April 21, 2023, 22:23 PM
April 21, 2023, 22:23 PM
The United States will invest 562 million dollars to finance the coastal areas of the country Faced with the threat of climate change, Vice President Kamala Harris announced this Friday during an event at the University of Miami.
“The climate crisis represents a profound threat, as we all know, to our nation and to the world,” declared Harris on the eve of Earth Day.
The vice president was concerned about the consequences of global warming for the United States –highlighting the presence of stronger hurricanes and storms, as well as greater droughts and fires–, and pointed out the coasts as especially fragile areas.
“Living in a coastal community means being on the front lines of the climate crisis,” he said. to highlight the importance of the new investment plan.
The money will be dedicated in part to “natural infrastructures” such as mangrove and coral restoration to reduce the impact of tropical storms and filter pollution into the oceans.
Harris also stressed the economic benefits of this type of investment.
“Here in Florida our work will create jobs for construction workers, environmental engineers and landscape architects,” he said.
“Local businesses will save millions of dollars in damage caused by floods and hurricanes and erosion,” he added.
Florida, in the southeastern United States, is one of the places in the country most exposed to sea level rise, due to its low altitude and its more than 1,300 km of coastline.
The region is also very vulnerable to tropical storms and hurricanes. like Ian, which in September left some 150 dead and devastated cities such as Fort Myers Beach, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
