New Haven, CT – Climate change is threatening so much of what we hold dear in this region, and state policy does not yet reflect the urgency of the moment. This summer, torrential rain flooded parts of southwestern Connecticut, Long Island, and New York City, destroying homes and fracturing vital transportation infrastructure while record-setting heat waves, tornadoes, and hailstorms swept the region. The incoming presidential administration has signaled a recommitment to fossil fuels at the federal level, making the need for state leadership on climate action stronger than ever.
That’s why Save the Sound is proud to announce the launch of its new Henry L. and Grace Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute, a place-based climate change hub for individuals, communities, and decision-makers. Focused on policy and science, institute staff will use newly generated data and metrics to educate the public, mobilize stakeholders, and deploy the nature-based solutions necessary to cut climate pollution, protect our habitats, and stabilize our shorelines.
“Through the generosity of the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc., Save the Sound’s new Institute will use the power of people and science to transform communities, shorelines, and rivers affected by the increasingly evident impacts of climate change,” says Laura Wildman, Vice President of Ecological Action at Save the Sound.
The priorities of the Doherty Institute include:
Advancing Climate Science
- Hosting a new and nationally groundbreaking effort to gather and interpret data on water-related climate change conditions.
- Building stakeholder consensus on ocean acidification parameters so that we can start measuring coastal acidification in Long Island Sound.
- Developing a Long Island Sound Climate and Resilience Report Card.
- Building resilience by expanding our ability to engineer and construct on-the-ground projects that limit water pollution and protect neighborhoods throughout New York and Connecticut.
Building Public Demand for Climate Action
- Creating and executing a compelling climate change education and awareness campaign.
- Fostering external stakeholder connections and collaboration through the 50-member-and-growing CT Coalition for Climate Action.
- Partnering with allies in New York to expand Long Island Sound climate resilience communications strategies.
Winning Policy Change
- Adding advocacy staff capacity in New York and Connecticut to shape legislative and administrative policies that stop greenhouse gas emissions, and to mobilize campaigns to adopt these policies.
- Assessing Connecticut’s progress following through on climate-related legislation and executive orders.
- Using the assessment to support new policies and funding proposals for Connecticut’s 2025-27 biennial state budget to reduce emissions and improve resilience.
The Institute was created thanks to a gift from the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc., whose half-a-million in seed funding will expand our capacity to accelerate climate change awareness, win policy measures that reduce climate pollution, share science that demonstrates the impacts of climate change, and implement nature-based solutions that will protect ecosystems and neighborhoods.
“The impact of climate change on different ecosystems can vary tremendously. Understanding these differences and the greater threats they pose for Long Island Sound is critical as we hope to mitigate the worst effects of a warming climate,” says James R. Billingsley, Jr. of the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation, Inc.
To kickstart the Doherty Institute’s work, Save the Sound hired two new staff members, Scott Redfern, Senior Manager of the Doherty Climate & Resilience Institute, and Julianna McVeigh, Climate and Resilience Campaigns Manager.
“Save the Sound has been defending Long Island Sound and its watersheds from the effects of climate change for many years and in many different ways,” Redfern says. “The creation of the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Climate and Resilience Institute at Save the Sound enables us to deliver our vision of becoming a groundbreaking regional leader in tracking conditions that result from climate change, implementing nature-based solutions, and sharing our work to increase the public demand that effects change. I’m excited to be a part of building this amazing new institute at Save the Sound!”
Learn more about the new Doherty Institute here.
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