Tuesday President Joe Biden's Commerce Department announced a total of $2.6 billion to be allocated to protecting coastal communities and restoring marine resources.
The money is part of a funding framework within the Inflation Reduction Act.
The U.S. Department of Commerce said almost $400 million will go to the priorities of tribal communities and to help restore and protect coastal areas like in the Great Lakes region.
Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, said, "As part of our more than $2.6 billion investment in regional coastal resiliency and conservation projects, we will be dedicating $390 million directly to tribal priorities for habitat restoration and bolstering fish populations, and supplying crucial funding to ensure our coastal communities are better prepared for the effects of climate change."
The funding will come from a variety of sources, with coordinated announcements made on the efforts by the Commerce Department and other agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The administration said efforts to improve environmental justice will take priority, along with efforts to create more "quality" climate-related jobs.
The NOAA will gain access to nearly $350 million in funding to go towards supporting conservation projects for fisheries and to help protected species in U.S. coastal areas.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels saw another steep jump in 2023
Atmospheric CO2 is now 50% higher than it was before the start of the industrial revolution.
