San Diego Climate Week 2025
Call to Action - Immediate Action for the Tijuana River
October 1 – 8, 2025
San Diego Climate Week’s community partners, representing various sectors, have committed to identifying and promoting a unifying Call to Action each year from Oct.1 – 8th. This call invites thousands of local residents attending Climate Week events to create an immediate impact on San Diego’s climate future.
The 2025 Call to Action focuses on the most pressing environmental issue in our binational region: extreme ongoing pollution of the Tijuana River watershed and calls for immediate federal, state, and local action to protect and restore community and ecosystem health.
We envision a region where collective climate action is led by shared knowledge, environmental justice, and meaningful collaboration. San Diego Climate Week strives to be a catalyst of equitable solutions by uplifting local leadership, supporting science-based approaches, and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate in shaping a climate-resilient and inclusive future.
USE YOUR VOICE
Urge government leaders to act now. Communities’ health depends on action, not promises.
- Federal: Demand a binational agreement on wastewater treatment infrastructure and sustainable funding that is accountable and timely. Expand treatment capacity at the South Bay International Waste Water Treatment Plant, upgrade Punta Bandera, and improve Tijuana sewage infrastructure building connections to facilities for smugglers gulch, calm the river at Saturn blvd to decrease toxins entering the air through the man-made falls by January 2026. Ensure appropriated funds are used as intended.
- State: Implement Proposition 4 with San Diego’s fair share. Direct at least $46 million to reduce hydrogen sulfide air pollution and establish a dedicated team at the Regional Water Quality Control Board to address the crisis.
- Sign the petition to Make Polluters Pay led by Youth 4 Climate 350 in the state of California. Learn more here.
- Local: Ensure free air purifiers are distributed and expand health screening programs in impacted neighborhoods. Support full County funding for the five-point plan to address pollution.
Call or Email Your Elected Officials
Make your voice heard on climate action. Contact your representatives today.
CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR
Small choices add up to big change.
Reduce use of toxic chemicals. Household products, pesticides, and fertilizers end up polluting someone’s river.
Cut down on single-use plastics. Every piece thrown away risks entering waterways and oceans.
Choose sustainable alternatives whenever possible. Support local farms, refill stations, and circular economy businesses.
BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR
Volunteer, donate, and stand with your community.Together, our collective impact creates the climate-resilient, just, and thriving region we all deserve. San Diego Climate Week has 16 nonprofit partners working on the frontlines of climate, land, water, and justice. Support them by donating your time, talent, or resources.
Our 2025 partners include
Ways to get involved
- Volunteer for clean-ups, restoration projects, or community outreach.
- Donate directly to nonprofits advancing climate justice and water protection.
- Invite friends and neighbors to join San Diego Climate Week events and actions.
- Sign up for free Climate Action Counts Promise, you’ll join thousands of Californians uniting to protect our air, water, and future. Get updates on tree plantings, volunteer events, and opportunities to lead in your community
Core gases (measured directly in the valley air)
- Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)
- Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
- Hydrogen cyanide (HCN – low levels, questionable)
- Methane (CH₄)
- Ammonia (NH₃)
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
- Methyl mercaptan (CH₃SH) and other reduced sulfur compounds
Airborne organic pollutants (detected in sea-spray aerosols tied to the river)
- Benzoylecgonine (cocaine metabolite)
- Methamphetamine
- Amphetamine
- MDMA (Ecstasy metabolite, very low levels)
- Octinoxate (UV filter from sunscreens)
- Oxybenzone (another sunscreen chemical)
- Dibenzylamine (tire chemical)
- N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET, insect repellent)
- Parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben, etc. from cosmetics)
- Caffeine
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
- Ibuprofen
- Naproxen
- Sulfamethoxazole (antibiotic)
- Trimethoprim (antibiotic)
- Carbamazepine (anti-epileptic drug, wastewater tracer)
- Atenolol (blood pressure medication)
- Diclofenac (NSAID)
- Fluoxetine (antidepressant, Prozac)
