Riding the Wave of Federal Action on Climate Resilience

The federal government, having hardly whispered about climate resilience and adaptation prior to 2021, has made resilience and adaptation a core issue in its broader climate strategy. In recent years, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented surge in these initiatives, signaling an inflection point in only thinking of climate change as something to mitigate. Just a few weeks ago, the DOE announced $2.2B of funding to support expanding grid capacity and resiliency, an enormous boost to building out a new wave of the nation’s transmission infrastructure. It’s the second round of funding through the $10.5B Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships program, which was “the largest ever investment in America’s grid,” according to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

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At the same time, the Biden Administration has issued new standards and directives through their National Climate Resilience Framework, such as having each agency develop Climate Adaptation Plans, developing protocols for worker safety under heat exposure, retrofitting buildings to withstand new climate hazards, and integrating climate risk tools into future federal planning and policy decision-making.

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In the energy sector, the resilience and adaptation landscape is now brimming with opportunities. We're standing on the edge of a transformative era, where these financial incentives and federal decisions can catalyze groundbreaking work in climate mitigation and adaptation. At Rhizome, we’re excited to be at the forefront of this movement, working closely with utilities, leading academic institutions, and federal agencies like the Department of Energy (DOE) to shape a sustainable, resilient, and equitable power grid for all.

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With so much happening in resilience and adaptation, how can the broader industry capitalize on the leadership of federal action? We’ve identified three key strategies that businesses, non-profits, and investors can execute to keep the pendulum swinging in the direction of greater resilience to climate change.

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1. Collaborate and Build Partnerships

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The complexity of climate challenges demands a collective approach. Success lies in pooling resources and expertise from diverse stakeholders. By forming strong partnerships, we can leverage the strengths of various organizations to drive innovation, ensure effective implementation, and build compelling proposals for federal funding.  

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In the energy sector, EPRI has been leading on climate resilience and adaptation through Climate READi, an initiative funded by fifty of their utility members with an Advisory Group made up of a diverse array of climate resilience practitioners –– like Rhizome!

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Broadly, we’ve found that national labs, universities, engineering firms, and nonprofits are all seeking trusted partners to make progress in resilience action.

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2. Track Progress

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Data is one of the most powerful tools we have in this endeavor. Continuous monitoring of risk and resilience benefits are essential to assess the effectiveness of our initiatives and to make informed adjustments along the way.

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While resilience metrics may vary from action-to-action, organization-to-organization, publicly speaking about quantitative impacts on climate resilience is a start.

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3. Share Learnings

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The federal government is investing heavily in these initiatives because they recognize the high stakes involved. With no clear precedent, there’s inherent risk—and sharing our learnings is crucial to mitigate that risk. By disseminating our insights, we can help others navigate similar challenges and accelerate collective progress. At Rhizome, we offer a few means of our insights:

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• This Blog: To share insights, challenges, and successes from our learnings across the industry.
• Newsletter: To keep our stakeholders informed and engaged on the latest product features and developments in a growing climate resilience organization.  

At Rhizome, we’re committed to not only contributing to these efforts but also ensuring that the knowledge we gain is accessible to all. Together, we can pave the way for a future where our power grid is not just resilient and sustainable but also a source of pride for our communities and a model for the nation.

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