Climate & Resilience: Page 5


  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.

    By July 23, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
    Image attribution tooltip
    franckreporter via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits

    Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week. 

    By Nish Amarnath • July 22, 2024
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
    Image attribution tooltip
    jamesteohart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • Trees and sitting people are silhouetted against a white government building and blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Andrew Harnik/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    14 attorneys general press FEMA to define heat, wildfire smoke as major disasters

    The state officials are the latest to call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to update its definition of major disasters eligible for federal money as key funds run low.

    By July 19, 2024
  • Several rats on the ground next to full black trash bags.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chanawat Phadwichit via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Boston has a new anti-rat plan. Here are 3 takeaways.

    “We’re working to make Boston a home for everyone. Except for rats," Mayor Michelle Wu said as the city released a report by a leading urban rat researcher.

    By July 18, 2024
  • A group of people hold a house on a city street. Other people stand in the background in yellow and orange safety vests.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of NYC Water
    Image attribution tooltip

    NYC bets big on porous pavement with $32M flood-control project

    It's the city's first large-scale implementation of the approach after years of testing different porous pavement products.

    By July 17, 2024
  • A person looks at a flooded highway with a partly submerged white pickup truck.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    FEMA tightens flood resilience rules for federally funded infrastructure

    Projects like schools, fire and police stations, sewers, roads and bridges will be affected by the new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy. 

    By Julie Strupp • July 15, 2024
  • Los Angeles skyline in background with a busy freeway in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    3 strategies to decarbonize transportation: US DOT report

    To meet U.S. greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Agreement, the Transportation Department says the U.S. must reduce transportation emissions to near zero.

    By July 15, 2024
  • Close-up of a pipeline in a trench dug in the ground
    Image attribution tooltip
    ImagePixel via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The movement to get neighborhoods off natural gas gains momentum

    For years, cities have pursued ways to get buildings off fossil fuels, one structure at a time. Now, some leaders and advocates are eyeing a newer approach: neighborhood-scale decarbonization.

    By July 10, 2024
  • A man walks near a banner holding a microphone and speaker. The banner says "Compost Is For Everyone, It Belongs In Public Parks."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jacob Wallace/Smart Cities Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York City Community Compost program funds restored in FY25 budget

    The budget, finalized Sunday, expands the number of organizations the program funds and protects it from future cuts. Certain active and planned composting projects will still be disrupted, however.

    By Jacob Wallace • July 2, 2024
  • People in coats and masks stand in line against a building behind a metal fence. Many have large backpacks and bags.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What US mayors want from the next president, Congress

    The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.

    By June 27, 2024
  • A person wearing glasses speaks into microphones in front of a solid blue background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joshua Roberts/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Climate adaptation plan updates released by 20+ federal agencies

    For the first time, the plans include a common set of metrics to measure agencies’ progress on climate resilience.

    By June 26, 2024
  • Several pedestrians and a cyclist are silhouetted against a gray sky. A large building looms in the background. Flag poles with the U.S. flag sit in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Extreme heat, wildfire smoke belong in FEMA’s major disaster definition, petition says

    Despite similar calls from some city officials and federal policymakers, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has said extreme heat does not need to be added to the Stafford Act for communities to get funds. 

    By June 21, 2024
  • The exterior of a recycling facility
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Balcones/ Tico Mendoza
    Image attribution tooltip

    San Antonio welcomes ‘most automated’ recycling facility in the US

    It will have an education and outreach hub that will offer community tours and workshops. “Our goal is to deliver a recycling campus that is without peer anywhere in the country,” said Balcones Recycling’s president.

    By Megan Quinn • June 20, 2024
  • An HVAC worker is seen to perform heat pump maintenance
    Image attribution tooltip
    welcomia via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements

    Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

    By June 20, 2024
  • Passengers at a subway station as a train arrives.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
    Image attribution tooltip

    NY congestion pricing pause already has consequences for infrastructure projects

    The region’s transit agency stopped subway extension work that relied on the plan’s revenue. Meanwhile, a final federal approval of the congestion pricing came through.

    By June 20, 2024
  • Small child playing in water spraying into the air
    Image attribution tooltip
    a12PE000000GzSiYAK via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by Schneider Electric

    Extreme heat driving innovation in municipal heat resilience

    How city leaders are demanding proactive strategies for resilience and energy use.

    June 17, 2024
  • Offshore wind turbines in the ocean.
    Image attribution tooltip
    TebNad via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Local opposition to renewable energy projects ‘widespread and growing’: Columbia University report

    The report tracks 395 local restrictions on renewable energy development, with 55 of those emerging in the last year.

    By Diana DiGangi • June 14, 2024
  • A flooded street with people, boats and vehicles.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Congressional Democrats call for ‘cost-effective’ flood resilience strategies

    Flooding costs the U.S. up to $496 billion a year, says a new analysis by Democrats on the U.S. Joint Economic Committee.

    By June 14, 2024
  • A person in hats and eyeglasses holds a device. Another person stands behind and
    Image attribution tooltip
    Lathan Goumas | Virginia Sea Grant. (2023). "VASG Commonwealth Fellow Clay Ferguson" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Virginia Sea Grant.
    Image attribution tooltip

    9 climate resilience job training programs to launch with $60M from NOAA

    They will train workers for jobs in conservation, renewable energy, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, emergency preparedness and more, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.

    By June 12, 2024
  • People holding signs in an ornate building. The largest sign reads, "Gov Hochul don't defund the subway."
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Riders Alliance
    Image attribution tooltip

    Transit agency faces $15B funding gap after NYC congestion pricing reversal

    “We’re going to fight like hell to make sure we don’t have to reduce service,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair and CEO Janno Lieber said.

    By June 12, 2024
  • A man wearing a winter coat and scarf stands in front of a garbage truck with the words "100% Electric" printed on the side.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    9 senators call for EPA funding to address landfill methane

    They want more than $6.7 million to go to states for advanced methane detection technology and $5 million for local governments to develop methane reductions plans at municipally owned landfills. 

    By Jacob Wallace • June 11, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Davel5957 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By June 10, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
    Image attribution tooltip
    MingzheZhang via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits

    The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024
  • A shot of three construction workers mid sections.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    The heat is on. Contractors say they’re ready.

    Commercial construction firms aren’t waiting on OSHA’s much-anticipated heat standard to protect their workers.

    By Zachary Phillips • June 7, 2024
  • A main street in Vermont is flooded with one person wading through the water.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kylie Cooper via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Vermont sends climate change tab to fossil fuel companies

    Although the governor allowed the bill to become law, he expressed misgivings about the state's ability to hold oil and gas companies financially accountable for climate change damages.

    By Lamar Johnson • June 6, 2024