The Build Back Better Act includes $30 billion for the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) with conditions for labor and domestic content standards, and career pathways that will immediately put people to work building healthier and more resilient communities, implementing conservation projects with proven climate benefits, and helping communities respond to climate change. It also includes an additional $145 million for FEMA’s BRIC program and $6 billion over 5 years in NOAA grants to increase climate resilience in coastal communities. The IIJA and Build Back Better Act both include additional resilience funding above and beyond these specific programs. A $36.145 billion investment in FEMA, NOAA, CCC programs—as in the Build Back Better Act—would result in an additional 266,389 direct, 124,339 indirect, and 212,171 induced jobs, a total of 602,899 jobs over 10 years.

Restoration of natural ecosystems and climate resilience go hand-in-hand. These investments can be built on and expanded to ensure that we create high-quality jobs in the restoration work and put communities first in planning and preparing for future conditions.

If we do this right, we can create high-quality jobs, and put millions of people to work building healthier and more resilient communities, implementing conservation projects with proven climate benefits, and helping communities respond to climate change.