Stephanie Gidigbi, the SPARCC Policy, Capacity, and Systems Change Director and Senior Adviser at NRDC, wrote a post outlining a series of recommendations to improve America’s infrastructure. Gidigbi emphasizes that we need an infrastructure plan that prioritizes investments that are innovative, equitable, and climate resilient. Past government policies, including redlining, continue to have a negative impact on communities of color and the U.S. economy as a whole. As we move forward, we need to focus on infrastructure solutions that work for the 21st century.
“America needs a robust infrastructure plan that makes a significant down payment in our future, addresses the current challenges facing our communities, and redresses the legacy of past investments.
Any infrastructure plan must consider the vulnerability of communities to climate change based on the exposure to environmental stress, socio-economic sensitivity, and ability to adapt – and that doesn’t just mean on America’s coastlines. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), every state has suffered at least one billion-dollar disaster since 1980, totaling $1.5 trillion.
Americans can no longer afford to ignore the cost of climate change to our public health and wealth as a nation. “
Read the full blog post to see Gidigbi’s recommendations for building an equitable and resilient future.