Throughout 2020, the state engaged residents and businesses to develop the Climate Action Plan. It will include strategies to address the consequences of climate change — ways the state can maximize our resilience to the impacts we are seeing today, and which are expected to get worse. Learn more.

Greenhouse gases, (GHGs) are vapors in the atmosphere that trap heat around the earth (such as carbon dioxide). When we use fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to power our homes, businesses and vehicles, we release even more GHGs into the atmosphere. Humans have released a significant amount of GHGs since the mid-1800s, and this has led to rising temperatures and other changes in our earth and climate.

How Does Climate Change Affect Delaware?

Climate change looks different depending on where you are in the world. In Delaware, climate change primarily takes the form of increasing temperatures, more frequent intense storms (including heavy precipitation), and sea level rise. Check out the Causes and Consequences Overview for a look at some of the ways climate change affects our state. More information is available in the Delaware Climate Change Impact Assessment at de.gov/climatechange.

Based on a 2019 survey supervised by the University of Delaware, most Delawareans support taking action to address both the causes and consequences of climate change. Check out the 2019 Survey Infographic for a summary of the survey results.

You can also visit de.gov/climatesurvey for a full report of results.

Delaware can prepare for climate change by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and maximizing resilience to climate change impacts.

Minimizing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions drive the climate change we see today. Check out the fact sheet and infographic for an overview of potential actions Delaware could take to minimize emissions.

Technical Report and Executive Summary

DNREC partnered with consultants to analyze what Delaware’s greenhouse gas emissions could look like over the next three decades. The technical analysis considered two scenarios:

1. Delaware takes no new actions to minimize emissions (i.e., business-as-usual), and
2. Delaware implements new and expanded strategies to minimize emissions.

To see the results of this technical analysis, check out the Executive Summary and Full Report.