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Impacts of Climate Change on Redwood City
<br />Redwood City is one of the most vulnerable cities in California to sea level rise. With 3.3 feet of sea level rise, 59%
<br />(8,308 of the City's 14,043 land acres) of the City's land would be vulnerable to flooding. This area currently houses
<br />21,000 people, contains 568 commercial parcels, and nearly has $9 billion in assessed value. From the Port of
<br />Redwood City, to Oracle, to Kaiser Permanente, it is imperative for the City to plan for and try to prevent this
<br />cataclysmic damage. Most of this endangered acreage was historically natural wetlands. While a sizable portion of
<br />wetlands have been preserved, notably Bair Island, the low-lying areas are vulnerable to sea level rise and
<br />enhanced flooding.
<br />Redwood City is not alone in its vulnerability to sea level rise. A coalition of local governments, public agencies,
<br />non-profit organizations, and private companies have partnered with San Mateo County's Office of Sustainability to
<br />launch the Sea Change SMC initiative. Redwood City is more likely to successfully adapt to sea level rise in this
<br />coalition because any realistic solution will need cross -jurisdictional cooperation. Sea Change SMC has already
<br />completed a countywide Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment, which projected scenarios for Redwood City. In
<br />2019, as a result of the Sea Change convenings, the cities and County of San Mateo came together and formed a
<br />Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District to address sea level rise, flooding, coastal erosion, and large-scale
<br />storm water infrastructure improvements through integrated regional planning, investment, and project
<br />implementation. To address the risk of sea level rise, and other climate change impacts, this Plan proposes that the
<br />City develop a vulnerability assessment and a Climate Adaptation Plan consistent with the specific actions identified
<br />in Appendix G: increasing public awareness; assessing vulnerability; establishing goals, criteria, and planning
<br />principles; developing an Adaptation Plan, and conducting ongoing monitoring and adaptive management.
<br />Increased Fire Risk
<br />Fire risk is a reflection of accumulation of wood or fuels in a forest
<br />combined with changes in the length and frequency of the fire season
<br />due to warmer climate, changing precipitation, lower humidity, higher
<br />winds, and soil drying from droughts. Fire suppression in the area has
<br />increased as fuel reserves have built up in unmanaged forests and
<br />woodlands. While wildfires in San Mateo County have not historically
<br />been extensive, recent models of wildfire risk and climate change show
<br />hotspots in the middle of the county.
<br />Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, intensity, and
<br />duration of wildfire events impacting San Mateo County. Wildfires can
<br />claim lives, destroy property, force mass evacuations, and expose large
<br />populations to unhealthy levels of smoke for days to weeks at a time.
<br />Between 1995 and 2030, the model projects an increased risk of wildfire
<br />in San Mateo County from nine to 13.4 percent. In addition, by 2070, the
<br />projected burn area nearly doubles to 25 percent. Simulations of large
<br />wildfires using statistical models developed for the Fourth California State
<br />Climate Assessment29 show that the probability of a large fire—which
<br />burns more than 1,000 acres – in San Mateo County increases rapidly
<br />with a warming climate, with an eight -fold increase in the probability of a
<br />large wildfire by 2070. By 2070, the chance that large wildfires or those
<br />over 1,000 acres will occur increases to 4 percent per year.
<br />Figure 6 shows the areas that are most at risk of wildfire in the future.
<br />The "average percent burned area" is the percentage of a designated
<br />area that is projected to burn over two 30 -year periods centered around
<br />2030 and 2070.
<br />Impact of Wildfires and Poor Air
<br />Quality on People
<br />a
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<br />Most Californians are not aware of
<br />recent statistics that suggest that
<br />California is home to the worst air quality
<br />in the nation, with over 90 percent of
<br />Californians breathing unhealthy air.
<br />According to the California air resources
<br />board, unhealthy levels of ozone (smog)
<br />and particulate matter annually
<br />contribute to 19,000 premature deaths
<br />and 9,400 hospital admissions for
<br />respiratory and cardiovascular disease.
<br />Wildfires exacerbate the air quality
<br />problems, causing temporary large
<br />increases in outdoor airborne particles,
<br />and substantial increases in gaseous air
<br />pollutants such as carbon monoxide.
<br />Socially vulnerable residents may be
<br />more affected by wildfires if they have
<br />existing health issues, less access to
<br />social services and internet, and fewer
<br />economic resources to respond.
<br />City of Redwood City Climate Action Plan 28
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