Funding will strengthen NOAA’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative

Friday, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended $78.9 million for projects in Alaska to make the state’s 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 $78.9 million to help underserved communities in Alaska develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather events.” 

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; build resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restore coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; build the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and provide employment opportunities.

“Alaskan communities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Reducing risks for people and infrastructure are critical components in creating a climate-resilient future,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “NOAA is proud to recommend this funding that will help Alaska Native communities plan and take actions to reduce risks now while also helping future generations adapt to the impacts of our changing climate.”

Recommended projects and funding amounts in Alaska include: 

• Stronger, Together: Expanding Climate Adaptation Technical Assistance for Frontline Alaska Native Communities. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: $74,950,045. 

  Alaska is an underserved state and on the front lines for a number of climate impacts, especially remote Alaska Native communities who depend on traditional subsistence practices. This project envisions transforming Alaska Tribal climate adaptation activities from a state of very limited capacity to a thriving network making rapid progress toward addressing extremely complex, long-term problems such as community relocation, behavioral health, food sovereignty, and the impacts from warming temperatures and rising sea levels on permafrost and erosion.

  The inspiration for this vision, and the foundation for achieving it, is based on the strength and resiliency of Alaska Native cultures. The project will focus on three major adaptation actions: 1) establishing a community climate risk assessment program; 2) expanding statewide tribal adaptation technical assistance; and 3) networking and knowledge sharing. This project is expected to serve nearly 100 Alaska Native communities statewide.

• Bristol Bay Climate Adaptation Planning Program. Bristol Bay Native Association: $2,000,000. 

  This project will focus  on creating solid adaptation action plans that address local impacts associated with changing temperatures and climate. Led by a consortium of 31 federally recognized tribes, the project relies on Indigenous climate-related knowledge and practices and also pinpoints community needs and priorities for this historically underserved population in a remote, hard-to-access area of Alaska. The three-phased project will establish the Bristol Bay Regional Resilience Collaborative to coordinate regional climate adaptation planning, while prioritizing education, action, and implementation. This approach will build enduring capacity and integrate climate adaptation into all facets of regional planning.

• Bristol Bay Guardians. The Nature Conservancy – Igiugig Village: $1,999,470. 

  The Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Sugpiaq peoples of Southwest Alaska have lived within the Bristol Bay region for millennia, sustained in large part by sayak — the sockeye salmon. While this region continues to support more wild salmon populations than anywhere else on Earth, impacts from climate change are readily apparent. This project will expand current community-based monitoring efforts in the tribal community of Igiugig and share lessons learned and approaches taken with nearby tribal communities. The goal is to create a regional “guardians” network based on Canada’s successful Indigenous Guardiansoffsite link programs. The focus is on investing in communities, expanding training opportunities for residents and uplifting Indigenous and local knowledge in regards to land relationship planning (i.e., natural resource management) practices. The initiative uses the strengths of Indigenous knowledge to guide Western scientific methodologies and further relationships among tribes and all levels of government and community.

Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge web

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