Water is overflowing. Families and cars are washed away. Debris from houses floats away as you watch. 

This is the reality of climate change in San Luis Obispo. 

Estero Bay News reported that in 2023, multiple homes in Los Osos were damaged from the aftermath of a successive set of storms, tearing apart the community. This is only a snippet of the damage done by climate change. 

In 2024, The Washington Post found that the Madre Fire burned over 52,000 acres of land, evacuating over 200 people. For San Luis Obispo, the smoke was damaging, causing unhealthy air quality. Because of this increase in drier winds and hotter summers, people will start to see more wildfires break out. 

Even students at Cuesta College are noticing more severe weather patterns. When 40 students were surveyed and asked about recent fires, smoke and flooding, 62% of students said they noticed more recent extreme weather patterns. In general, when Cuesta students were asked about climate change, 42% said they felt anxiety thinking about the idea. 

Cuesta students have the right to be anxious because they live in an area most susceptible to rising sea levels. According to the California Ocean Protection Council, for the Central Coast region, including communities in SLO County, some climate assessments estimate sea level will rise between 1.2 and 2.8 feet by 2100, though more extreme outcomes remain possible. That’s only 75 years in the future.

These increases may seem gradual, but when combined with storms and king tides, they significantly increase risks of flooding, cliff erosion, and saltwater intrusion, risks that many coastal students and residents may soon face.

Environmental impacts on the Central Coast aren’t abstract; they shape the daily lives of students who commute, work, and study across San Luis Obispo County. According to Cuesta College environmental science professor Steven Hendricks, the Central Coast’s vulnerability is driven largely by “the coast and sea-level rise along with winter storm impacts.” 

While sea-level rise itself is slow, and measured in millimeters each year, it compounds with stronger storm systems and king tides, setting up future risks for low-lying communities such as Cayucos, Morro Bay, Los Osos and Avila Beach. “Maybe not in 10 years, but in 20 or 30, we’ll see more flooding and damage for sure,” he explained. 

The professor also noted that while climate change can’t always be tied 100% to specific disasters, it increases the likelihood and severity of extreme events. He pointed to the major flooding in Los Osos in 2023, where stalled storm systems caused creeks to overflow, washed cars off roadways and even led to fatalities. Campus operations were directly affected during that event, leading to dangerous road conditions, highlighting how students are already experiencing climate-driven disruptions to education and mobility.

When asked how today’s students feel about climate change, the professor described a significant shift over the past decade. Nearly all students now accept the scientific consensus that climate change is real and human-influenced, but he sees “less anxiety and more apathy. Students understand it’s a major problem, but many feel powerless,” he said. “They think it’s a huge issue they individually can’t do anything about.”

Despite a growing awareness, students aren’t putting forth their best efforts to stay sustainable and be progressive about helping climate issues. Out of 40 responses, 35% said they only partially live sustainably, from doing activities like consuming less, recycling, eating organic foods, and shopping second-hand. So the next question is: what can be done better?

In the same survey, 40 Cuesta students answered what they would like to see SLO County do better in response to climate issues. They mentioned resolutions like expanding awareness, adding fees to businesses harming the environment, investing in better transportation for students and the general population, as well as shopping at local farmers’ markets. It’s obvious that students are thinking about the future, and ways to improve.

But students aren’t the only ones noticing these changes. Local organizations working directly in natural spaces have seen the effects of a warming climate unfold in real time. ECOSLO, a nonprofit focused on environmental restoration in the community, says the Central Coast is already facing a “variety of risks from climate change, including extreme heat, a generally drier climate, increases in extreme weather events, and sea-level rise,” according to the organization’s newly joined sustainability coordinator, Nia James Starr, who joined the team in August 2025. Before coming to San Luis Obispo, Starr spent 15 years in New York City, where she pursued passions in environmental stewardship. Now she’s bringing that passion to the Central Coast.

Even as a new leader, she has stepped into an organization responding more frequently to climate-linked challenges across the county. ECOSLO’s restoration and tree-planting programs, many done alongside student and young-adult volunteers, are already being shaped by these shifts. Through partnerships with the City of San Luis Obispo, ECOSLO has helped plant trees through the Keys for Trees initiative, focusing on “right tree, right place” selections that support urban cooling and long-term local resilience. 

At Johnson Ranch Open Space, volunteers have planted 120 native species in the creek bed to help restore the habitat, with plans to plant 240 more over the next two years. These efforts, she explained, are small but necessary steps in helping the region adapt to rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and drier landscapes that heighten wildfire and erosion risks. 

And students are deeply tied to this work. According to ECOSLO, climate anxiety and climate motivation are two of the most common themes young volunteers bring up. Many care deeply, but aren’t sure where to direct their energy. Nia believes students have “a significant role in building climate resilience,” especially through advocacy and by using digital platforms to spread awareness about local environmental issues.

While many students say they feel uncertain about their ability to make a difference, their daily decisions, how they consume, commute, and engage locally, show that climate action often happens in small, repeated ways rather than one sweeping solution.