US government agencies release climate adaptation plans

More than 20 federal agencies on Thursday unveiled climate change adaptation plans that reveal the biggest threats global warming poses to their operations and facilities and suggest how they could manage them.

The plans, released by agencies such as the Departments of Energy, Defense, Agriculture, Homeland Security and Transportation, come months after President Joe Biden ordered a whole-of-government approach to combat climate change.

Weeks after taking office, the president gave agencies four months to prepare plans outlining their exposure to climate change risks and how to deal with them.

Some of the main themes of the plans involve:

• Protect workers against extreme heat episodes
• Building supply chains that are more resilient to more frequent and extreme weather disasters
• Assess the impacts of poor air quality and heat on low-income minority communities
• Better prepare government buildings for climate change.

“Agencies face a multitude of risks caused by climate change, including increased costs of maintaining and repairing infrastructure damaged by more frequent and extreme weather events, challenges for efficiency and preparedness. programs, and risks to the health and safety of federal employees who work outside, ”according to a White House backgrounder.

“By taking action now to better manage and mitigate climate risks, we will minimize disruption to federal operations, assets and programs while creating safer working conditions for employees,” the backgrounder states.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, developed a tool to provide heat data paired with local vulnerability data for emergency and public health planners to protect people from worsening episodes. of heat, said the White House.

The Energy Ministry said it will implement clear climate adaptation requirements for entrepreneurs and suppliers to use climate adaptation and resilience practices, as well as advanced research agendas. for climate technologies in national laboratories.

The Defense Department wrote that climate change poses a threat to military operations and could create new sources of conflict across the world, including conflicts over potential water shortages. The department is committed to using climate intelligence to educate military planners on where and how military installations are threatened.

The Department of Transportation wrote that climate change will make construction and travel more difficult and dangerous. He is committed to advancing greenhouse gas emission reductions in the sector and investing in more resilient infrastructure.

The ministry said it would also take environmental justice into account by assessing the disproportionate impact of climate change on poor and minority communities when designing new transport projects.

The Treasury Department said it will work to mitigate the impacts of climate-related financial risks on financial stability. It is also developing a plan to better support its supply chains, including the materials needed to produce currency and coins.

Earlier this year, Biden issued an executive order requiring the creation of a government strategy on climate change risks, as well as an annual assessment of climate-related financial risks in the US budget.

The ordinance was part of the administration’s commitment to halve national greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by mid-century.