Earlier this week, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced a major step by the Biden administration to tackle the impacts of climate change.
As per a report, Harris announced more than $1 billion in grants for states to tackle calamities caused by climate change, such as floods and extreme heat.
The grants will assist communities across the nation in preparing to respond to climate-related disasters. Harris announced the grant on her visit to Miami, Florida, where she was also briefed on climate resilience at the National Hurricane Center.
Harris stated that incidents such as the floods that hit Kentucky and the wildfires in California show how immediate, current, and urgent the issue is of addressing the extreme weather that the country and the world have been experiencing.
“The frequency has accelerated in a relatively short period of time,” Harris said. “The science is clear. Extreme weather will only get worse, and the climate crisis will only accelerate.”
Harris cited the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that revealed that the US experienced 20 climate-related disasters in 2021 that resulted in more than $1 billion in damages. This is compared to the 1990s when there were just six climate-related disasters per year.
Harris’s visit to Florida also comes as the White House leads the response to climate disasters.
Last month, President Joe Biden announced that $2.3 billion would be allocated to assist communities in coping with extreme heat by utilizing initiatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Health and Human Services Department, and other agencies.
This story originally appeared on Econo Times.