California Marine Sanctuary Foundation awarded $70 million to combat climate change - KSBW Monterey
California Marine Sanctuary Foundation awarded $70 million to combat climate change
The California Marine Sanctuary Foundation announced today that they have been awarded $70 million to help fight climate change here on the Central Coast. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Reserve received some of that funding.
The California Marine Sanctuary Foundation announced today that they have been awarded $70 million to help fight climate change here on the Central Coast.
The grant was awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will be split among 21 partners including local governments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
The Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Reserve received $6 million of funding.
At Elkhorn Slough Reserve, you'll see birds coasting along the water, but this coastal wetlands habitat is in need of some restoration.
Monique Fountain, the Tidal Wetland Program Director, says because of the low infrastructure in this area, as the sea level rises, it creates problems such as flooding, and the Union Pacific Railroad runs right through the area.
"This particular marsh that we want to restore is between the railroad tracks and a county road that is already experiencing overtopping on high tides," Fountain explained. "In order to make it more healthy, we need to allow more flow in, but we can't do that without risking flooding the road more and the railroad is already overtopping."
Dave Feliz, the manager of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve says without any intervention, this marsh will continue to flood, causing continued road closures.
With this funding, they'll now be able to work with the community to create a plan to restore the marsh while also addressing flooding roads.
"The sea is rising, and these roads that are near sea level will be severely impacted unless there's some intervention," Feliz said. "And the intervention includes raising the road, but it also includes creating healthy marshes adjacent to those roads, because those marshes help to protect our coastal infrastructure."
The hope is for there to eventually be trails here and more vegetation, allowing more people to come out and enjoy the area within the next few years.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29