Category: GEORGIA_KEY

You might be surprised to learn that Georgia is a leader in solar energy. The state ranks 9th in the nation for solar energy generation and receives about 3.49 percent of its electricity from solar power — enough to power nearly 360,000 homes. Solar power in Georgia has far more benefits than just environmental ones. There are nearly 200 solar companies in the state, creating more than 4,400 jobs.

Georgia is located at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains and has the largest land area of any state east of the Mississippi River. Elevations in the state increase from sea level along Georgia’s short Atlantic Coast to almost 5,000 feet in the mountains. Between the mountains and the sea are the rolling hills of the Piedmont region and Georgia’s broad coastal plains.

The searchable Energy Storage Legislation Database displays information in interactive maps and charts, tracking state activity from 2017 to the present.

The National Conference of State Legislatures tracks environment and natural resources bills that have been introduced in the 50 states, territories and Washington, D.C.

The First Street Foundation Flood Model represents the culmination of decades of research and development made possible by building upon existing knowledge and frameworks regularly referenced in the identification of flood risk.

Between 2017 and 2019, Georgia experienced four tropical cyclones, six severe storms, one winter storm, and one freeze. The damages of each event led to losses of at least $1 billion.

Georgia is vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding, coastal storms and increasing temperatures which threaten the state’s agriculture and energy industries as well as human health

In the coming decades the state of Georgia will face larger and larger challenges due to climate change. With continuing business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions, by 2100 the average temperature across the state will increase by over 7 degrees Fahrenheit. Even with reduced emissions the average temperature across the state will still increase by 3 degrees Fahrenheit. Georgia’s changing climate will result in increased mortality, agricultural losses, damage from coastal storms, and crime rates. It will also produce more severe storms, lengthier droughts and greater volatility between periods of high and low temperatures and high and low precipitation.

The Georgia Initiative for Climate and Society brings together expertise from disciplines throughout the University of Georgia to share research on how our state will be affected by climate change.

To stimulate conversation and share innovative solutions, the conference engaged experts and leaders from a sweeping range of perspectives. That included elected officials from both sides of the political aisle, state employees and mayors, public health researchers, university students and farmers, representatives from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and state-wide industries, and those focused on work ranging from environmental justice to natural resource management.