Infrastructure Priorities for People, Wildlife, and the Climate
Investment in our nation’s infrastructure is long overdue. Aging roads, bridges, and railways pose safety risks; inefficient buildings and industrial processes are wasting energy; the transportation sector overly relies on polluting fuel sources; out-of-date water systems are ill-equipped to meet public health standards; and the U.S. electric grid is largely unable to handle modern energy needs. Dilapidated infrastructure has simultaneously left communities vulnerable to extreme weather and the other effects of climate change.
At the same time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. National Climate Assessment warn that climate change is not a distant threat—but one that has arrived and is afflicting communities through worsened hurricanes, megafires, flooding, heat waves, and other increasingly common severe weather events.
The 116th Congress has an important and meaningful opportunity to address our changing climate and to invest in our nation’s energy, industrial, transportation, water, and natural infrastructure systems alike to increase community safety and resilience, protect and recover wildlife, boost local economies and family-sustaining jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a technology-inclusive way. These investments will benefit every community in America and are a fiscally responsible insurance policy against costly extreme weather and climate effects. And, they provide a down payment on the low-carbon economy of the future.
The California Army National Guard surveys the damage in Paradise, California, after the Camp Fire on November 17, 2018.
The National Wildlife Federation emphasizes three major opportunities to improve resilience and reduce emissions significantly through an infrastructure policy:
- Boost natural infrastructure and carbon sinks
- Build a clean electric grid
- Advance smart transportation solutions
1) Create resilient communities and ecosystems by protecting and restoring natural infrastructure.
While healthy ecosystems may not typically be considered “infrastructure,” these resources can protect people and property from future climate impacts while providing invaluable carbon sequestration benefits.
Natural infrastructure consists of natural or nature-based systems that provide essential services and benefits to society. Such systems can be natural ecosystems, like forests, floodplains, beaches, and grasslands, or they can be engineered systems that use natural materials and are designed to emulate the functioning of natural ecosystems.
Investment in natural infrastructure can:
- Ensure abundant and clean water for people and wildlife
- Increase the capture of carbon (carbon sequestration) in soils, forests, and grasslands
- Maintain existing carbon sinks and protect them from natural disasters
- Protect and restore wildlife habitat
- Create and stimulate sustainable local economies, such as ecosystem restoration and outdoor recreation related industries
- Improve the resilience of people and wildlife to the impacts of climate change
Climate resilience is defined as the ability of a system (either natural or human) to withstand, adapt to, or recover from the accelerating impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise, flooding, drought, megafires, and more severe hurricanes.
Recommendations include:
- A Resilient Communities Revolving Loan Fund and Grants Program, to provide targeted assistance to vulnerable populations
- Direct investment for additional measures to: bolster coastal resilience and disaster preparedness; improve water infrastructure and natural water storage; increase ecosystem and habitat protection and restoration; enhance wildlife corridors; promote clean, affordable, and reliable water for all, including Tribal populations; reclaim abandoned mine lands; improve forest restoration and management; enhance soil health and agricultural resilience; and accelerate public lands maintenance.
Just downstream of Nashville, flooding from the Cumberland River is seen from overhead.
2) Build a clean and resilient grid with:
- Zero- and low-carbon electricity generation incentivized through a Climate-Smart Technology Neutral Tax Credit that prioritizes investment in the most fossil-fuel intensive areas of the country with lower employment
- Reduced energy use in buildings and industry as supported by an Energy Efficiency State Revolving Fund
- Direct investment for carbon capture and utilization research, methane pollution reductions, smart metering, and improved electricity reliability
3) Deploy a smart transportation system by:
- Extending tax credits for fuel cell and electric vehicles
- Electrifying the transportation sector through expanded block grant programs and incentives that promote fleet purchases and installation of public and private charging stations
- Investing in smart urban planning, mass transit, increased rail use, and truly low-carbon, sustainable biofuels
Effectively addressing our infrastructure crisis requires maintaining the full suite of protections provided by the nation’s environmental laws, while improving equitable access to their benefits and ensuring the health and safety of the most vulnerable people and communities. Projects built with public resources should embrace Buy America standards and ensure family-sustaining wages and safe working conditions for our workers, and make a robust investment in workforce education and job training.
