Rockefeller Foundation to aid South Florida in climate fight

Miami-Dade County and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach on Wednesday were named to a global network of cities struggling to become more resilient in the face of climate change.

Backed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the network includes 23 cities across the U.S. including New York City, Boston and Norfolk. The project, called 100 Resilient Cities, provides money to pay for a chief resilience officer with access to the organization's technology and bank of experts.

Miami-Dade and Miami Beach have already hired resiliency officers. Miami plans on hiring someone.

Calling greater Miami ground zero for sea level rise, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said the project will help the city continue making progress on addressing its aging infrastructure and financial future. For the region to succeed, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said collaboration is critical.

“Taking action is key for us, because the decisions that we make today will have a long-lasting impact on future generations, both locally and globally,” he said in a statement.

The three were selected from 325 applicants for demonstrating a commitment to becoming more resilient, even though locally Miami and Miami-Dade have been criticized for being slow to act. The Rockefeller Foundation launched the project in 2013 with 32 cities around the globe. So far, 20 have pledged to spend 10 percent of their budgets on initiatives.

“Cities like Miami demonstrate why building resilience is so important,” Rockefeller COO Peter Madonia said in a statement. “By looking at all of these factors together, and coordinating the collective energy and resources of local stakeholders and nonprofit actors like The Rockefeller Foundation and 100RC, we can achieve sustainable change.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Rockefeller Foundation to aid South Florida in climate fight."