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Climate Action Planning
OPEN THROUGH MAY 20, 2022!
Two climate surveys - one for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and one for assessing climate vulnerabilities!
The City’s Climate Protection Program has TWO surveys for community input to inform its climate action plan for greenhouse gas emissions reductions and its climate vulnerability assessment.
- Survey #1: The Climate Action Survey will inform strategies and actions for the City's Climate Action Plan, aimed at achieving Charlottesville's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals of a 45% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
- Survey #2: Charlottesville's Climate Vulnerabilities Survey aims to identify the anticipated level of impact and adaptability of key community systems in response to the top climate change hazards for our area. Results from this survey will be used to inform community workshops in June, which will be the final community engagement step in developing a Climate Vulnerability Assessment. The Climate Vulnerability Assessment is a key milestone in developing a Climate Adaptation Plan.
New Resource: Climate Action Fact Sheets
Five fact sheets were developed in support of the City's Climate Action Planning process. They aim to provide an introduction to commonly discussed climate action strategies, concepts, and technologies and to serve as a resource for community members who may be newer to this topic and are interested to learn more.
Fact Sheet 1 - Build Right, Build for the Future
Fact Sheet 2 - Funding Climate Action
Fact Sheet 3 - The Fuel Switching Landscape
Fact Sheet 4 - Onsite Renewables
Fact Sheet 5 - Transportation
Stay Updated!
Sign up via Notify Me to receive notices when updates on Climate Action and Climate Action Planning events are available. Select Climate Action in the list under "News Flash".
Through joining the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the City of Charlottesville has committed to developing two types of Climate Action Plans: one targeting greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and one focused on preparing and adapting to a changing climate. Reflecting community comments over the last several years, these efforts are being led under the brand of Charlottesville Acting on Climate Together.
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City of Charlottesville Publishes Annual Energy and Water Performance Report
The City of Charlottesville realized reduced utility usage and spending during fiscal year 2021 primarily due to severely reduced building occupancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read on... -
Climate Action at City Council Work Session on Monday, April 18
The City's Climate Protection Program will be presenting an update and preliminary content for the City's Climate Action Plan at the City Council Work Session on Monday, April 18, 4:00 pm. Read on... -
Surveys Open for Climate Action Planning
Surveys to inform climate action planning - both greenhouse gas reductions and climate vulnerability - are open for community input until Friday, May 20, 2022. Read on... -
Charlottesville Initiates A Big Step Forward to Large Energy and Water Savings
The City of Charlottesville hires CMTA Energy Solutions to identify energy saving opportunities that support climate action. Read on... -
GHG Emissions Data Updated on the City Website
Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Inventories measure and track community-wide GHGs associated with activities within the City of Charlottesville's community. The City's website has been updated to make this data more accessible to the community. Read on... -
Summary Report from Community/Staff Forums Available - Climate Vulnerability Assessment Process
As part of the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Process, community members and staff considered vulnerabilities in Charlottesville's community systems. A summary report of this input is now available online. Read on... -
Urban Heat Island Mapping Data - Now Available!
Data and final report from the 2021 Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign is now available! Read on... -
Join us on Jan. 20 for a Climate Action Together Roundtable Discussion
Climate change, and its associated stress on our community, is upon us. Join the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia on January 20 for a roundtable discussion with local leaders in key affected community systems. Read on... -
Now Open: Online Input Form for Identifying Climate Vulnerabilities in Charlottesville
On Oct. 25th, Charlottesville hosted live virtual forums to identify climate vulnerabilities as the next step in its Climate Vulnerability Assessment process. An online recording and input form are now available for additional input to hear from you! Read on... -
Climate Vulnerability Assessment Process Kicking Off
The City is beginning the process to develop a Climate Vulnerability Assessment, a part of Adaptation Planning. Having prepared information on the climate hazards projected for Charlottesville, community input is needed to identify vulnerabilities. Read on... -
Call for Volunteers: Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign
Calling for Community Volunteers - Help Charlottesville collect data on urban heat as part of the 2021 NIHHIS-CAPA Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign! This project will support Charlottesville's climate action efforts around extreme heat vulnerabilities. Read on... -
Announcing: Community Workshop - Dec 14 and Dec 15
The City of Charlottesville is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) aimed to achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals. Community engagement is a critical part of this process. Join us for the first community workshop! Read on... -
Charlottesville Adopted New GHG Reduction Goals
On July 1, 2019, City of Charlottesville's City Council adopted new greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals informed by community input and the challenge posed by climate change, including the recent IPCC report. The new goals aim to achieve a 45% reduction Read on... -
Draft GHG Goals Open for Public Comment
At City Council's May 6, 2019 meeting, a compilation of community comments and input were presented along with draft greenhouse gas reduction goals. Community input was used to inform support for this level of commitment and to begin informing direction Read on... -
Charlottesville Recommits to Climate Action
City Council passed a resolution on June 19, 2017 as its "Response to the Announced US Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement". The resolution indicates continued commitment on behalf of Charlottesville to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and Read on...
