From boosting forest preservation to incentivizing climate-smart farming practices, the Inflation Reduction Act includes an acknowledgement that land is a profound ally in the fight against climate change.
While those numbers pale in comparison to other big-ticket items, many environmental advocates say such investments are critical in giving the nation a better shot at hitting long-term climate goals, and serve as a reminder that taking care of the land has added benefits to wildlife and human health.
“The devil is always in the details,” said Peter Reich, a University of Minnesota researcher who has long studied the impact of global warming on forests. “Exactly how you spend the money can have marginally good impacts on slowing climate change or much better ones.”This much is clear: To slow Earth’s warming, humans will have to rely on a major assist from trees, wetlands, peatland and other landscapes that soak up massive amounts of carbon dioxide each year.
“Just the fact that forests were included is really, really substantial,” he said. “I have worked on this issue without stopping for 15 years. It’s always felt like we were the last guest on the list invited to the dinner party.
“We are so absolutely ready for these funds,” Romero said in an interview, adding that she hopes the city can become a model for implementing nature-based climate solutions in an urban setting. “It will absolutely help us scale up our efforts and our goals.
She noted that the legislation’s climate-smart agriculture, forestry and rural energy programs “are supported by more than 1700 farm groups, companies, environmental advocates, leading economists, local elected officials and municipalities, and trade associations.”Silvia Secchi, an economist and geographer at the University of Iowa, said a key problem with the legislation is that it doesn’t break new ground.