate Equity Working Group identifies these areas as Communities of Concern. 

For a detailed map of each indicator and data, follow this link to a more detailed map. 

Climate Equity Index Scores

Working with community-based organizations, the City has defined climate equity as efforts addressing historical inequities suffered by people of color, allowing everyone to fairly share the same benefits and burdens from climate solutions and attain full and equal access to opportunities regardless of one’s background and identity. 

Climate Equity Working Group

The Climate Equity Working Group was brought together in 2019 to informally discuss best practices for incorporating climate equity into City policies and programs within the Sustainability and Mobility Department. The working group brings together local nonprofits, community-based organizations, and universities that serve or are located within a Community of Concern, as well as other organizations seeking to advance social equity or environmental justice throughout the region. All are welcome to attend the monthly meetings held every 3rd Wednesday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (PST).

Join this link to attend the virtual meetings: https://sandiego.zoomgov.com/j/1606849247  

Working Group Participants

As the working group is an informal body, participation is open to anyone who wishes to attend the meeting that would like to focus on climate equity and environmental justice. Members can request time on the agenda using the agenda request section below.

Meetings Calendar

Agenda Item Request

You may submit Agenda Item Requests using this section. For requested agenda items, Sustainability and Mobility staff may request a 30-minute briefing to discuss your item and better understand your equity component and objective for the discussion with the working group. All items before the Climate Equity Working Group should pertain to policies or programs that seek to incorporate equity or are tied to the City’s Climate Action Plan. For any questions, please contact sustainability@sandiego.gov.