Developing a Climate Action Plan and a Climate Adaptation Plan
Following the adoption of a greenhouse gas reduction target on July 1, 2019, the City of Charlottesville will develop a climate action plan for greenhouse gas reductions followed by a climate hazard risk assessment and climate resiliency/adaptation planning process. These efforts support the City's Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy commitment:
City Council Direction for the Climate Action Plan
City Council passed resolutions on May 6, 2019 (PDF) and July 1, 2019 (PDF) directing that the Climate Action Plan be developed pursuant to the adopted reduction goal and include the following aspects:
- Front Load Reductions - pursue steeper reductions in the near term
- Identify of Sub-Goals by Sector and by Strategy in the Climate Action Plan
- Address Equity Specifically in Goals and the Climate Action Plan
- Identify Measurement Frequency and Accountability Mechanisms
- Address Funding and Financing Options to Enable and Support Private Sector Action
Additional Strategies
Additionally, the Climate Action Plan will include, but not be limited to, strategies that address:
- Further enabling private financial sector investment in energy performance upgrades for commercial properties in the City of Charlottesville through adoption of a commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) financing program; and
- Effective funding programs and models for increased residential energy performance, including programs that are compatible with affordable housing and owner or renter-occupied housing; and
- The feasibility of integrating zero emission vehicles into the municipal fleet and supporting increased community adoption of zero emission vehicles; and
- Working in conjunction with regional partners to implement seamless programs and services to increase ease of participation for Charlottesville organizations and residents.
Timeline
The City of Charlottesville committed to developing a Climate Action Plan as part of its Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy commitment in 2017. Community engagement to develop a Climate Action Plan was planned to begin in the Spring of 2020. Formal engagement activities were delayed due to the coronavirus response with some activities beginning in the winter of 2020-21 and are still ongoing.
The City began the first two steps of the Climate Adaptation Plan process in Fall 2021. Charlottesville's top climate hazards have been identified and the Climate Vulnerability Assessment process is ongoing, expected to conclude by September 2022. The adaptation plan development will build upon these first two steps.
The City of Charlottesville has committed to developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) aimed to achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals of 45% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The structure for the CAP will borrow from a strategic plan framework in order to prioritize actions to meet the 2030 goal and position Charlottesville to achieve its 2050 goal.
Community engagement is a critical part of the CAP process, although delays have now put it on a fast-tracked timeline to restart engagement and complete the plan development in 2022. The City had adopted a multi-layer engagement approach, which is being adjusted to the new timeline and City Council direction, involving a climate action liaison committee, core topic teams, open community discussion and input opportunities, and small group stakeholder engagement sessions. This structure aims to leverage technical expertise, local knowledge, existing partnerships, and support within the community.
The climate action plan development will be informed by concurrent layers of community engagement:
- Virtual meetings and online questionnaires - open to the public
- Climate Action Liaison Committee - City management and regional planning partners
- Core Topic Teams - City staff, institutional partners, and members of the public that serve on City boards/committees/commissions
- Equity workshop and workgroup
- Small group stakeholder discussions on specific areas of expertise, experience, or perspective
- Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Properties
- Environmental and Climate
- Businesses
- Funding and Financing
Public Events
City Council Work Session - April 18, 2022 (4:00PM)
Staff presented an update on the Climate Action Plan development progress and preliminary plan content. The presentation and Council discussion can be viewed online at the City's charlottesville.gov/streaming webpage.
