Today marks the release of the Record of Decision (ROD) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on a restoration project known as the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp (or Maurepas Diversion) that will serve as mitigation for the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain hurricane risk reduction levee project (WSLP). Read More
Growing Returns
Selected tag(s): resilience
A new way of partnering with the Corps leads to innovative wetland mitigation solutions and increased flood resilience.
Posted in Climate Resilience Also tagged Coasts, Coasts and Watersheds, wetlands Comments are closed
My perspectives on how we can inspire the next generation of Black climate leaders.
By Arianna Mackey, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Summer 2022 Intern
I became aware of my community’s lack of environmental awareness at a very young age. Growing up in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, my family and I visited the Nauticus museum often. One afternoon, after spending time in the flooding exhibit, I explained to my mom that due to increased flooding, Virginia Beach would be inhabitable in the future, with standing water reaching the front door following a storm. She brushed me off by saying it was an “over-exaggeration” and our community was fine. That encounter piqued my interest in environmentalism. Read More
Posted in Climate Resilience Also tagged climate change, coastal, coastal communities, Coasts, ecosystems, environmental justice, flood risk, virginia coast, virginia flooding, water quality Comments are closed
4 ways North Carolina’s Legislature can build lasting flood resilience
As North Carolina continues to recover from a string of flooding and storm disasters, legislative leaders have recognized the opportunity for the state to not just recover from recent storms but to rebuild better before the next disaster.
This week, Environmental Defense Fund released a white paper [PDF] recommending four specific policy actions that would better protect residents and businesses from more severe flooding, create jobs and increase climate resilience.
These four policies will also help the state better compete for federal funding, build capacity within communities and equitably align solutions for those who are disproportionately impacted by disasters. Read More
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Chief Resilience Officer, coastal protection, coastal restoration, ecosystems, extreme weather, flood risk, flooding, hurricanes, natural infrastructure, North Carolina Comments are closed
Farmers and environmentalists team up to push Congress to act on climate
Agricultural and environmental advocates have joined forces to push Congress to act on climate change. The new Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance developed more than 40 joint policy recommendations for making farms, ranches and forests more climate resilient, harnessing the power of natural climate solutions.
Environmental Defense Fund, American Farm Bureau Federation, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and National Farmers Union co-chair the alliance, and membership has expanded to include FMI-The Food Industry Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and The Nature Conservancy. Read More
Posted in Climate Resilience Also tagged agriculture, Climate, Congress, FACA, Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance, sustainable agriculture, USDA Comments are closed
3 takeaways from my testimony to Congress on climate-related financial risks to U.S. agriculture
Highlight: EDF’s Maggie Monast testified at a hearing of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, “Creating a Climate Resilient America: Strengthening the U.S. Financial System and Expanding Economic Opportunity.” Watch here.
It’s becoming impossible to ignore the risks that climate change poses to financial markets, including those that support U.S. agriculture.
Increased temperatures and more frequent droughts and extreme precipitation events threaten crop productivity across the nation. In 2020 alone, we have seen ample evidence of these impacts, including destructive storms in the Midwest, hurricanes along our coasts, and wildfires and smoke in the West.
These physical risks of climate change create risks to the U.S. financial system, which was the topic of last week’s hearing held by the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, entitled “Creating a Climate Resilient America: Strengthening the U.S. Financial System and Expanding Economic Opportunity.”
I testified to the committee on climate risks to the agriculture finance system — and opportunities to build resilience. Read More
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged agriculture, Congress, farm finance, risk, sustainable agriculture, testimony Comments are closed
How states can finance coastal resilience before the next disaster
As climate change drives more intense storms, hurricane-related costs in the United States have increased 1,100% since 1980, and the population of counties prone to hurricane damage has increased at least 22% faster than the overall U.S. population has grown.
State governments must prioritize rebuilding better and investing in climate resilience now to avoid the skyrocketing costs of future disasters. Every $1 invested to mitigate a disaster saves $6 in recovery. Read More
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Coasts, flood, hurricane, Hurricane Harvey, NC Secure Act, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia Comments are closed
From Louisiana to New York, coastal leaders come together to build climate resilience
As extreme weather takes a greater toll, states are creating a new government position to confront climate challenges and keep residents safe. Nearly one dozen states have hired Chief Resilience Officers (CROs) in various areas of government, including the governor’s office, state departments of environment or state departments of public safety.
These officers are charged with improving collaboration internally across government and externally with the public — and to have a coordinated approach to securing and spending federal disaster resources.
CROs are often working urgently to respond to previous disasters while also shaping forward-looking strategies to build a more resilient future for their state. With such a high-stress, high-stakes job, it’s essential that these leaders collaborate and learn from one another.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Chief Resilience Officer, Coasts, Hurricane Sandy, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia Comments are closed
New York just took a huge step toward funding lasting climate resilience
Earlier this year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented an ambitious challenge to the state Legislature: Pass a $3 billion bond to boost climate resilience and mitigate the impacts of sea level rise while preserving the state’s natural resources.
Last month, at the height of the coronavirus, the Legislature responded, passing a budget bill that included the Restore Mother Nature Bond Act.
The measure is expected to go to voters in the fall. If a majority approves the bond, it will put New York on a path to building lasting resilience, while also stimulating the economy, creating jobs and benefiting the state’s most vulnerable communities. Read More
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Andrew Cuomo, Coasts, Cuomo, flooding, hurricane, Mother Nature Bond Act, New York, Sandy, storms Comments are closed
What 2,000 years of traditional Hopi farming in the arid Southwest can teach about resilience
When Michael Kotutwa Johnson was 8 years old, he began spending much of his time on the Hopi reservation in Arizona with his grandfather, who taught him how to farm.
For more than 2,000 years, the Hopi have been farming without irrigation in an area of Arizona that receives less than 10 inches of rain a year.
“Hopi is a testament to doing a lot with a little,” Mike says. “A raindrop can raise a whole plant.”
Mike went on to study science and public policy in college and recently earned a Ph.D. in natural resource management at the University of Arizona. He is now living back on the Hopi reservation, farming and working as a research associate at the Native American Agricultural Fund. The fund’s mission is to promote the sustainability and viability of Indian agriculture in America, and Mike’s personal mission is to bring more Hopi back to farming.
I had the opportunity to talk to Mike about the Hopi’s unique way of farming and how it can inspire other farmers seeking to become more resilient to climate change and increasingly finite water supplies. Here’s what he shared with me. Read More
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged agriculture, Hopi, Southwest, stewardship, western water Read 1 Response
2019 made climate impacts visible. Here are 4 stories of resilience that give me hope for 2020.
This year has been one of the toughest yet for communities across the country feeling the impacts of climate change.
Farmers took big hits from unprecedented flooding in the Midwest, coastal communities were pummeled with record-breaking rainfall and storms, and more than 250,000 acres in my home state of California burned from wildfires that took precious lives and left millions of people without power for days on end. As we enter a new decade, these four stories of resilience provide hope that we will take bold climate action in 2020. Click To Tweet
It’s easy to feel hopeless hearing one climate disaster story after another. But if you look around, there are also stories of resilience that can provide hope for the future. Here are four that inspire me. Read More
Posted in Climate Resilience Also tagged 2019, california, Coast, colorado, conservation, DCP, energy, Louisiana, Midwest Comments are closed