Report details federal action to address climate change risks, impact

Silvio Marcacci in CleanTechnica has a useful summary: While the need and best way to reduce carbon emissions is still (obtusely) being debated in Congress, the federal government has begun a widespread effort to detail and respond to the long-term risks posed to the U.S. by climate change.

These findings are put forward by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) in an updated report, “Climate Change Adaptation: What Federal Agencies Are Doing.” The report details efforts by federal agencies to analyze climate change impacts on their respective missions and operations, commit each agency to adaptation planning, and prepare a climate adaptation plan by June 2012.

The Obama Administration’s Executive Order 13514, which aims to reduce the federal government’s emissions 28 percent by 2020, is the primary driver for these efforts. While the order was announced in 2010, C2ES notes federal activities to respond to climate change have doubled since their first report on the topic in April 2010.

Even though federal actions will have an environmental impact, they also make economic sense, according to Steve Seidel, senior advisor at C2ES: "Federal agencies are under growing pressure to reduce costs, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and make certain the public is getting a good return on the tax dollars they invest in government. In the context of climate change, federal agencies are reviewing the programs they operate and the facilities and resources they manage to identify cost-effective steps to minimize their vulnerability and enhance their resilience to increased risks of extreme weather and a changing climate. With our nation having experienced a record number of extreme weather events last year, each causing economic damages exceeding $1 billion, it’s both common sense and smart fiscal policy to analyze and minimize the vulnerability of federal assets to extreme weather and climate impacts."...

Greene County, TN, September 4, 2001 -- Community relations teams from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and FEMA discuss disaster assistance with a Tennessee family flooded out of their home. Photo by Jason Pack/ FEMA News Photo