This page is about the changing climate & great energy transition in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Students in Charleston create and update its content. See City Editors.
1.0 How climate change is impacting Charleston
2.0 Charleston city leaders + the climate
3.0 Climate organizations in Charleston
4.0 Students in Charleston are climate leaders
5.0 Charleston politicians + the climate
6.0 Charleston’s local energy transition
7.0 Charleston’s faith community + climate
1.0 How the climate is changing and impacting Charleston
Charleston’s climate is becoming more like the gulf coast of Florida
If carbon emissions continue as they are now, Charleston’s climate in 2080 will be as warm and as wet as the gulf coast of Florida is in the 2020s. That area is 2˚F warmer in winter and 16% wetter than summer in Charleston.
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Charleston will flood six months of the year
Charleston is in South Carolina’s “Low Country,” a region of wetlands, marshy islands, and creeks. The city itself is built at the confluence of three rivers. Sea levels are expected to rise two to three feet over the next 50 years, and adapting to these changes will cost over $2 billion.
In the mid 1960s, the high tide in Charleston flooded city streets five times each year. In 2019 the city flooded 89 times. Over the next couple decades, without at least $2 billion (in 2020 dollars) in infrastructure improvements, Charleston will be under water for half the year.
Current: Q4 2022
“Charleston, SC Becomes First City in U.S. South to Sue Big Oil for Climate Costs”. EcoWatch. 2020-09-11.
2.0 Charleston city leaders are getting ahead of the climate with new infrastructure – like a great big sea wall
Charleston’s Mayor Tecklenburg is well aware of what’s going on with the climate
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The City of Charleston vs. Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell, and others for damages to city infrastructure because of climate change
The City of Charleston, South Carolina made history In September 2020 when it became the first in the U.S. South to sue the fossil fuel industry for damages caused by the climate. Charleston sued 24 oil and pipeline companies, saying the companies knew their products were heating the global climate – but denied the fact in public. Mayor John Tecklenburg says the City wants compensation for the costs of protecting Charleston from increased flooding and extreme weather. As of early 2022, the case is pending.
Current: Q4 2022
“Charleston, SC Becomes First City in U.S. South to Sue Big Oil for Climate Costs”. EcoWatch. 2020-09-11.
City of Charleston Climate Action Plan
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City of Charleston decarbonization project
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City of Charleston adaptation project
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3.0 Students in Charleston leading the way on climate
College of Charleston
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Charleston Southern University
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4.0 Climate organizations in Charleston
Sunrise Movement
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Citizen’s Climate Lobby
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5.0 Charleston politicians + the climate
Senator x
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Representative x
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6.0 Progress on Charleston’s local energy transition
Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations
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Charleston’s local carbon monster
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Solar and Wind Farms serving Charleston
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7.0 Charleston’s faith community + climate change
Interfaith Power and Light
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United Methodist Church
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