First State Times

Faculty and staff at institutions of higher education, representatives of non-profit organizations and private sector professionals working in sustainability and environmental planning can now join state and local government employees in registering for and enrolling in the fall Delaware Climate Leadership Academy, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

Ninety state and local employees, representing 10 state agencies and five local governments, participated in the inaugural Delaware Climate Leadership Academy classes, which launched in April. Eligibility for participating in the Climate Leadership Academy has been expanded to include enrollment of non-government professionals. Curriculum is targeted toward experienced professionals with sustainability, environmental, engineering, planning, infrastructure, energy, health, agriculture, emergency management, facility and risk management backgrounds.

The Academy’s training curriculum helps participants learn how climate change is impacting the First State, how Delaware can best prepare for these challenges, and how the state can reduce emissions and improve resilience. “Every state agency, local government and business in our state is affected by climate change. Delaware’s Climate Leadership Academy has already helped a number of state and local governments prepare for climate change and begin to develop solutions,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Opening up the Academy to other professionals will further expand our abilities to identify and address the challenges of climate change across the state.”

The Academy, which is administered by DNREC in partnership with the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO), provides training that teaches participants to integrate concepts of climate change mitigation and adaptation into their professional decision-making.

The virtual training includes instruction on:

• understanding climate science and assessing vulnerability;
• the basics of greenhouse gas accounting, reporting and disclosure;
• engaging organizational and community stakeholders to lead change;
• the economics of climate change and managing climate risk in your organization.

Delaware-specific sessions include training on:

• data on temperature, precipitation, extreme weather events and sea level rise trend projections in the First State;
• minimizing emissions and utilizing initiatives already in place to achieve reductions;
• maximizing resilience, with a focus on adapting to increasing temperatures, precipitation, flooding and sea level rise.

The live, online training is administered in both daytime and evening cohorts. There is no fee for the 40-hour, two-month training. However, participants outside of government pursuing ACCO’s Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P) credential would be required to pay the CC-P application and exam fee. Those fees are waived for government employees.

The deadline to register is Oct. 24. For more information about the Academy and to register, visit de.gov/climateacademy.

Original source can be found here.