The Austin-San Antonio region has been chosen as the next hub for the Climate Resilient Communities Accelerator (CRCA) — a two-year initiative between key regional stakeholders to address ongoing climate threats to communities and strengthen economic stability.
As an accelerator hub, the Austin-San Antonio region will provide regional participants with an established network to share information, coordinate efforts and resources and create solutions to protect both residents and critical infrastructure from climate impacts. The area has one of the highest numbers of federally declared disasters per year, making it a perfect partner for the CRCA.
The two-year partnership will offer support for leaders and participants alongside a series of workshops to develop impactful climate resilience action plans and roadmaps. Participating entities will join a national movement dedicated to advancing public policy priorities and creating a network of communities focused on mitigating evolving climate risks.
The CRCA is a nationwide organization dedicated to coordinating local and Tribal governments, businesses, nonprofits, academics and community leaders to tackle climate resilience challenges. The accelerator works to connect leaders with resources, expand regional capacity and drive collaborative frameworks to get meaningful work underway that mitigate climate hazards through action-driven strategies.
The program will take three years to identify threats, engage with communities and cultivate proactive solutions in key action areas to build adaptive capacity and ensure policymakers act on local needs and priorities. The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) will enact these measures through public-private partnerships, ensuring regional communities receive innovative, unmatched support to follow an actionable climate-resilience roadmap.
Recent years have proven that dangerous inclement weather caused by climate change will be an ongoing and increasingly frequent issue. In Texas alone, deadly flash floods, record-breaking heat waves, historic rainfall and unprecedented winter storms have wreaked havoc and caused immense property damage, economic disruption and displacement for Texas residents. Austin and San Antonio have disproportionately suffered from extreme heat, wildfire, drought, flooding and powerful winter storms.
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