Virginia Climate Restoration Initiative

About the Initiative

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are warming Virginia’s climate, bringing more extreme weather and accelerating sea-level rise along its coastline. Virginia’s legislature responded with the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2019, setting a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2050. Yet cutting emissions alone won’t get Virginia there. Carbon will remain in the atmosphere, and it must be actively removed. Each removal strategy has different downsides and benefits, for the state and for local communities. How can Virginia put the pieces together to form a comprehensive carbon dioxide removal plan that can be enacted statewide?

Launched in 2020 by the Environmental Institute, the Virginia Climate Restoration Initiative (VCRI) convenes members to consider and recommend ways Virginia can meet its net-zero targets while identifying economically profitable and sustainable new industries for Virginia.

The VCRI is focused specifically on carbon removal strategies, which are deliberate, large-scale efforts to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

Visit the new VCRI website at vcri.environment.virginia.edu.

The UVA Environmental Institute launched the VCRI in 2020. This interdisciplinary research team examines all aspects of CDR strategies (both nature-based and technological) across all counties to determine how Virginia can remove carbon from the atmosphere.

In Phase 1 of the project, the VCRI created a report confirming it is technically and economically feasible for Virginia to reach net-zero economy-wide CO2 emissions by 2050. The path requires decarbonizing electricity generation, electrifying transportation and buildings, and using zero-carbon fuels where needed. Virginia must also deploy technology and nature-based CDR strategies to close the remaining gap. The analysis found Virginia could even go beyond net-zero and achieve net-negative emissions by 2050.

Read the report.

In Phase 2 of the project, the VCRI created three publicly available models to assess whether these strategies are feasible at the local level. Going beyond technology and modelling, the researchers consider the social, legal, and economic implications of different removal strategies and whether they really can be a part of the path to net zero.

Use the tools.

The VCRI is administered by the Environmental Institute and funded in part by Jefferson Trust.

Learn More About VCRI

Go in Depth

Virginia’s Carbon Capture Potential: A Roadmap to Climate Restoration.

The Environmental Institute's Virginia Climate Restoration Initiative harnesses bottom-up data analysis to inform community action.

Learn More About VCRI