PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island and Massachusetts are giving millions of dollars to those fighting the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels.
Last week, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced it is awarding more than $1 million in matching grants to three municipalities and two organizations for climate resiliency projects.
“Rhode Island’s communities face significant and diverse risks from climate change,” DEM Director Terry Gray said. “Rising seas, increased damage from storm events, flooding, and erosion all have obvious and measurable impacts in our neighborhoods.”
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Also last week, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced the state is awarding $5.2 million in grants to fund 16 projects aimed at helping coastal communities deal with the problems that come with the rising sea levels like storm surges, erosion and flooding.
“Climate change is not only an environmental threat to our coastline, it’s an economic threat to our state,” Healey said. “The recent hurricanes have underscored the urgency of this issue, reminding us that we must be proactive in safeguarding our communities.”