WASHINGTON, D.C. — Natural climate solutions offer an opportunity to put Americans back to work during the COVID-19 public health crisis and to make communities more resilient to future disasters, including climate-fueled hurricanes, storms, floods, and fires. The National Wildlife Federation unveiled a new policy platform today that highlights the clear jobs and environmental benefits of robust investments in projects across the country to protect lives, invest in working families, and naturally sequester carbon to address the changing climate.

“As Congress works to stave off a COVID-19 depression, we can create millions of jobs restoring America’s natural resources,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Natural climate solutions are proven effective at both sequestering emissions and bolstering the resilience of local communities from extreme weather events, while also providing essential habitat for wildlife. By prioritizing investments in ecosystem restoration and land reclamation, Congress could accelerate our national economic recovery, while making a sizable down-payment on protecting communities from climate-fueled storms, floods, and fires and moving us closer to a net-zero emission future.”

The National Wildlife Federation’s Natural Climate Solutions platform recommends federal policies to cut land sector carbon dioxide emissions while supporting American jobs and restoring our natural environment and vital wildlife habitat. These solutions include establishing living shorelines, investing in ecologically appropriate reforestation and forest resilience, and supporting the use of cover crops on working lands.