$68.4 million awarded for climate resilience in Hawaii

HONOLULU (KHON2) — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded $68.4 million in federal funding to the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program.

The grant, part of the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, aims to enhance climate and disaster resilience across the state.

The funds will be used in collaboration with a coalition of government agencies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and local stakeholders to conserve and restore critical watersheds and forests.

Projects will also focus on building natural infrastructure to safeguard communities and habitats, restoring Native Hawaiian fishponds, limu, and coral reefs, and developing green infrastructure to mitigate risks and boost disaster resilience.

“This new federal funding — part of the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic investment in climate action — will restore critical watersheds and forests and utilize Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices to help us move toward a more sustainable, climate-resilient future for Hawaii,” Schatz said in a statement.

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The initiative will also support efforts to reduce disaster risks and improve community preparedness through various green infrastructure projects and capacity-building activities in vulnerable areas.