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LOS ANGELES, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Recent Trump Administration funding cuts pulled funding from small communities trying to protect their communities from natural disasters. Natural disaster survival from hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and heatwaves has become a top priority for countless US communities that rely on federal funding for their climate action plan, in particular farmers.
Tim Magee
Executive Director
Center for Sustainable Development
The government also removed climate change webpages from USDA websites that contained planning tools and funding information that farmers and small towns confronting these natural disasters needed to plan changes. The missing information included how rural areas could mitigate these hazards and how farmers could adapt to a changing climate by using climate smart agriculture techniques. Without funding or federal guidance to help protect themselves from a changing climate, communities could potentially incur more deaths and higher repair costs after surprise climate events.
In an effort to mitigate the loss of federal funding and data, Climate experts such as the Executive Director Tim Magee at Center for Sustainable Development (CSDi) are offering training programs to community members, small-town governments, and nonprofits to help their climate investment funds go further. Magee shared, “When communities are facing funding cuts, they can learn how to encourage community engagement by developing a community-led disaster preparedness program. If they had their funding frozen for hiring an emergency management consultant, they could enroll in our online training program designed to help communities launch these emergency action plans on their own.”
Magee has been helping rural communities, including indigenous communities and farming communities, to develop climate action plans for the past 16 years. In his new course, ‘How to Write a Climate Action Plan,’ he shares affordable solutions to common problems when communities are facing funding shortages in this era of climate change.
One farmer, Astrid Grigsby-Schulte, of the 1,470-person-strong town of Lindside, West Virginia, said, “Our farming community suffered from a prolonged drought last year. Now, this February, we just experienced a major flood.” After taking one of the online courses offered by CSDi, she is currently working with fellow farmers to create a climate action plan for their community. According to a recent USDA report, there are 1,626,608 small farms in the US just like the farm owned by Grisby-Schulte that are particularly reliant on frozen federal funds.
Hurricanes have also been a major factor for emergency planning. According to FEMA, 84% of hurricane-prone communities still haven’t developed a critical level of community engagement necessary for effective hurricane preparedness. This prompted CSDi to create the guide “How to Prepare for a Hurricane,” which shares how small towns can organize community engagement in the hurricane preparation process. According to the guide, advanced preparation can reduce harm to community members and avoid food/water supply chain issues after a climate event.
“Never underestimate the power of your fellow community members for reducing the cost of climate projects,” continued Magee. “If you have a well-researched climate action plan that is tailored for your community, you can make up for funding shortages by encouraging the collaborative efforts of your neighbors using field-tested climate change solutions.”
About Center for Sustainable Development (CSDi): Since 2008, CSDi has served as a nonprofit training center offering online courses, field workshops, and mentored training programs to over 5000 nonprofit professionals from 1000+ organizations in 154 countries.
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G. K. Hunter
Kindred House Media
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https://gkhunter.com/kindred-house-media/
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CSDi Helps Towns With Climate Action Plans During New Trump Policies
Tim Magee is an internationally recognized climate scientist, researcher, mentor, and trainer who has over 15 years of experience in designing climate change action plans. Mr. Magee is CSDi’s Executive Director, and the author of A Field Guide to Community Based Adaptation, Routledge, Oxford, England.
A Climate Action Plan is a framework document used by organizations, communities, and cities to measure, track, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts. It outlines strategies and actions to mitigate and adapt to local climate effects, often including targets for emissions reduction and resilience strategies[1][2].
Climate Action Plans are necessary because they help communities prepare for and respond to climate change impacts, which are worsening over time. These plans ensure that communities can adapt to sudden and gradual climate-fueled changes while reducing emissions[3].
– **Emissions Reduction Targets**: Specific goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
– **Adaptation Strategies**: Measures to prepare for and respond to climate-related risks.
– **Sectoral Focus Areas**: Such as transportation, energy, buildings, and agriculture.
– **Community Engagement**: Involvement of residents and stakeholders in planning and implementation[1][2].
Climate Action Plans are developed through collaborative efforts involving local governments, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. They are implemented through a series of actions and projects that are regularly monitored and updated to ensure progress toward set goals[2][3].
Most Climate Action Plans are not legally enforceable but serve as guiding documents for implementing climate policies and actions. Their effectiveness depends on the commitment of the implementing bodies to execute the outlined strategies[1].
Individuals can contribute by:
– Participating in community engagement activities.
– Implementing personal actions to reduce emissions (e.g., using public transport, reducing energy consumption).
– Supporting local climate initiatives and policies[2][6].
Climate Action Plans are typically updated regularly, often every few years, to reflect new data, changing climate conditions, and progress toward goals. They are considered living documents that evolve with community needs and climate science[3].
[1] https://climatecheck.com/risks/mitigation/what-is-a-climate-action-plan
[2] https://www.edinamn.gov/FAQ.aspx?QID=920
[3] https://www.como.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Columbia-CAAP-FAQs.pdf
[4] https://www.epa.gov/climatechange-science/frequently-asked-questions-about-climate-change
[5] https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climatechange/frequently-asked-questions-about-climate-change
[6] https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-priorities/tackle-climate-change/climate-change-stories/climate-change-frequently-asked-questions/
[7] https://www.climateaction100.org/frequently-asked-questions/
[8] https://theinvestoragenda.org/icaps-faqs/
Copyright © 2008-2025, Center for Sustainable Development, Inc. All rights reserved. CSDi is a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that specializes in providing sound, evidence-based information, tools and training for climate change and sustainable development for development and nonprofit professionals worldwide. Visit our training catalogue.