Five UC Berkeley-led projects will receive a total of $13.9 million in grants to advance research that builds climate resilience and equity in California, including mitigating wildfire risk, ensuring the equitable distribution of water and improving K-12 climate justice education…
The largest of the Climate Action Matching Grants, a nearly $8.2 million investment, will fund Berkeley-led work dedicated to broadening community involvement in the management of California’s water resources. Spearheaded by Ted Grantham, an associate professor of cooperative extension in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at Berkeley, the COEQWAL (COllaboratory for EQuity in Water ALlocations) project will develop new water planning tools to advance sustainable, inclusive and equitable water distribution for the states nearly 40 million people.
“Most Californians have little idea where their water comes from and how vulnerable their water supplies are to climate change,” Grantham said. “Our project aims to deliver actionable information about the way water moves through the state and what it means for farms, cities, small communities and ecosystems. We are particularly interested in engaging communities who are highly vulnerable to water shortages but have not had a seat at the decision-making table.” [Read More]