>> Climate change
is happening now creating
>> intense natural hazards like severe storms, extreme heat,
and flooding.
>> Just like the rest of the, the world. We are seeing the
effects of climate change. Just like the rest of the world
we are seeing the effects of climate change here in Fairfax
County. We are working on both sides of climate change,
both the cause related to the greenhouse gas emissions,
and then how we better prepare for the changing climate
through the Resilient Fairfax plan. Resilient Fairfax is the
county's climate adaptation resilience plan. And the county
is already seeing effects of climate change. We're
experiencing severe storms, extreme heat,
and those events damage our infrastructure, our property,
affect our services, and the natural systems overall,
and
we're seeing them more frequent, and they have tens of
millions of dollars of impacts when they occur.
>> When talking about climate change and the effects on the
county, it s important to understand the difference in
weather and climate.
Weather refers to the conditions we experience
day-to-day, such as individual storms or daily temperatures.
Climate refers to weather trends averaged over 20 years
or longer.
>> So for the majority of Fairfax County history,
our climate has been relatively stable and predictable.
In recent decades, our climate here has gotten measurably
warmer, wetter, and weirder.
>> In the warmer category, we are seeing higher average
annual temperatures and more extreme heat days.
Currently, we see on average 7 days per year that are hotter
than 95 degrees. That number is expected to jump to
approximately 37 extreme heat days per year by 2050.
>> In the wetter category, we're seeing an increase in the
intensity of our rainstorms. So rather than having gentle
rain that's spread over multiple days, we have very
heavy rain, followed by no rain, followed by very heavy
rain again.
And the reason that causes flooding is because our storm
water systems are not designed to hold that volume of water
all at once. And then we also have coastal flooding along the
Potomac River.
>> In the weirder category, we are seeing more chaotic
weather, unseasonal temperature swings, and changes in the
intensity and frequency of severe storms. These changes
are projected to continue, which is creating serious risks
and costly challenges for Fairfax County s residents,
infrastructure, and its public services.
>> The increase in these climate hazards have a direct
impact on our services. Whether it's our first responders in
emergency response, as well as all the agencies that support
them during an event.
>> When we have more frequent flooding that causes damage to
our homes, our roads, and our parks. When we have more
frequent, severe storms, that causes physical damage to our
buildings and our infrastructure. It puts our
populations at physical risk.
The good news is that there is a lot we can do to enhance the
resilience of our community.
>> The Resilient Fairfax Plan includes 48 strategies to guide
the county through the climate crisis. This plan was created
through a remarkable collaboration of over 20 county
agencies, along with dozens of community representatives,
organizations, infrastructure managers, utilities, and the
general public. Strategy categories include Integrated
Action Planning to ensure we are working together across
county government to align plans and policies that will
help us reach our climate goals and enhance our resilience.
Climate Ready Communities that are well-connected, safe,
and prepared to respond and recover from climate hazards.
Resilient Infrastructure and Buildings that can withstand
climate impacts, keep residents safe, and reduce service
disruptions. And Adaptive Environments that are protected
and restored to naturally absorb floodwater and reduce
heat.
Boosting our climate resilience enhances our quality of life,
public services, natural resources, infrastructure
strength, and social connectivity. Together, we can
create a more resilient, connected, equitable, and
prosperous Fairfax County.
Fairfax County s Office of Environmental and Energy
Coordination will be releasing guidance and education on how
residents can take action in Resilient Fairfax.
For more information and to learn more about the plan,
visit fairfaxcounty.gov and search Resilient Fairfax.