Cost Effectiveness and Disproportionate Cost Analysis of the County of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan

PIC analyzed San Diego County’s Climate Action Plan’s cost effectiveness and disproportionate cost analysis, helped with plan evaluation and provided context on what the repercussions of its implementation might be for disinvested communities. The plan was adopted in Sept. 2024.

San Diego County retained the Policy & Innovation Center to analyze the effects of its Climate Action Plan (CAP) from three distinct perspectives: 1) the disinvested communities in the unincorporated area, 2) San Diego County (local government), and 3) society in general, which was divided into businesses and residents.

PIC’s analyses provided tools for the decision-makers (San Diego County board of supervisors) to determine if an investment in the CAP would be sound – that is, if the benefits of the CAP actions were greater, equal to, or less than the costs. The analysis also helped measure the costs for businesses and residents to comply with mandatory actions.

Lastly, PIC measured the impacts of CAP implementation on communities in the County’s unincorporated area. This allowed the County to be proactive and develop strategies to lessen the plan’s negative impacts, while highlighting job creation and health and energy savings in these communities.

The County’s Board of Supervisors adopted the 2024 Climate Action Plan in September 2024, which includes 70 actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero emissions by 2045 in the unincorporated areas and at county facilities.