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By Chris Gonzales
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  • Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • New York Sea Grant Institute
  • Climate Change
Organizers say the needs and opportunities for this program are great; one of only two like it in the U.S.

Specialists at Cornell University and New York Sea Grant (NYSG) have established a program of stewards who are being trained to help their communities mitigate the causes of, and adapt to become more resilient to climate change.

“Climate change is a monumental global challenge that won’t be solved by national governments or the United Nations alone,” said Allison Chatrchyan, senior research associate in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell. “We are seeing more and more climate actions being taken by states, cities, and even smaller local municipalities, all over the world. But we are going to need climate action at all levels of society, including all types of organizations, businesses, and individuals to ensure that we can meet our goals to hold warming to 2°C, let alone reaching the global goal of 1.5°C.”

The objective of the Climate Stewards program is to provide research-based, hands-on training to community members who are motivated to work on climate change at the local level.

Participants will be trained to contribute to community resilience by increasing local community capacity to address the myriad of causes and consequences of climate change. Having completed the 12-week training program in the fall of 2021, new stewards are committed to contributing 40 hours over the next year, completing a local climate project of their own choosing.

Participants may also provide support to municipalities throughout the State as they work toward achieving their greenhouse gas emissions reduction and adaptation goals set out under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

“Participating in the first-ever Climate Stewards training will help me work locally for positive change,” said Anisa Mendizabal, a resident of Seneca County. “I’m excited that this program is being offered across New York State!”

Examples of Climate Steward projects in the works include: working on a local climate change task force; supporting the development of a watershed management plan; conducting a riparian buffer project; and working with the local library system or school district on a climate change education program.

“We know that local governments need resources, fiscal and human, in order to take steps towards climate resilience,” said NYSG Associate Director Katherine Bunting-Howarth. “Climate Stewards are highly-trained individuals with the mission of assisting their local communities to make positive change in the face of climate change.”

The Cornell Climate Stewards program — developed by Cornell, NYSG, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, with a planning grant from the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and pilot funding from Cooperative Extension Smith-Lever federal funds and the New York State Energy Research Development Agency — is being piloted in six counties from around New York State: Dutchess, Ulster, Monroe, Seneca, and Tompkins, plus New York City (Kings County).

A longer version of this article appeared on the New York Sea Grant website.

Since 1971, New York Sea Grant, a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, has been one of 34 university-based programs under NOAA's National Sea Grant College Program. The extension portion of NYSG's programming is administered through Cornell Cooperative Extension.

 

Chris Gonzales is a freelance writer for New York Sea Grant.

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