Washington D.C. — Today, President Biden announced that he will double the amount of disaster mitigation funding the U.S. government spends to help communities to USD $1 billion to prepare for extreme climate impacts like hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and droughts. The Washington Post noted that this funding is only a fraction of what taxpayers spend each year on disasters. According to the NOAA, in 2020, extreme climate impacts cost the U.S. $1.875 trillion dollars.
Thanu Yakupitiyage, 350.org U.S. Communications Director made the following statement:
“We acknowledge President Biden’s recognition of the severe costs of the climate crisis; however, the funding being provided to ‘prepare’ communities is like trying to repair a house’s crumbling foundation with poles. We support investing in pre-disaster preparation, but it must be at the scale of the climate crisis.
“This must be coupled with real investments in climate action, including phasing off fossil fuels, and investing in renewable energy and good-paying green jobs. A Just Recovery requires the government redistribute resources away from polluters into the hands of BIPOC communities and climate-impacted communities recovering and rebuilding. This moment calls for bold ambition, real targets to bring down pollution, and creativity to turn around the existential threat of our lifetimes. We commit to continuing to work with the Biden Administration to invest in real solutions, otherwise, we will continue to see the cost of climate change growing with each passing year.”
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