Duke Partners with States on $421 Million Effort to Reduce Carbon Emissions

A coalition of four mid-Atlantic states, The Nature Conservancy and Duke University received a $421 million federal grant on Monday for a variety of nature-based projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support the Atlantic Conservation Coalition’s conservation or restoration of more than 200,000 acres of coastal habitats, forests and farmland in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The coalition estimates the suite of projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 28 million metric tons of CO2e between 2025 and 2050, while providing numerous other benefits for local communities and ecosystems.

Experts from Duke’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability worked with the coalition partners to support development of the proposal. Going forward, the Nicholas Institute will lead reporting on the progress of the 21 coalition projects and their benefits.

“The Atlantic Conservation Coalition demonstrates how public agencies, conservation organizations and universities can collaborate to make meaningful progress on climate mitigation and adaptation,” said Lydia Olander, program director at the Nicholas Institute. Olander and senior policy associate Katie Warnell are responsible for the institute’s work in the coalition.

“As an institutional partner, Duke University brings expertise in nature-based solutions and a data-driven approach that can help ensure the coalition’s projects meet or exceed their goals,” Olander continued.

Under the grant proposal, the Nicholas Institute will create user-friendly maps and an interactive dashboard for the EPA, coalition members and the public to easily access information about the projects. Data captured by the maps and dashboard will include dollars spent, acres of land conserved or restored, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and other project benefits such as enhanced recreational opportunities. The dashboard will also highlight project benefits to low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The grant continues the Nicholas Institute’s long-standing work with North Carolina to address climate change through nature-based solutions—actions to protect, sustainably manage or restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal challenges. The effort will also tap into the Nicholas Institute’s efforts to quantify the benefits that natural resources provide, sometimes referred to as ecosystem services.

Institute experts developed numerous tools to inform the 2020 North Carolina Natural and Working Lands Action Plan and make information about the state’s forests, farms and wetlands more accessible. The plan—part of the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan—identifies opportunities for natural and working lands to sequester carbon, support ecosystem and community resilience and enhance the state’s economy. Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order in February directing state agencies to implement the plan’s recommendations.

Through the CPRG program, the EPA is investing more than $4.3 billion in community-driven solutions that tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice and accelerate the clean energy transition. The program was developed by the EPA with funding from the federal Inflation Reduction Act. The Atlantic Conservation Coalition’s grant is among the largest ever awarded by the EPA and the largest specifically for nature-based climate solutions.

“Protecting our natural lands for future generations is not only critical to our fight against climate change but also our state’s economy and tourism industries,” Cooper said in a press release. “This major award from the Biden-Harris administration will strengthen our bipartisan partnership to conserve and restore public and private lands across state lines.”