- Multiple plasticizers (e.g. phthalates such as DEHP, DBP)
- Fragrance compounds (e.g. galaxolide, tonalide – synthetic musks)
Chemicals documented in the Tijuana River water (non-gaseous pollutants)
Heavy Metals
- Lead (Pb)
- Arsenic (As)
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Mercury (Hg)
- Chromium (Cr)
- Nickel (Ni)
- Copper (Cu)
- Zinc (Zn)
Nutrients
- Nitrates (NO₃⁻)
- Nitrites (NO₂⁻)
- Ammonium (NH₄⁺)
- Phosphates (PO₄³⁻)
Industrial & Urban Chemicals
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
- Pesticides (DDT, organophosphates, pyrethroids)
- Herbicides (atrazine, glyphosate traces)
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs – e.g., benzene, toluene, chloroform)
- Surfactants and detergents
Pathogens & Biological Contaminants
- E. coli
- Enterococcus
- Salmonella
- Hepatitis A virus
- Protozoa (e.g., Giardia, Cryptosporidium)
Other Emerging Contaminants
- Pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, painkillers, hormones)
- Microplastics
- Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs, from personal care products and plastics)
Airborne Gases / Sewer-Gas Type
| Contaminant | Short-Term Effects | Long-Term Effects | Vulnerable Populations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)
|
Eye/nose/throat irritation, cough, headache, dizziness, nausea; very high exposures → loss of consciousness, death
|
Chronic headaches, chronic cough, neurologic symptoms (balance, memory) |
Children, people with asthma/lung disease, pregnant people |
|
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) |
Throat/airway irritation, bronchospasm; high levels → chest tightness, breathing difficulty
|
Worsens respiratory disease, decreased lung function
|
People with asthma, COPD, children, elderly
|
|
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) |
Headache, weakness, dizziness, confusion, respiratory distress; can be life-threatening
|
Neurologic symptoms, weakness, GI complaints
|
Children, people with asthma/lung disease, pregnant people
|
|
Ammonia (NH₃) |
Eye/nose/throat irritation, coughing, burns at high concentrations; pulmonary edema
|
Repeated airway irritation, possible chronic respiratory problems
|
People with lung disease, children |
|
Methyl mercaptan and other mercaptans |
Foul odors, eye/nose/throat irritation, cough, headache, dizziness; high exposures → respiratory impairment, pulmonary edema
|
Possible chronic respiratory and neurologic effects
|
People with respiratory disease, children
|
|
Methane (CH₄) / Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
|
Methane displaces oxygen at high levels; CO₂ causes headache, dizziness, loss of consciousness
|
Mostly low risk; chronic low-level exposure concern in confined spaces
|
People in low-lying or enclosed areas |
|
Other VOCs / semi-volatile organics
|
Irritation (eyes, nose, throat), headache, nausea; may exacerbate asthma |
Compound-specific: liver/kidney damage, endocrine disruption, reproductive effects, some cancers
|
Children, people with respiratory disease, pregnant people
|
Waterborne Chemicals
| Contaminant | Short-Term Effects | Long-Term Effects | Vulnerable Populations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pathogens (E. coli, Enterococcus, Salmonella, Norovirus, Cryptosporidium)
|
Gastrointestinal illness, skin/ear/eye infections, sometimes respiratory symptoms
|
Usually self-limited; severe infections can cause hospitalization or complications
|
Children, pregnant people, elderly, immunocompromised
|
|
Lead (Pb) |
GI distress, neurologic symptoms
|
Neurodevelopmental damage in children, kidney damage, hypertension; irreversible effects
|
Fetuses, infants, children
|
|
Arsenic (As) |
GI upset, vomiting at high doses
|
Carcinogen (lung, skin, bladder), cardiovascular disease, skin changes, neurologic effects
|
General population with chronic exposure
|
|
Mercury, Cadmium, Chromium, Other heavy metals
|
GI, neurologic, or renal effects at high doses
|
Kidney damage, neurologic deficits, developmental problems, some carcinogenic effects
|
Pregnant people, children
|
|
Pharmaceuticals, Antibiotics, Endocrine Disruptors, Plasticizers (e.g., phthalates)
|
Usually rare acute symptoms (depends on compound)
|
Antibiotic resistance, endocrine disruption, reproductive effects, chronic organ damage
|
Children, pregnant people, immunocompromised individuals
|
Call Script / Email Template:
“Hello, my name is [NAME], and I am a San Diego resident concerned about the Tijuana River pollution crisis. I urge you to ensure immediate federal, state, and local action including funding, oversight, and timelines to stop sewage from polluting our air and water. Communities cannot wait any longer for promises. Our health and environment depend on urgent action. Thank you.”