Climate Change Relief For Urban Areas Act Of 2023 - Summer

Team Members: Aditya Mistry, Kimberly Liu, Caroline Benedetti, Jada Johnson, Maya Williams, Fatou Kine Gueye, Diksha Boken, Yingjie Xu, Shunge (David) Zhang, Wenshuang (Vincy) Wu, Julianna Shao, Yiwei (Stan)

This report analyzes H.R. 2786, the Climate Change Relief for Urban Areas Act of 2023, a federal proposal aimed at addressing environmental inequalities and climate risks in urban communities. Rapid urbanization and climate change have intensified environmental challenges in cities, including the urban heat island effect, increased flooding from stormwater runoff, and poor air quality. These risks disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color that often lack access to green space and tree canopy cover. As extreme weather events and rising temperatures become more frequent, expanding urban green infrastructure has emerged as a critical strategy for improving climate resilience and public health.

The bill proposes two primary interventions to address these challenges. First, it prioritizes disadvantaged communities in receiving federal funding through the Urban and Community Forestry Program to expand urban tree canopy coverage. Second, it establishes a pilot grant program to support the development of rooftop gardens in public elementary and secondary schools located in underserved areas. These gardens would serve both environmental and educational purposes, improving local climate resilience while integrating urban agriculture and sustainability into school curricula. The report also highlights potential implementation challenges, including project maintenance costs, political opposition, and the risk of green gentrification in neighborhoods receiving environmental investments. To measure policy outcomes, the authors propose indicators such as temperature reductions, improvements in air quality, and increased community engagement in green infrastructure initiatives.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.