Keeling Curve

Primary Project Category:

Secondary Project Category:

Project Summary / Description:

The Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI) was founded by Indiana University (IU) to address the grand challenge of climate change facing our state and beyond. ERI prepares Indiana‚ communities and residents to adapt and thrive amid environmental change through research and implementation in the areas of greenhouse gas emissions reduction, wildlife and natural systems health, agriculture, education, local government, public attitudes, and communication. The purpose of ERI‚ Resilience Cohort program‚Äìthe topic of this application‚Äìis to provide local governments in Indiana with the knowledge, resources, and capacity they need to measure, manage, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Regions of Operations:

Best Estimate of GHG Avoidance/Reduction of This Project (Tonnes CO2 Equivalent/Year):

Sustainable Development Goals:

Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

ERI‚ implementation work puts local government leadership at the helm, steering their own communities‚ response to climate change. Many of these communities are unlikely actors from rural and/or conservative parts of the state, yet their participation empowers them to become leaders in a movement where they are currently underrepresented and unexpected. These local leaders in a mostly rural/suburban, conservative state face the weighty challenge of adapting messages of climate change and resilience to appeal to a population not generally inclined to be involved in the climate movement. Rural communities that rely on agriculture are greatly affected by climate change, as a 2020 study by the USDA found. Climate change threatens both the economies of these small towns and this industry that generates more than $30 billion for Indiana and utilizes 64% of the state‚ land area. States like Indiana are underrepresented in pursuing solutions to climate change, yet are highly vulnerable to its effects. 

According to the Climate and Health Report from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Indiana is among the states least prepared for the impacts of climate change. To ERI, this represents enormous potential for Indiana to make great strides in reducing emissions. The politicization of climate science inhibits resilience work in Indiana and requires experts who are adept at navigating this complex reality. Despite such barriers to engaging residents, ERI has successfully engaged local governments of all political persuasions, especially through the Resilience Cohort. 

ERI attracts participation in the Resilience Cohort program by offering local governments the option to host a full-time summer climate fellow, paid through external grant support, to provide additional staff capacity. The Climate Fellows program is offered through IU and pulls many students from the University‚ top-ranked public administration and environmental policy programs at the O‚ Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The Resilience Cohort program provides on-the-job training to local government staff and their climate fellows, equipping young adults and civil servants with tools they can use to act on climate change. 

Additionally, program offerings are expanding in 2021 to include equity coaches for all local governments and climate fellows developing and implementing climate action plans. An environmental racism training component was added in 2020 to provide context for participants to address injustices in their climate work. 

Cities that have joined the Resilience Cohort program are diverse, from Evansville on the southern border, which is among the most conservative cities in the state and 79% white, to Gary in the north, a city whose population is 79% Black and is well documented as one of the most polluted communities in the country. Other participants, such as Goshen and Elkhart, have large immigrant and Latino populations (27.6% and 24.6%, respectively). This equity work is critical in every community in Indiana, regardless of racial or socioeconomic makeup.

Sub-Categories: