US Department of Energy Announces 10 New Climate Resilience Centers

The Biden administration recently announced the formation of 10 university-based climate resilience centers located across the country, reports Ysabelle Kempe for the Utility Dive. According to a press release from the Department of Energy, the CRCs are part of the administration’s Justice40 Initiative and are designed to ensure that all Americans are benefitting from scientific research. The announcement follows the establishment of six climate resilience centers in September 2023 and two research centers focused on heat monitoring and resilience in May 2024.

The goal of the CRCs is to increase communities’ access to science-based information and resources to address the growing threat of climate-fueled extreme weather. Armed with $10 million in funding and access to the resources, including modeling and data, of the DOE’s national laboratories, the latest 10 CRCs are charged with developing the tools that local stakeholders need to build resiliency. 

The move comes after the Fifth National Climate Assessment revealed communities’ adaptation efforts are not keeping pace with the so far are not enough to keep pace with the intensifying and more frequent weather related disasters caused by the changing climate, the Utility Dive article reports.

Here is a list of the 10 latest climate resilience centers, located in 10 different states:

1. Saint Louis University, Missouri
2. City College of New York
3. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
4. University of Texas-Arlington and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
5. Central State University and The Ohio State University
6. University of Alaska Fairbanks
7. Florida Institute of Technology
8. Central Michigan University
9. University of Massachusetts Lowell
10. Lehigh University, Pennsylvania