New Orleans Joins Innovative Program to Address Climate Resilience and Social Inequities

The North America Climate Resilience Program has announced that New Orleans has joined the program as a "Champion City."

Established in 2021, the program is designed to strengthen climate resilience and help address social inequities in communities where existing stresses combined with growing climate shocks makes them even more vulnerable. The program focuses on two "Action Cities," Houston and Boston, where it is working with community leaders to provide diagnostic support on analysis of the challenges, tools to measure community resilience, project resources and, ultimately, funds to implement solutions that will incorporate a holistic approach to resilience and social equity.

As a "Champion City," New Orleans will work alongside the "Action Cities," sharing experiences and best practices and helping to develop solutions that can be implemented in New Orleans and other cities facing similar climate-related challenges. New Orleans will benefit from local community site visits and tool testing and contribute with the other cities to the learning and implementation over the coming years.

"The City of New Orleans is excited to officially join the North America Climate Resilience Program as a ’Champion City,’" said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. "It is critical for cities to be incubators for change, innovation, and resiliency, and it is vital that we have a holistic, multifaceted approach to building more resilient infrastructure. We are at a consequential time in the history of our planet, country, and New Orleans. I am confident that through this initiative, we will continue to come together with other cities to build a better future for those who inhabit this planet in the centuries to come."

The North America Climate Resilience Program is a collaboration between Zurich North America, Resilient Cities Network and the Z Zurich Foundation, which provided the initial funding. Zurich North America will help administer the overarching program with Resilient Cities Network, which will identify neighborhoods, convene community and government partners, and deploy its Resilient Community Impact Fund to catalyze direct funding support into projects.

"Zurich has been a supporter of the City of New Orleans for a long time—long before we became the title sponsor of the Zurich Classic golf tournament in 2005," said Brandon Fick, Chief Underwriting Officer for Zurich North America and Zurich’s Executive Sponsor for the North America Climate Resilience Program. "So, we’re pleased that New Orleans will be joining us on this important mission to address climate risk and build resilience, especially for the most vulnerable communities."

The North America Climate Resilience Program is actively seeking additional investors to fund the work to be done in these communities.

"The North America Climate Resilience Program embraces the role and the voice of the community—many of which are the hardest hit by the growing climate challenges and burdened by long-standing inequities," said Laurian Farrell, Regional Director for North America, Resilient Cities Network, and lead for the program with Zurich. "When we bring in these voices in New Orleans and elsewhere, we can design and implement resilience solutions is the best way possible, as well as bring in much needed catalytic funding."

For inquiries about the Resilient Community Impact Fund and further information, please contact Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, RCIFund project director, Resilient Cities Network, at RCIFund@resilientcitiesnetwork.org, or Andrea Davis, Regional Engagement Manager for the Z Zurich Foundation, at andrea.davis@zurichna.com, and visit the RCIFund landing page here.