Climate change is a global issue. Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to changes in weather systems, temperatures, ocean currents and more across the planet.
That means climate change is a local issue, too. Richmonders have to adapt to more dangerously hot days and increasingly torrential downpours that threaten property and water quality. How will we keep our neighbors cool? What will we do to reduce runoff pollution?
How to adapt isn’t the only question facing Richmonders, though. We also have to ask how we’re going to manage our impacts — reducing climate-warming emissions from vehicles, buildings and one of the nation’s largest municipal natural gas distribution systems, along with reducing pollution from the city’s century-old sewer system.
According to Damian Pitt, associate director of policy and community engagement for the VCU Institute for Sustainable Energy and Environment, most power to address climate change lies at the federal and state level. What’s more, the next city administration will run up against Virginia’s status as a Dillon Rule state — where local governments only have the lawmaking powers expressly given to them by the state government.
“I think that the city of Richmond Office of Sustainability and some other like-minded localities across the state would be more than happy to push for implementing stricter energy efficiency standards in the local building code and other types of initiatives,” Pitt said.
But that doesn’t mean the city’s hands — or the next mayor’s — are tied. The Office of Sustainability and other city departments are in the process of implementing RVAGreen 2050, a climate planning process that seeks to reduce carbon emissions 45% by 2030. That’s two years after the end of the next mayoral term.
One area where the city has a lot of influence is securing federal funding for projects to reduce emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. The federal government has earmarked billions of dollars in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for use on climate-related projects.
Pitt said local governments have a role in securing grants for their own projects, as well as helping local organizations and residents get grants and rebates for their own climate upgrades. That’s a role the Office of Sustainability has taken up since its creation in 2022. The city’s budget office currently employs a climate and sustainability grant writer, and the sustainability office has several employees who engage with residents, nonprofits and businesses.
City leadership can also work with Richmond’s representatives in the House of Delegates and state Senate to push for policy changes.
The city started a commercial property assessed clean energy program, or C-PACE, in 2023, allowing property owners to finance clean energy investments on commercial properties.
“It exists in Virginia only in the commercial sector, but really makes much more sense in the residential sector,” Pitt said. “So one thing to do would be to try to work with local legislative delegations to change some of those rules to enable residential PACE programs.”
The city has been engaging with state lawmakers and Gov. Glenn Youngkin to set aside more state funding for the $650 million sewer overflow reduction project it’s on the hook for. Those requests have been lowballed or gone unfulfilled in recent years, leaving a big chunk of change to account for; earlier this year, Mayor Levar Stoney said the city needed to bring in $500 million from the state and federal governments by 2029.
“Where localities really have the most direct influence over energy use and climate change, is in their sort of classic land use and transportation planning functions,” Pitt said.
He pointed to the Richmond 300 master plan, a long-term planning document that calls for walkable neighborhoods, better public transit and strategic growth along a transit network. To do that, the next administration will have to work closely with the Department of Public Works.
“Richmond is not unique in this fact that you have an agency that's in charge with our infrastructure that is run according to sort of classic engineering principles and mindsets, which often butts up against some of the concerns around pedestrian safety as well as environmental concerns,” Pitt said.
He pointed to the designs recently unveiled in the Mayo Bridge replacement project, which drew criticism from cyclist and pedestrian safety advocates. Survey responses on the project show a desire to emphasize accessibility — 86% of respondents said improving bike-pedestrian safety should be the biggest traffic consideration.
The next mayor and round of councilors will also inherit an expanding Greater Richmond Transportation Company bus system. Overseeing the growth of that system requires planning within the city, as well as with Henrico and Chesterfield County.
In response to a VPM News questionnaire, each of the five candidates looking to succeed Stoney as mayor expressed commitments to certain climate policies.
Each of the candidates said they’d support the Office of Sustainability and implementation of the city’s Climate Equity Action Plan. Former state Social Services Commissioner Danny Avula said he’d elevate the director of that office to his cabinet.
“Not only would I seek to advance the great work already underway, but I would work to marshal additional local, state and federal resources and further empower the remarkable community leaders and organizations that have been at the forefront of our city’s response,” Avula wrote. “I‘ve had the opportunity to hear from over a dozen stakeholders concerned with climate change and environmental equity issues, and if elected I will remain in close dialogue with them.”
Community organizer Maurice Neblett also emphasized his commitment to climate planning from the ground up.
“I believe we must also remain flexible and open to new, innovative approaches that meet the evolving needs of our residents. Richmond needs a climate strategy that listens to the community, especially those most impacted by climate challenges, so no one is left behind as we move forward,” Neblett wrote.
The candidates also agreed that addressing climate change would be a priority of their administrations because they see the connections it has to other issues.
“The climate crisis will exacerbate existing social inequities stemming from redlining, urban renewal, industrial zoning, and chronic disinvestment. It is not separate from the social determinants of health that determine the quality of life or life expectancy of a person — housing, health care, education, environment and economic security,” wrote Andreas Addison, current 1st District councilor.
“Addressing climate change within city government requires a comprehensive and strategic approach, balancing immediate and long-term needs. Our strategy will integrate climate goals and resilience measures into all city policies, including zoning laws, building codes, transportation planning, and housing development,” wrote former city council president Michelle Mosby.
“So much of the work that needs to be done to address the causes and mitigating the effects of climate change intersects or is intertwined with a range of other public policy priorities that the City must focus on to deliver for all Richmonders. This is true for the basic functions of city government, such as the delivery of core city services, as well as for the larger issues that we have to tackle as a city, including ensuring all Richmonders live in neighborhoods that are safe, healthy and thriving,” wrote nonprofit investor Harrison Roday.
Read the candidates’ full responses to the VPM News environmental questionnaire: Andreas Addison | Danny Avula | Michelle Mosby | Maurice Neblett | Harrison Roday
