How City and State Leaders can Collaborate on Climate Solutions
Increasingly impatient with stalled action by politicians in DC—state, local and regional officials now rely on one another for assistance in implementing climate solutions. This is especially the case in Massachusetts, where state grants in excess of $2 million are now being put to work.
The collaboration between state and local officials takes a multipronged approach. The first stage is an assessment of regional and local climate change vulnerabilities, which allows officials to effectively target resource allocation. Second, grants are awarded to cities and towns that are most threatened and stand to gain the most from green infrastructure development. These actions are aimed at developing a proactive approach towards climate resiliency.
The grants are being heralded by municipal leaders, nonprofits and environmental groups, as a “great start to help communities be more resilient.” But it is just a start. Leaders throughout the state are now pushing for a more comprehensive climate bill that would take a more holistic approach towards addressing climate change resiliency. Through collaboration, city and state leaders are proving that effective climate action begins at the local level. To bring about climate solutions in your community, visit Path to Positive Communities.
Communities vulnerable to climate change get $2m in state grants
By Dave Abel | The Boston Globe | August 21, 2015
In one of its first acts to address climate change, the Baker administration awarded more than $2 million in grants to 15 coastal communities on Friday to reduce their vulnerability to rising seas, erosion, flooding, and increasingly powerful storms.
The aid follows $5 million in similar grants to coastal cities and towns awarded during the Patrick administration.
The latest grants include $350,000 to help Boston identify its vulnerabilities and fortify neighborhoods against flooding; nearly $400,000 for Winthrop to repair tide gates and reduce the erosion of its shores; and more than $250,000 for New Bedford to study how to prevent flooding of its sewer pump stations.