NRDC leaders discuss how green financing can address climate change, inequity, affordable housing – WABE - WABE 90.1 FM
NRDC leaders discuss how green financing can address climate change, inequity, affordable housing - WABE
Claire Harbage/NPR / Claire Harbage/NPR
Sarah Dougherty, the director for the Natural Resources Defense Council’s(NRDC) Green Finance Center, says climate change has created a future that’s different from the past, and communities of color face far more challenges because of it.
“In Atlanta, to use it specifically, let’s talk about areas that are more flood-prone. They tend to be communities of color, the places that don’t have as much tree cover. So when it’s hot, they are even hotter,” said Dougherty.
Dougherty and Adam Kent, the senior advisor for the NRDC’s Green Finance Center, were guests on Monday’s edition of “Closer Look.”
They talked with show host Rose Scott about several topics, including how climate change has exacerbated structural and environmental racism, difficulty accessing affordable housing and rising energy costs.
“Formerly redlined neighborhoods are on average 4° to 8° hotter than nearby communities,” said Kent.
During the conversation, the guests also talked about how their organization is working to address climate challenges through green financing and the significance of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund(stemming from the Inflation Reduction Act).
“So we are really focused on how do we get money into communities that need it the most, that aren’t necessarily the wealthiest, and how do we start to change that entire financial system,” explained Dougherty.
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