Equity in Climate Action - February 8, 2021
The City of Charlottesville has committed to including Equity as part of its Climate Action Plan and has partnered with the University of Virginia’s Institute for Engagement & Negotiation (IEN) to conduct this important conversation on equity for the City’s Climate Action Plan. This conversation around equity will be an integral part of the overarching discussions for all the community engagement efforts. In addition, we hope a separate continuous group will form to assist the City through the longer-term planning process.
We would like to have a diversity of community voices contribute to the conversation about how to ensure that the City’s Climate Action Plan represents our goals for climate equity. In addition to direct invitations that have been sent out, community members are invited to participate in this first important Equity in Climate Action conversation for the City of Charlottesville.
Community Workshop (Virtual & Recorded) - December 14 and 15, 2020
Watch the Workshop Recording (the December 14th session)
Provide feedback and responses via the Post-Workshop Input Form
Description
As the first workshop in support of the City developing a Climate Action Plan, this workshop includes an introduction to Charlottesville's greenhouse gas (GHG) emission sources, examples of climate action strategies from other communities, some high-level example scenarios for meeting Charlottesville's GHG emission reduction targets, as well as an overview of the Climate Action Plan development process.
Workshop Recording & Schedule
To help increase community access, the workshop was offered twice with a recording and links to feedback materials posted here after the event.
The workshop was divided into four 30-minute sections, each including opportunity for questions and answers. Community members can "tune in" live or on the recording to specific segments:
- 00:00 - 00:30 Introduction and Overview of the Plan Development Process, Charlottesville's Emissions, and Example Climate Action Strategies
- 00:30 - 01:00 Stationary Sources of Emissions (Buildings' Energy Use - Residential, Commercial)
- 01:00 - 01:30 Renewable Energy
- 01:30 - 02:00 Transportation
Adaptation Planning & the Climate Vulnerability Assessment
The first steps in developing a climate adaptation plan are to identify the projected climate hazards that Charlottesville will experience and to identify vulnerabilities in the community to the top climate hazards. Combined, these steps will produce a Climate Vulnerability Assessment. The City of Charlottesville is supported by ICELI - Local Governments for Sustainability USA in this effort.
The Climate Vulnerability Assessment will assess potential impacts from climate change and identify priorities for adaptation. To understand which sectors, assets, and populations might be particularly vulnerable to those changes, we are relying on the knowledge and experience of government staff and the greater community. We highly encourage you to be a part of this conversation. See below for opportunities to get involved!
Community Involvement Opportunities
Future Community Engagement Opportunities
- April 20 - May 20, 2022: Online Community Survey
- June 2022: Community & Staff Workshops to Identify Specific Priorities for Adaptation
- Summer 2022: Vulnerability Assessment Results Memo - Available for Public Comment
- Late Summer 2022: Finalize and Publish Vulnerability Assessment Report
- Summer/Fall 2022: Climate Adaptation Planning Process Scoping
Materials Library
Climate Hazards for Charlottesville, VA
We have reviewed the best available climate models, which tell us how the frequency, duration, and intensity of climate-related hazards might change over time in Charlottesville.
- Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Assessment Process Overview - Video Recording (~30 min.)
- Climate Hazards for Charlottesville, VA - Summary Memo (PDF)
Identifying Community Vulnerabilities
Charlottesville is likely to see significant change in seasonal patterns, as well as an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (precipitation, flooding, and extreme heat). What sectors, assets, and populations in Charlottesville do you think are most vulnerable to these changes and hazards?
- Recorded Community Forum Presentation (~20 min.)
- Online Form (now closed) - After watching the Forum recording, provide your responses to the Forum Discussion Questions
- Summary Report from the Community and Staff Forums and online form
Climate Action Together: A Roundtable Discussion About Local Implications of Climate Change on Our
Community's Health, Safety, and Ecology
January 20, 5PM-7PM
Video Recording Link - YouTube
Climate change is upon us in the form of increasingly extreme weather events, changing seasons, and the associated stress on community systems. Join the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the University of Virginia for an inside look into the thinking and decision-making of leaders in key systems (ecology, social services, public health, public safety) in our community. This event is for everyone who wants to know more about how climate change will affect our community. Full event description.
Questions?
Contact us using the Climate Vulnerability Assessment Contact Form.
Stay Updated!
Sign up via Notify Me to receive notices when updates on Climate Action and Climate Action Planning events are available. Select Climate Action in the list under "News Flash".