Maryland’s Gov. Larry Hogan recently announced the Climate Leadership Academy, an initiative to instruct local governments on how to better plan and prepare for climate change. Academy sessions will not only train mayors and town councils about how to prepare their communities for climate change but also business leaders and others. “Under Governor Larry Hogan’s strong and independent leadership, Maryland is well-equipped to lead the country in driving creative, innovative and successful strategies aimed at addressing anticipated climate change-related impacts on our businesses, citizens and communities,” said Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton. “Through the Climate Leadership Academy, we will support locally-designed and led efforts and initiative by providing a forum for community leaders to build their own capacity, convene with their peers and partners, and share best practices and results.”
Maryland’s climate academy would attempt to:
- Align climate action with economic development
- Advance statewide preparedness and resilience
- Scale up clean energy development and consumption
- Engage the public to build better understanding of the threats of climate change
- Develop goals and implementation strategies
- Provide support for local action
- Share and aggregate community and staff resources
- Train stakeholders to institutionalize clean energy and climate preparedness into critical decision-making roles
The state-sponsored academy is believed to be the first like it in the nation.