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Climate Planning
Climate Action Update - July 2024
Charlottesville City Council adopted the city's community Climate Action Plan (CAP) in January of 2023. The CAP promises annual updates on progress towards meeting our City's climate goals. Office of Sustainability Climate Program staff were pleased to deliver the first climate action update in July 2024. The update included:
- A presentation to City Council
- The updated 2022 Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- The FY2025 Climate Program Workplan
- A narrative report
- Launch of Charlottesville's new Climate and Sustainability Action Dashboard
Get more information about Charlottesville's Community Climate Action Plan!
View the Full Climate Action Plan (PDF)
View the Summary Climate Action Plan (PDF)
Watch a video overview of the Climate Action Plan
About the Plan
The Plan provides a framework for how the Charlottesville community can work together to achieve our emissions reduction goals of 45% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. It explains where emissions in the City come from and presents strategies and actions that can be taken to reduce them.
The plan is intended to be applicable to the whole community, not just municipal government operations. As we move into Plan implementation, we encourage community members to stay in touch via our Climate Action News Flashes.
Adopting the Climate Action Plan as part of the Comprehensive Plan
On October 3, 2022 the City's Climate Program staff presented the Charlottesville Climate Action Plan at a City Council work session (view the agenda memo and the work session video recording).
As part of moving the Climate Action Plan forward, City staff met with City boards and commissions, discussed next steps with various City departments and divisions, and continued to seek feedback and involvement from the community. These discussions informed some adjustments to the Plan document, which have been incorporated in the November 2022 version.
On Dec. 13, 2022, at a joint meeting of the Charlottesville Planning Commission and City Council, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the Charlottesville Climate Action Plan as an amendment to the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This is an important step as the Climate Action Plan goes next to City Council to be voted on for adoption at a later date. View the Planning Commission meeting recording
On January 17, 2023, City Council formally adopted the Climate Action Plan as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan (view the agenda memo and work session video recording).
Stay Updated!
Sign up via Notify Me to receive Climate Action News Flash notices when updates on Climate Action and Climate Program events are available. Select Climate Action in the list under "News Flash". Also, you can contact staff directly via our contact form.
Background
Developing a Climate Action Plan and a Climate Adaptation Plan
Developing a climate action plan for greenhouse gas reductions and a climate resiliency/adaptation plan are part of the City's Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy commitment:
Planning Timelines
A Climate Action Plan for Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Community engagement to develop a Climate Action Plan was planned to begin in the Spring of 2020. Engagement activities were delayed due to the coronavirus response. Some engagement activities began in 2020-21 and resumed in early Spring 2022. Charlottesville's Climate Action Plan was presented to City Council at their Oct. 3, 2022 work session and after a period of public comment was formally adopted as an amendment to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Plan on January 17, 2023.
A Climate Adaptation Plan to prepare for the effects of a changing climate: The City began the first two steps of the Climate Adaptation Plan process in Fall 2021 - Fall 2022. Charlottesville's top climate hazards have been identified and the Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment process is in process . The adaptation plan development will build upon these first two steps and will begin in 2023.
Materials and Information about the Planning Processes
More detailed information about each of the planning processes - including community engagement opportunities, informational resources, summary memos, and links to event and presentation recordings- are in the tabs below. These tabs will be updated as the two processes move forward.
Charlottesville's Climate Action Plan
Using a multi-layered approach to gather input from community members, organizations, stakeholders, and City staff, development of the Climate Action Plan began in Fall 2020/Winter 2021 and resumed in Spring 2022. The plan builds upon past work of the City’s Climate Program and provides a strategic framework to guide City and community actions to achieve our greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals of 45% by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
The Plan provides contextual and background information about GHG emissions in Charlottesville and identifies emissions reduction strategies for both community activities and municipal operations. More specifics are addressed within each area, including buildings and energy, transportation, and waste, among others. Each section presents strategies to guide the focus of actions as well as key actions to be taken within the next 3 to 5 years to keep Charlottesville on the path to our emissions reduction goals.
View Charlottesville's Climate Action Plan (PDF)
Community Engagement
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 involving a climate action liaison committee, core topic teams, open community discussion and input opportunities, and small group stakeholder engagement sessions. This structure aimed to leverage technical expertise, local knowledge, existing partnerships, and support within the community and is being adjusted to reflect the new timeline and City Council direction.
Engagement Opportunities
City Council Meeting - Vote to Adopt the Climate Action Plan as an Amendment to the Comprehensive Plan
The Climate Action Plan adopted as an amendment to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Plan on January 17, 2023. The first reading occurred on January 3, 2023.
Public Hearing - December 13, 2022
The process of adopting Charlottesville's Climate Action Plan as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan began with a public hearing at a joint meeting of the Charlottesville City Council and Planning Commission (Dec. 13, 2022).
October to November 2022
The Climate Action Plan was first presented to City Council on October 3, 2022. Following Council's direction to bring the plan forward as a proposed amendment to the City's Comprehensive Plan, the Climate Protection Program invited community members and organizations to share feedback on the CAP document and ideas for how they want to be a part of moving climate action forward in Charlottesville, with input requested by Nov. 9, 2022. Comments were received via a contact form on the City's website, through direct emails, verbal comments from members of City boards and commissions, and in-person at one of the four drop-in sessions hosted by City staff (two virtual on Zoom and two in-person at City Space).
August 2022 Events
Listening Sessions - August 4 and August 10, 2022
Two Listening Sessions in August provide an intentional space for voices in our community who are not traditionally involved in climate conversations. We invite all individuals to attend, as well as representatives from organizations whose work prioritizes marginalized communities, specifically those most impacted by climate change. The goal of these Listening Sessions is to gain input from underrepresented groups on the potential impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) reducing actions.Community Town Hall/Workshop - August 17, 2022
During this virtual Community GHG Reduction Town Hall Workshop, the City of Charlottesville encourages all community members to provide input on developing our potential GHG reduction priorities.
Community Survey - Open April 20 to May 20, 2022
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.
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.
Climate Liaison Committee Meetings - 1st meeting June 2021 & Ongoing
The Climate Liaison Committee is comprised of City management and regional government/institutional planning partners. Responding to the City Council Resolution for regional coordination as part of the Climate Action Plan, this committee offers ongoing regional perspective and awareness of climate activities and discussions as the Climate Action Plan is underdevelopment. It helps to both inform the Climate Action Plan and keep regional partners aware of how the City's climate plan is progressing.
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
- Facilitated Community Stakeholder Discussions (by topic focus) - November & December 2020
Cville100 (Climate-focused Community Organizations) - process/topic scoping focus
Environmental and Climate Community Organizations
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Service Providers + Property Managers