Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination

In Fairfax County, we are seeing more extreme heat days per year, on average.  In addition to extreme heat, our average annual temperatures are increasing. For more information on these data and our vulnerabilities, please see the Climate Projections Report and the Vulnerability and Risk Assessment. To learn what we are doing to become more resilient to extreme heat, please see the see the Resilient Fairfax plan.

In addition to increasing average temperatures, we have "Urban Heat Islands" in Fairfax County. Urban Heat Islands are areas that are significantly hotter than other areas. This map shows the real average land surface temperatures during the day for the summers of 2013-2020. The areas in red have hotter temperatures on the ground than the areas in blue.  During extreme heat events, people in our Urban Heat Islands may need the most help.  To see an interactive version of this map, please click this link.

The good news is that there is a lot we can do to become more resilient to extreme heat! Please see the “Take Action” section below for quick tips or see the Resilient Fairfax plan to learn more.

Fairfax County is experiencing "wetter" conditions (or more flooding) over time. Rainstorms in our area are becoming heavier or more intense. Intense rainfall leads to flooding because our stormwater systems are not designed to handle the intensity of rain we have recently been receiving. Many people assume they are only at risk of flooding if they live in a floodplain. However, did you know that most flooding issues in Fairfax County (97% of requests for help) are not in floodplains? Urban flooding is a more common issue in Fairfax County.  

This map shows a variety of flooding types in Fairfax County. Floodplains are shown in light orange. Areas with a high flood score are shown in dark blue. As can be seen in the map, there are many areas with a high flood score that are not in floodplains. 

Why does this matter? It is important for you to protect your home from flooding, even if you are not in an official floodplain. Learn about Flood Insurance and other ways to protect your home at this DPWES webpage. 

Over the past 40-50 years, extreme weather events and severe thunderstorms in Fairfax County have become more intense. This intensity is on track to continue increasing in the future, due to changes in temperature, humidity, and wind patterns. 

“Weirder” conditions also include erratic or unseasonal weather and unusual temperature fluctuations. 

Fairfax County Government maintains more than 500 buildings and 11 million square feet of building space. The county uses electricity and natural gas throughout its operations. Much of that energy use allows the county to heat and cool its facilities and power lights and equipment within them. Some of the county’s energy use helps ensure adequate nighttime lighting on streets and ball fields. Other energy uses are less visible but just as essential, such as wastewater pumping and treatment. 

NOTE: This county energy data page requires Microsoft Edge or Chrome.

EVENTS

The Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination periodically hosts educational or outreach events for Fairfax County residents, businesses, or other stakeholders. Below please find approved promotional materials in connection with upcoming events. 

There are currently no events to promote. Please check back for updates.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The OEEC periodically makes major announcements about new offerings, programs, or initiatives from the county or our partners. Many announcements or campaigns are time bound and end-dates for promotional activities are noted as appropriate below. Please use the content provided in the sections below as written.

CONTENT AND RESOURCES

The OEEC produces lots of interesting content to help inform and educate the Fairfax County community on important environmental issues. Please use the content provided in the sections below as written. This content will be updated periodically.

Carbon Neutrality by 2050

The overarching, long-term target goal of CECAP is for the Fairfax County community to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, with 87 percent of the necessary emission reductions coming from local sources and actions, as opposed to the purchase of carbon offsets.

For the purposes of CECAP, carbon neutrality means achieving net zero emissions by balancing greenhouse gases released in our community with an equivalent amount reduced or offset using carbon credits.

Interim Target Year Goals

On the way to realizing carbon neutrality, the CECAP Working Group set two interim target year goals for the community:

• Fairfax County will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
• Fairfax County will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2040.

The interim goals are all about keeping us on track and helping the community to benchmark our progress on the way to carbon neutrality by 2050. The 2030 interim goal aligns with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) findings regarding the importance of keeping global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The 2040 interim goal aligns with our 2050 carbon neutrality goal. All three of the target year goals are illustrated in the graph below, which is also available on page 28 of the final CECAP report.

Sector-Specific Goals

In addition to target year goals, the Working Group selected a series of sector-specific goals to further guide the actions of the community as we work toward carbon neutrality. The goals are listed below.

• All new, eligible buildings in the county will have a commitment to green building.
• Retrofit at least 100,000 housing units with energy efficiency measures by 2030.
• Increase transit and non-motorized commuting to 30 percent (including teleworking) by 2030.
• Increase plug-in electric hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles to at least 15 percent of all light-duty vehicle registrations by 2030.
• Expand the tree canopy to 60 percent with a minimum of 40 percent tree canopy coverage in every census block by 2030 and a minimum of 50 percent tree canopy coverage in every census block by 2050, prioritizing areas of highest socioeconomic need first.
• Achieve zero waste by 2040, defined as at least 90 percent waste diverted from landfill/incineration, in alignment with the definition by the Zero Waste International Alliance.

Each of the sector-specific goals addresses an area where we can make a real impact on our local greenhouse gas emissions. The two top sources of greenhouse gases in Fairfax County are energy use in buildings, both residential and commercial (49 percent of all emissions), and transportation, like cars and trucks on our roads (44 percent of all emissions). It's no wonder four of the six sector-specific goals relate to these two areas of focus.