This climate action planning brief was prepared for The Piedmont Environmental Council Albemarle County board and represents insights provided by a variety of resource specialists. The goal of the paper is to provide context for climate change in Albemarle County, as well as to establish a common vocabulary and highlight specific strategic areas, such as forest and farms, with potential to inspire successful adaptation strategies. View the briefing paper →

Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes.
-IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, 2021

Climate action planning at any level must start with community will and individuals and leaders who understand the gravity of our current situation. In the past, PEC has successfully built grassroots support for land conservation and smart land use planning. Now, we have an urgent and growing need, as well as opportunity, to build community-level understanding about how climate change will directly affect the farms, forests, water bodies and everyday lives of people in the Piedmont. Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and the University of Virginia each have a unique opportunity to rise to the challenge.