Richmond among the most climate-anxious cities in U.S.
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Richmonders have some of the highest levels of climate anxiety in the country. But about two hours away, Buchanan County residents are among the least worried about the climate nationwide, per recent estimates.
Why it matters: Despite extreme heat and flooding increasingly becoming Virginia's greatest climate threats, attitudes toward the issue vary depending on where you live.
The big picture: There are higher stress levels about climate change in coastal communities and large cities, according to data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
- That tracks with the top 10 Virginia localities with the greatest climate anxiety, which are mostly cities in NoVa, with the exceptions of Richmond, Petersburg, Charlottesville and Hampton.
- Meanwhile, the 10 Virginia localities with the lowest climate stress are all rural counties in southwest Virginia.
The intrigue: 74% of adults in the most-anxious Virginia localities were "somewhat" or "very" worried about climate change.
- In the least-anxious localities, that was 45%.
- The national average: 63%.
Between the lines: Individual attitudes about climate change aren't primarily based on local risk, with politics and other factors playing major roles.
- Many of the areas with lower climate anxiety are vulnerable to extreme weather that's been amplified by climate change, like flooding and hurricanes.
What we're watching: Statewide, winter and fall are getting warmer, risk of flooding is getting higher, and summer — which starts next month — is increasingly bringing extreme heat waves.