Funding will strengthen NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative
A photo collage of some of the projects being recommended for funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law/Inflation Reduction Act and NOAA's Climate-Ready Coasts initiative. (Image credit: NOAA)
Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended $1.3 million for a project in Ohio to make the state’s Lake Erie coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“As part of President Biden’s commitment to combating the climate crisis, we are investing $575 million to help make sure America’s coastal communities are more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of this historic investment in our nation’s climate resilience the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $1.3 million to help underserved communities Ohio develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change.”
Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; building resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and providing employment opportunities.
“Climate adaptation starts by building resilience at the local level,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “With this funding, we’re proud to support community-driven resilience efforts that will help bridge the climate adaptation gap and protect public health in Northeast Ohio.”
The recommended project in Ohio includes $1.3 million for work with the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition. The project, Building Resilience to Extreme Weather in Northeast Ohio, will establish a resilience hub of 30 community-based organizations in a region experiencing high poverty rates and climate change vulnerability. Through regional collaboration and local expertise, the coalition will address barriers to climate resilience, invest in climate literacy and public engagement and secure funding to implement resilience-focused projects. The effort builds on existing actions designed to address disproportionate impacts of extreme weather and flooding in the region, while building capacity among the resilience hub organizations and thereby maximizing the breadth of community benefits. The primary focus is on extreme temperatures and the impact on public health.
“I’m excited to join NOAA in announcing the award of $1.3 million to the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Climate change is a global issue, but resilience begins locally, and it is imperative that we build resilience equitably. This federal grant will help local residents prepare for extreme weather and the long-term impacts of climate change,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11).
Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge website.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.
