US Governors Push Budget To Combat Climate Change as Blizzard Threatens the South

United States governors aim to boost spending on climate change programs and to address the impact of severe weather conditions like floods and wildfires.

Governors Gavin Newsom of California and Jay Inslee of Washington have expressed their intention to allot more of their funds to promote clean energy like solar power and expand access to electric vehicles.

Governors in Republican-led states want to protect populations from the onslaught of wildfires, drought, and other extreme weather conditions. However, many of them refuse to relate such expenditure to global warming, as per the Associated Press report.

Idaho Governor Brad Little proposed a $150 million budget for fire-fighting programs and additional fire personnel. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey proposed $1 billion for water infrastructure projects for cities and farms.

South Carolina Governor Henry Mc Master has urged lawmakers to allot $300 million of government funds for projects to protect the coastline against flooding, erosion, and typhoon damage.

Budget Allocated To Combat Increasing Climate Change Impact

Several more governors are expected to submit their proposals on how to spend government funds in the coming weeks, at a point in time when many states are generating increased budget surpluses, as well as the damaging outcomes of shifting weather patterns becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

In December, the West experienced a wildfire that ripped through Colorado. A violent tornado has ravaged Kentucky in the same month, while more than 20 hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast last year.

Governor Inslee believes that there is a need to take an aggressive approach to combat climate change as it is something that he and fellow US governors are dealing with "almost on a weekly" basis.

"The climate crisis is not an abstraction," the Democrat governor said.

US President Joe Biden's $2 trillion social and environmental policies packages have stagnated in Congress, putting more federal funding for climate change initiatives in question. During the administration of former Republican President Donald Trump, states, largely run by Democrats, played a prominent part in advancing climate policies.

US Braces For Blizzard, Winter Storm

Meanwhile, governors of several states have declared states of emergency ahead of a massive winter storm that threatens around 74 million residents of the United States, as per CNN.

In Virginia, outgoing Governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency and advised the public to take the approaching blizzard seriously. Earlier this month, thousands of motorists got trapped on congested highways in Virginia.

In North Carolina, reports say that supplies of essential goods, including milk and bread, are running low.

On Friday, the winter storm, moving fast, had already dropped heavy snow across a large area of the Midwest, which resulted in terrible travel conditions and prompted the authorities to close schools.

According to National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Smal, The Des Moines airport has more than 14 inches of snow, and a large section of central and southern Iowa has around one foot of snow, as per NBC.

The National Weather Service has issued an advisory on Twitter indicating that warnings are now in effect in further south.

"The incoming winter storm is still on track, with parts of the Carolinas expecting all types of winter precipitation. Winter Storm and Ice Storm Warnings are now in effect, and Winter Storm Watches have been issued further south to include the Columbia Area," the NWS said in a tweet.

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Virginia, United States, Climate change, Democrats, Republicans, National weather service