Biden rolls out billions for climate resilience in the wake of dire climate report

The Biden administration is rolling out billions of dollars aimed at making the country more resilient to the impacts of climate change and stressed on Tuesday that solutions are possible.

His comments and the funding come alongside the release of the Fifth National Climate Assessment — a federal climate report which found that the U.S. has not been decarbonizing fast enough to meet its climate goals or international ambitions. 

“It lays out the threats and the dangers, but most experts would acknowledge that it also shows solutions are within reach,” Biden said of the report in a speech at the White House on Tuesday morning.

“It takes time for the investments we’re making to be fully materialized, but we just have to keep at it. We need to do more and move faster,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Biden administration also announced a total of about $6 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure law that it says will help the nation stand up to some of the extreme weather impacts of climate change.

The Energy Department will be putting $3.9 billion into strengthening the electric grid to make it less vulnerable to extreme weather and natural disasters, in addition to increasing grid capacity and bolstering renewable energy.

The Environmental Protection Agency will be putting forward $2 billion in grants aimed at helping communities to deploy carbon-free energy and bolster their ability to respond to environmental issues, according to the White House. 

The Interior Department will be putting $50 million toward water resource reliability and ecosystem health in Western states, and an additional $50 million toward funding for water conservation projects and hydropower upgrades. 

Biden acknowledged the report, which says that the planet is likely to cross key warming thresholds that will have serious impacts on the U.S., also indicates that more action is needed to address the problem.

“This assessment shows us in clear scientific terms that climate change is impacting all regions, all sectors of the United States,” he said. “It warns that more action is still badly needed. We can’t be complacent.”