NB Resilient

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It's been five years since we first adopted NB Resilient and a lot has changed since then! Help us decide the path forward by taking our Resilience Priorities survey.

NB Resilient is a climate action and resilience plan that sets out to ensure New Bedford is a thriving, self-sustaining community that is culturally and historically secure and is ready to implement innovative approaches to prepare for tomorrow’s possibilities. New Bedford's greatest asset is its people, and our climate action and resilience plan will have the greatest impact if everyone is involved.

We are actively working toward a more resilient New Bedford with the plan as our guide. Explore this site and keep coming back to find out how you can get involved with our different focus areas. Download the full plan below.

NB Resilient Plan

The City of New Bedford has replaced 8,000 street and traffic lights with power-saving LEDs—reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as taking 44 cars off the road for a year.

Local, state, and federal incentives like the tax rebates in the Inflation Reduction Act lower energy costs while creating good-paying jobs as America’s clean energy economy and manufacturing sectors grow. 

Trees in New Bedford prevent over 49 million gallons of stormwater from entering the streams and waterways in and around the city every year.

3,226 new trees have been planted in New Bedford since 2015, sequestering enough carbon to offset 33 homes’ electricity use for a year.

22% of New Bedford residents have low access to a grocery store and are low-income—actions from NB Resilient will increase food security and promote healthy living.

Sea levels in the Port are projected to rise 2.5 feet by 2050 under a high emission scenario, and New Bedford will be prepared.

New Bedford is home to the #1 Port in the nation based on dollar value and landing.

37% of waste was diverted from landfills in 2017—100% is the goal by 2050.

One third of New Bedford’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, which means how we choose to get around has a big impact!

Our community has a long history of industry. Some former industrial sites were left contaminated and the City is working to clean them up and promote redevelopment.

New Bedford's 20 air quality monitors are tracking real time air quality levels across the City.