This document is Charleston County's first Greenhouse Gas Inventory which provides greenhouse gas emissions data for the entire County, County government, and separate data about municipalities within the County. This inventory will be used as a starting point for planning and implementing actions to reduce these emissions. This report includes data for calendar year 2018 and 2020 in order to compare emissions from one business-as-usual year and one year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn more about greenhouse gas emissions, visit the Greenhouse Gas Emissions page.
On March 10, 2021, Charleston County Council adopted a resolution that encourages the development and implementation of an equity-centered, community-based, integrated climate action plan.
Per the Resilience Element of the Charleston County Comprehensive Plan, adopted by County Council on March 10, 2020, the Chief Resilience Officer was tasked to seek funding for an All-Hazards Vulnerability and Risk Assessment. Charleston County was awarded a BRIC grant to fund phase one of this assessment. This vulnerability study is a huge step for resiliency in the county, and this assessment will be used as the "source" or starting point for data for all other resilience initiatives as the County works to prioritize "what to do now" and "what to do next".
Charleston County, along with the Chief Resilience Officer, and a consultant will perform a quantified assessment following the nationally recognized "Steps to Resilience" framework from the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. This assessment furthers the County of Charleston's mission by providing a foundation for the County to make informed decisions today and in the future. The City of Charleston had completed their assessment in 2020, and the information for our assessment is based on investments previously made by the City of Charleston. As this assessment moves forward, we will be sharing our progress in phases.