Boosting the Blue Economy: NOAA Grants $250,000 to Tampa Bay - WMNF
Boosting the Blue Economy: NOAA Grants $250,000 to Tampa Bay - WMNF 88.5 FM
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The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has allocated a $250,000 grant to support small businesses combating climate change, benefiting the Tampa Bay area. According to WMNF’s Kerilyn Kwiatkowski’s report, Congress member Kathy Castor emphasizes the grant’s potential to address environmental challenges in the region. Castor expresses confidence in local entrepreneurs and small businesses, collaborating with organizations like Tampa Bay Wave, USF, and the Innovation District, to develop solutions. She sees the region as well-positioned to scale up the blue economy.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”