Climate Change

Carbon offsets are efforts by individuals or businesses to counterbalance their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (most often from burning fossil fuels for industrial manufacturing or transportation) by reducing or removing GHGs elsewhere. Types of carbon offsets are reforestation and direct air capture
and storage of carbon dioxide. Check out the Short Guide to learn why carbon offsets don’t always help mitigate climate change.

Read the Short Guide on Carbon Offsets.

Data centers are high tech warehouses full of the servers that hold the data and processing power used for every transaction, social media page, and typical website action. Seventy percent of worldwide internet traffic flows through Virginia every day. Learn more about the impact of these data centers through the Short Guide.

Read the Short Guide on Data Centers.

The world’s food system is responsible for 25-30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the cause of global warming. Key sources of these food system emissions include deforestation, livestock, and food waste. Learn what steps you can take to reduce that footprint by reading the Short Guide.

Read the Short Guide on Food Production, Consumption, and Waste.

The biggest cause of global warming, BY FAR, is the burning of fossil fuels for electricity,
transportation, heating, and manufacturing. This combustion releases carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. The most common fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas (which is mostly composed of
methane). Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels make up 81% of net carbon dioxide
emissions globally, according to En-ROADS, a global climate simulator. Learn what we can do to shift from fossil fuels to clean energy by reading the Short Guide. 

Read the Short Guide on Fossil Fuel and Utility Companies.

Government at all levels has significant authority to regulate the use of fossil fuels, the primary driver of climate change, and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

State and federal agencies have the authority to establish statewide and national long-term policies, regulations, and funding incentives to decarbonize. They also have the authority to regulate industries and utilities to prevent pollution, including the emission of greenhouse gases. Local governments have the authority to adopt municipal plans and policies to address climate change. They also have permitting authority for fossil fuel and renewable energy projects in their municipality or county. Learn more about what we can do to create change by reading the Short Guide.

Read the Short Guide on Government Action.

Yes! Many homes use fossil fuels for heating, cooling, cooking, and electricity, which releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. These gases absorb the sun’s heat, acting like a blanket on the Earth, causing climate change. Read the Short Guide to learn about what you can do to save energy.

Read the Short Guide on Home Energy Use.

Ocean acidification is when oceans absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the
atmosphere and become too acidic. The leading human activities that release CO2 into the
atmosphere are burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Oceans absorb about 30% of this
CO2, which dissolves into the water and forms carbonic acid, lowering the pH and making
ocean water more acidic. Read the Short Guide to learn why ocean acidification is bad for our environment.

Read the Short Guide on Ocean Acidification.

Plastic is a major contributor to climate change. This is because petrochemicals derived from
fossil fuels are used to make 99% of all plastic. The more plastic we make, the higher the demand for
natural gas, oil, and even coal—the fossil fuels driving climate change. If plastic use were a country, it
would be the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Plastic produces greenhouse gas
emissions throughout its lifecycle from extraction and transport to production to waste management
(disposal and recycling). Read the Short Guide to learn what you can do to limit plastic use. 

Read the Short Guide on Plastic.

The use of energy makes up 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is these emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane that are causing global warming. We use energy in all sectors of society: our homes; all other private and public buildings; transportation; industry; and agriculture. Read the Short Guide to learn about how you can support renewable energy initiatives. 

Read the Short Guide on Renewable Energy.

Global average air and ocean temperatures are markedly increasing. This is due to the rapid
buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from human activity, particularly the burning of fossil
fuels. There are three primary causes of sea level rise:

• Thermal Expansion. Warmer ocean water expands (called “thermal expansion”), leading to higher
  sea levels.
  
  
• Melting Ice Sheets. Higher temperatures are causing large sheets of land ice to melt in places like
  Antarctica and Greenland. This meltwater flows into the oceans, adding to the total volume of
  water.
  
  
• Storm Surge. The more severe storms that are forming over oceans as a result of warmer
  temperatures are also causing sea level rise on an episodic basis. This is because of “storm surge,”
  which is the rise in sea level during a storm due to the storm’s strong winds pushing water onshore.

Read the Short Guide on Sea Level Rise to learn more.

A big source of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is gas-powered transportation. Gasoline is produced by refining oil, a fossil fuel. When gasoline is burned in an internal combustion engine it emits CO2, a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases absorb the sun’s heat, acting as a heat-trapping blanket on the Earth. Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the primary driver of the rapid and unprecedented global warming that is occurring.

The U.S. contributes by far the most transportation-related CO2 emissions globally—over one-fifth! In Virginia, transportation is responsible for over half of all CO2 emissions in the state and Virginia is in the top ten states in terms of transportation-related emissions (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2024). Read the Short Guide to learn more about what you can do to decrease reliance on gas-powered transportation. 

Read the Short Guide on Transportation.

Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide (a key cause of global warming) from the air and store it. The question of how much depends on many factors, like a tree’s age. According to U.S. EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, on average a 10-year-old tree in an urban area sequesters 36 pounds of
carbon per year or 0.06 metric ton CO2 per tree per year. Read the Short Guide to learn how to support biodiversity and CO2 reduction in your area. 

Read the Short Guide on Trees & Plants.