Virginia Accomplishments since the 2008 Climate Action Plan Release
Prepared by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic at William and Mary School of Law, this report offers an assessment of Virginia’s climate mitigation and adaptation progress since the release of its first Climate Action Plan in 2008. The report analyzes that plan and two subsequent adaptation focused reports, finding that a lack of coordination has lead to “disjointed” efforts, and offers recommendations for more streamlined climate action moving forward.
The 2008 Plan, prepared by the Governor’s Commission on Climate Change, evaluates Virginia’s role in decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and establishes some adaptation goals where there are co-benefits to mitigation. Adaptation, however, is the primary focus of the 2013 report to the General Assembly on Recurrent Flooding in Tidewater Virginia and the subsequent 2014 recurring flooding report.
The three state guidance documents identify many similar needs for adaptation progress in Virginia, and this analysis suggests that these areas of consensus be used as a starting place for the Climate Change and Resiliency Commission’s work. The report offers the following six “Action Options” or recommendations:
- Identify “a single entity” to lead the Commonwealth’s climate change related work
- Require climate impact review at a state level
- Support local governments by developing clear guidance on both authority and liability as related to climate adaptation
- Ensure there are financial resources available to fund these efforts
- Build off of existing information to ensure that relevant data is collected to better understand future changes and the anticipated costs of adaptation
- Carry out effective climate outreach that informs the public of government actions and policies
The 2008 Climate Action Plan addressed climate adaptation in Recommendation 14: Virginia state agencies and local governments will prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change that cannot be prevented. Many programs are described that have been implemented to ensure Virginia’s climate adaptation and resilience progress, such as developing living shoreline restoration projects, the Virginia Flood Risk Information System, local government sea level rise planning, and more.
The document concludes with appendices that include relevant executive orders (Appendix 5), updated greenhouse gas inventories (Appendix 7), and descriptions of organizations currently working on climate adaptation in coastal Virginia (Appendix 6). The report also includes case studies featuring states that have been successful in forming a coordinating body to facilitate climate adaptation work as potential examples for the Commonwealth to consider (Appendix 9a).
Publication Date: December 2014
Related Organizations:
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
- College of William and Mary
Related Resources:
Resource Category:
Resource Types:
- Policy analysis/recommendations
- Progress report
States Affected:
