The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) recently selected the first Environmental Justice for Climate (EJ4Climate) grant recipients.
The CEC’s EJ4Climate grant program supports nonprofit and nongovernmental entities in Canada, Mexico and the United States that work closely with local and Indigenous communities to foster their resilience to climate change and climate-related impacts.
“For our inaugural EJ4Climate grant cycle, we received applications from amazing projects working all across North America,” said Violaine Pronovost, CEC Grant Programs Coordinator. “The 15 winning projects address environmental justice in a diverse array of underserved and vulnerable communities in the entire region. They will have strong social and environmental impacts.”
The EJ4Climate selection committee chose 15 final projects, five per country, from over 375 proposals: 57 (15 per cent) from Canada, 144 (38 per cent) from Mexico, and 174 (47 per cent) from the United States. Each selected project included active community involvement, an emphasis on promoting partnerships, a sound implementation plan and measurable objectives and activities that could be achieved within the project life cycle.
The selected projects meet the CEC Council’s strategic objectives for this program to support model environmental initiatives that will help build long-term partnerships and promote a shared responsibility and stewardship for the environment.
Work on the selected projects will begin in February 2022 and end in February 2024.
Overview of the recipient organizations:
Canada
- Toronto Environmental Alliance, project Community-led Climate Solutions for Vertical Communities
- The Resilience Institute, project Seeding the Future – Adaptation to Climate Impacts through Healthy Ecosystems and Traditional Plants in the Piikani First Nation
- Watershed Watch Salmon Society, project Increasing the Flood Resilience of Lower Fraser First Nations Communities, While Rebuilding Damaged Salmon Habitats
- Gitga’at First Nation, project Gitga’at Seafood Safety and Food Sovereignty in the Context of Climate Change
- Sahtú Renewable Resources Board, project Dene Béré Harvesting Programs for Women and Youth
Mexico
- Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible, project Rural Women Leaders in the Adaptation to Climate Change.
- Conservación de la Naturaleza en Oaxaca A.C., project Community Mangrove Restoration and Regenerative Ecotourism
- KO´OX TANI Fundacion para el desarrollo comunitario y la inclusión social, A.C., project Women Saving to Confront Cimate Change
- Guacamayas Calentanas A.C., project Environmental Restoration Strategies to Increase Resilience in Rural Areas that are Extremely Marginalized, as well as Important for Biodiversity
- Paisajes y Personas Resilientes A.C., project Community Participation in the Development of Cimate Change Resilience Strategies for Coastal Areas
United States
- Conservation Trust for North Carolina, project Seeding Resilience in Princeville II: Community-driven Adaptation to Climate
- Native Village of Eyak, project Sustainable Ecosystems and Resilient Economies through Mariculture
- Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, project Silver City Carboneers
- Common Ground Relief, project Marsh Restoration at Grand Bayou Indian Village
- Greater Baltimore Wilderness Coalition, project Turner Station Witness Trees
To learn more about EJ4Climate, visit www.cec.org/ej4climate.
Featured image credit: istock.
