Community and economic development organizations are on the front lines of climate change—protecting housing, supporting small businesses, and strengthening local economies in communities most affected by climate risk. But these organizations are rarely resourced to do so and often lack the capacity to integrate climate into their work. What will it take to close this gap?
Join leading practitioners, researchers, funders, and field leaders working at the intersection of community and economic development and climate to explore how to support the sector in addressing climate challenges. In our first panel with state and national intermediary organizations, we will interpret and discuss findings from a recent Urban Institute survey of more than 450 community and economic development leaders on how they are approaching climate challenges and the resources and support they need to be successful. In our second panel, we will hear from local leaders from Tucson, Arizona, about how they’re embedding climate into economic development and creating new opportunities for workers and small businesses to benefit from resilience and energy-transition investments.
