Climate change is here, and it poses many risks to the built and natural environment in San Mateo County. The County is home to diverse neighborhoods, beaches, parks, trails, airports, seaports, and numerous renowned high-tech companies and businesses.  

We value this area and all that it has to offer, which is why the County is actively preparing for climate risks such as rising temperatures and heatwaves, wildfires, extreme storms, landslides, sea level rise, flooding and coastal erosion.  

While the changing climate poses many risks to the people and places in San Mateo County, together we can take steps to adapt and protect our people and our valuable resources. 

Climate Ready SMC is an initiative led by the County’s Office of Sustainability to help communities address climate impacts now and in the future. Climate Ready uses a variety of strategies to understand and plan for climate risks including fostering collaboration through webinars and convenings, modeling climate impacts; providing technical assistance, partnership, and funding for resiliency projects; and investing in culturally competent community engagement.  

In 2019, the Climate Ready SMC Initiative launched a study to understand how climate change impacts could affect transportation systems and vulnerable communities in the county. Funded by CalTrans and led by the Office of Sustainability, the study evaluated extreme heat, wildfire, and sea level rise impacts.  

The project led to the creation of a County-wide Climate Ready SMC Collaborative, localized modeling of climate impacts, policy tools, and pilot city-level adaptation planning projects. Outreach materials were also developed such as a wildfire factsheet and two extreme heat factsheets; focused on public health and transportation.

The Climate Ready SMC Collaborative began in 2019 with the goal of bringing together leaders from across sectors, jurisdictions and communities to foster collaboration and find solutions to make San Mateo County more resilient to climate impacts. 

Collaborative Convenings

In 2019, Climate Ready hosted six convenings to learn together about key climate risks for San Mateo County and identify solutions. View event recording. 

To learn more about Climate Ready activities, sign up for our newsletter.

Visit Sea Change and One Shoreline for more about sea level rise and flooding. 

Pollution, such as carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels, is warming our planet at an unprecedented rate and causing Earth’s climate to change in ways that are harmful to people and the environment. In San Mateo County, climate change could lead to: