Reflecting on a Different Coastal Summer

Resilience is a key approach to addressing the impacts of climate change. This framework seeks to ensure communities are prepared to handle climate impacts as they currently unfold. Climate events like severe storms, flooding, and extreme heat impact the lives of thousands of Marylanders already, especially those in coastal areas. While policies like the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 seek to mitigate further greenhouse gas reduction to ensure climate change doesn’t worsen, there are people already facing real and dangerous consequences to climate change. Resilience-focused policies secure the safety and longevity of communities who are currently on the frontlines of the climate crisis and facing its worst impacts.

To help TNC plan its future resilience agenda, I worked on two different projects this summer. Both projects investigated what funding is available for different approaches to building climate resilience in Maryland’s coastal communities. The first approach to resilience I investigated is the funding available for green infrastructure stormwater projects. These infrastructure projects naturally reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff and slow dangerous high-volume storm flooding.

The second approach to resilience I investigated was assessing the availability of Maryland state agency resilience resources. I investigated how six different agencies talk about, prioritize, and fund resilience in their own work. These Maryland state agencies included the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, Transportation, Health, Planning, and Emergency Management. This work was coupled with work TNC has already done to engage Maryland communities to understand what resources and assistance community members feel they need to adequately withstand the impacts of climate change. With both an understanding of what communities need, and an understanding of what state agencies already provide, TNC can craft an advocacy agenda that builds up the most pressing resources for the communities that are in the most need of them.

I had an incredible time working alongside Humna Sharif, Aileen Craig, and the rest of the Government Relations team at the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy this summer. It was so valuable to learn how an organization as established as TNC constantly works toward advancing their goals to address mounting environmental issues into 2030 and beyond. There was such a sense of empowerment in working at the state policy level, where it’s clear that our chapter is a respected partner with multiple levels of government and where it is possible to maintain real connections to the communities we work for. I learned so much about responsible community engagement, the importance of being a consistent partner, and the persistence it takes to move the needle on climate policy. I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience, the people, and the lessons.

Following my time at TNC, I will begin in my next role as a Water Policy Analyst at the Association for State Drinking Water Administrators. My internship this summer, especially my work on stormwater infrastructure, sparked my interest in this role and in protecting necessary resources for as many communities as possible. I’m certain that I’ll cross paths with some amazing TNCers in the future, and I really look forward to it!