By Allen Kim, CNN
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced Monday that he will give $791 million in grants as part of his Bezos Earth Fund to 16 organizations that are working to protect the environment. The fund is part of the CEO’s $10 billion pledge to support scientists, activists, NGOs and organizations working to protect the environment. The full list of grantees are a mix of big name NGOs, labs, reforestation and climate justice groups.
They include: The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, ClimateWorks Foundation, Dream Corps Green For All, Eden Reforestation Projects, Energy Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, NDN Collective, Rocky Mountain Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Solutions Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute and World Wildlife Fund. Read more here.
U.S. CLIMATE ALLIANCE
U.S. Climate Alliance Urges Federal Action on the Climate Crisis, News Release
The Executive Director of the bipartisan United States Climate Alliance today issued the following statement regarding the Alliance’s continued commitment to address climate change and how the election outcome has created an opportunity for the U.S. federal government, in close partnership with states, to restore national climate leadership:
Our states will continue to act on climate change, doing so with increased urgency and ambition, in line with science. We will embrace the significant economic opportunities presented by our climate leadership, focusing on an equitable and just transition while investing in community- and family-sustaining clean energy jobs. And we will continue to cooperate through the U.S. Climate Alliance – a bipartisan coalition of 25 governors – because together we move further and faster.
CLIMATE MAYORS
Climate Mayors Announces New Chair, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, News Release
Today, Climate Mayors, the network of 468 U.S. mayors across the country committed to leading bold climate action and upholding the Paris Climate Agreement, announced that Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh will become the next Chair of the nationwide coalition. In this role, Mayor Walsh will help catalyze climate-forward actions taken at the local level, provide an example of climate action for leaders at all levels of government, and advocate for an economic recovery founded in equity and environmental stewardship.
OCEAN-BASED CLIMATE SOLUTIONS BILL
Congress Takes Up Ocean Climate Action, Expert Blog by Valerie Cleland, NRDC
The House Natural Resources Committee has begun tackling the monumental Ocean-Based Climate Solutions bill (H.R. 8632). The first of its kind to address the ocean side of climate change, the bill sets a truly exciting precedent for ocean climate action legislation. The hearing addressed blue carbon, the ban on offshore drilling, the need for marine protected areas, the pathway for expanding offshore wind, and more.
SOLSMART
Since 2016, the SolSmart program has provided in-depth technical assistance to hundreds of local governments nationwide and has awarded over 380 cities, towns, counties, and regional organizations with SolSmart designations for their solar achievements.
Solar Energy: SolSmart’s Toolkit for Local Governments
This toolkit helps local governments and community stakeholders in cities, counties, and small towns design and implement plans to encourage solar energy development.
