San Diego
Decarbonization requires a larger workforce, higher technology integration skills
Approximately 24,000 annual job openings indicate solid economic growth. Environmental and Equity progress requires advances in workforce development to decarbonize communities and create economic mobility for their residents.
Our Process:
Three-Part Data Analysis
TESC cultivates regional collaboratives that prioritize workforce initiatives to drive the triple bottom line of Economy, Environment, and Equity
Economy
Stark contrast defines the economies of San Diego and Imperial counties
Continued growth in markets such as solar, wind, energy efficiency, storage, and electric vehicles has elevated San Diego County as a leader in the climate action and smart cities movements.
- ranks #2 in the nation for solar installations, with more than 303 megawatts of installed solar capacity – enough to power the equivalent of nearly 76,000 homes.
- ranks #8 in the nation for clean power production, with more than 51 million kilowatt-hours annually.
- San Diego’s Smart City Solutions was named one of the world’s top 10 smart city projects.
- San Diego’s clean energy industry benefits from the support of regional business association Cleantech San Diego, which fosters collaboration across the private-public-academic landscape, lead advocacy efforts to promote cleantech priorities, and encouages investment in the San Diego region
- the Southern California Energy Innovation Network (SCEIN) is a free program for startups in Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties that are developing solutions to help California meet its energy goals. Funded by the California Energy Commission and led by Cleantech San Diego, SCEIN partners with New Energy Nexus to help regional energy entrepreneurs compete for CalSEED funds.
- ranks as the #4 metro area in the nation for cleantech leadership
- 17 of the 18 cities in San Diego County have Climate Action Plans
The Imperial Valley has largely defied attempts to expand its economy beyond seasonal farming and government work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest five-year estimate, Imperial County’s unemployment rate stands at 16% — four times greater than the state’s overall jobless rate of 4.2%.
Environment
Innovative workforce solutions for environmental opportunities and challenges are essential to achieve decarbonization at scale for impacted communities
The San Diego Region has significant capital and technological resources to help address the clean energy and pollution challenge. Workforce capacity and competence continues to be a major issue, one that’s created the need for action by TESC and its collaborators.
By 2050, scientists predict San Diego will have seven times as many extreme heat days per year as the pre-2000 historical average, from 2 days to 15 days.
According to the Economic Resilience: Health study, the potential productivity and financial loss includes:
- 65,000 production hours lost in heat-exposed industries
- 17 percent increase in commercial sector spending on electricity due to increased A/C usage
- As much as $9.4 million in additional employee medical costs annually due to extreme heat
An unfortunate aspect of this projection is that negative environmental impact is likely to be concentrated in seven zip codes currently in the highest quartile of poor environmental quality.
Equity
Poor environmental quality is strongly correlated with economic disadvantage, indicating regional responsibility for social equity in addition to environmental justice.
Tackling climate change has created an opportunity for San Diego to do well for our environment while also boosting our economy. Strategies of the Climate Action Plan are intended to promote job creation through capital improvements and corresponding research, development and innovation. These jobs are primarily in high-growth “green job” or “clean tech” with corresponding well-paying wages.
A natural synergy exists between climate action and social equity. Equity is fundamental for inclusive economic growth and development because our region and economy improves when everyone does better. When a San Diegan with a low or moderate income has better access to affordable transportation or lower utility bills, the money they save can be dedicated to other necessities. Climate Action Plan strategies intended to reduce resource consumption (e.g., energy efficiency measures) can save money for individuals, families and businesses.
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