Author: Christina Mills

In a world increasingly affected by the impacts of climate change, the need for resilient communities has never been greater. To address this pressing issue, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched the Climate-Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI). This groundbreaking initiative establishes a public-private partnership among the NOAA-led U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit and private sector adaptation specialists, aiming to pave the way for a more climate-resilient nation.

When it comes to preparing for and mitigating the impact of natural disasters, collaboration and coordination across all levels of government and various sectors are essential. Recognizing this need, the Community Disaster Resilience Zones (CDRZ) Act, passed with bipartisan support in December 2022, represents a significant stride towards building disaster resilience across the nation.

Driving Resources to Vulnerable Communities

The primary goal of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act is to channel federal, public, and private resources toward underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. These communities often lack the support and resources needed to enhance their resilience. On September 6, 2023, FEMA took a crucial step forward by announcing the initial designations of 483 CDRZs. For more information and to view an interactive map, visit the FEMA webpage.

From the January 2021 Cornerstone Network email

Yesterday, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis Here and Abroad. This order comes on the heels of others to re-join the Paris Climate Agreement, to pull the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and a presidential memorandum that protects government scientists from political interference. 

Earlier this week, the administration announced an effort to free up roughly $10 billion at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to protect against climate disasters.  

It is most definitely a firehose of federal climate action, but a welcome one. Given the events of the past several weeks at the Capitol and across our nation, these aggressive and early moves to address the climate crisis are sweet music to our ears. Especially those of us who have been staring down the climate crisis without the support of our federal government for the past four years.  
For the first time ever, the US is taking a “whole of government” approach. It is badly needed given the lateness of the hour and the transformational change required to meet the climate challenge.

From the December 2020 Cornerstone Network Email

What a difference a day makes. I didn’t realize I had been holding my breath until I started to breathe again after the November election.

The last four years have been hard – and the pandemic has put an exclamation point on these last 9 months.

We still have a ways to go before we can hug friends and family, go shopping without masks, and stop worrying about our loved ones at high risk. But the light is visible at the end of the tunnel. It is time to prepare for how we emerge from this global challenge.

From the November 2020 Cornerstone email

Coming into the election, my biggest questions were these – would the system of checks and balances our republic is built on hold firm under such intense pressure? Would the will of the people be heard and respected?

In the end, this election showed how the heart of America beats and that we understand the immense challenges before us, including and especially the climate crisis. Citizens voted in record numbers, many enduring long lines in cold weather to cast their votes.

Secretaries of State, poll workers, and ballot counters showed up – regardless of political persuasion – and did their patriotic duty to protect the sanctity of the vote. Despite the disruptions we are experiencing on so many levels, Americans chose hope over fear and love over hate.

From the October 2020 Cornerstone Network Email

I can’t remember ever being this anxious for such a long period of time. Between the COVID-19 surge, the devastation caused by local wildfires and smoke events, and the fact that we are staring down the most important election in our lifetimes, there is much to be anxious about.

We know that we must drastically reduce greenhouse gas pollution by 2030 – and we are already behind. The recent storm that ravaged Iowa, the wildfires in the West, and the sheer number of hurricanes experienced this year remind us that we need to hold our communities together if we are to have any chance of hitting those greenhouse gas targets.

tionFrom the September 2020 Cornerstone Network Email

Change is upon us at a global scale – and at the Geos Institute.  

After 14 years of serving as Chief Scientist and Program Director for our Forest Legacies Initiative, we say goodbye to Dominick DellaSala. He will become the new Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage – a program of Earth Island Institute.

It is a bittersweet moment for us. Our roots are deep in forest conservation work. We began as Headwaters – a regional organization made up of grassroots forest advocacy organizations across the Pacific Northwest. It was in those early years that we engaged in timber sale tracking, policy advocacy, and litigation.