Federal Task Force says Americans Must Prepare for the "Inevitable Effects" of Climate Change

"People are already feeling the impacts of climate change and future changes are inevitable," says a report released today (14 October 2010) by a Federal Task Force on climate change adaptation coordinated by the White House.  The report says that "it is becoming ever more urgent to understand and prepare" for climate change impacts, and outlines steps the Administration can take to respond to those growing impacts of climate disruption.

Shere Abbott, Associate Director for Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said in a press release that the report “makes plain that adaptation, and not just mitigation [i.e. reducing net greenhouse gas emissions], is absolutely necessary if we are to avoid the worst consequences of global climate change, and it outlines a course of action that will put that part of our Nation's response on track to succeed.”

The Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy [PDF], listed the following policy goals and recommended actions for the Federal government:   

1. "Encourage and Mainstream Adaptation Planning across the Federal Government – Climate change will challenge the mission, operations, and programs of nearly every Federal agency.  Ensuring that the Federal Government has the capacity to execute its missions and maintain important services in the face of climate change is essential."
2. "Improve Integration of Science into Decision Making – Access to integrated, interdisciplinary science is critical to understanding potential climate change impacts, and informing the development, implementation and evaluation of response strategies."
3. "Address Key Cross‐Cutting Issues – The breadth of certain climate change impacts creates challenges that cut across the jurisdictions and missions of individual Federal agencies.  Addressing these issues will require a collaborative approach along with coordination and partnerships at the local, state, Tribal, and regional levels. The Task Force focused on an initial set of cross‐cutting issues and recommends the following actions":

• "Improve water resource management in a changing climate"
• "Protect human health by addressing climate change in public health activities"
• "Build resilience to climate change in communities"
• "Facilitate the incorporation of climate change risks into insurance mechanisms"
• "Develop a strategic action plan focused on strengthening the resilience of coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes communities and ecosystems to climate change"
• "Develop a strategy for reducing the impacts of climate change on the Nation’s fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitats"

4. "Enhance Efforts to Lead and Support International Adaptation – Climate change poses risks and opportunities that are important to many of the U.S. Government’s international development, security, and diplomatic priorities. Climate change adaptation should be a core consideration in the design and implementation of U.S. foreign assistance activities. Agencies should enhance collaboration to support international adaptation objectives."

5. Coordinate Capabilities of the Federal Government to Support Adaptation – The Federal Government should improve coordination of its science, services, and assessments to better support stakeholders.

International Adaptation: An Opportunity for U.S. Leadership

Given the imminent meeting of the parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Cancun, Mexico (29 November to 10 December 2010), the international adaptation recommendation is of immediate importance and relevance.  The report says:

"Climate change vulnerability is increasingly a political priority for many developing countries, a trend that is likely to continue as climate impacts become more acute. Adaptation is a key component of the December 2009 Copenhagen Accord and will continue to be an integral part of the global climate change negotiations. The United States has an opportunity to provide leadership for this emerging development and foreign policy issue. The Administration has placed renewed emphasis on climate change in its foreign assistance programs, and is working to integrate climate adaptation planning into a range of relevant development activities. Adaptation is one of three core `pillars' of the Administration’s international climate budget."

The report specifically recommends that the U.S. Federal government

• "Develop a Government‐wide strategy to support multilateral and bilateral adaptation activities and integrate adaptation into relevant U.S. foreign assistance programs."
• "Enhance collaboration on adaptation among international development, national security, and technical support agencies."
• "Engage global development partners and the private sector to promote knowledge sharing and coordinate investments."

Importance of U.S. Climate Change Preparedness Echoed by Other Reports

The report comes on the heels of a report to the White House from the National Climate Adaptation Summit Committee on 13 September 2010.  In its report [PDF], released publicly on 29 September 2010, the committee said "[t]he United States’ response to climate change must include adaptation as well as mitigation." Among its top recommendations are:

• "Developing an overarching national strategy to guide federal climate change adaptation programs. This strategy should establish agency roles, clear goals and metrics, and better mechanisms for coordinating federal and non-federal activities."
• "Improving coordination of federal plans and programs. Strong management from the executive branch is needed to break down barriers, integrate planning, move funding into the highest priority areas, and maintain priorities across the multitude of involved agencies. "

"Wise adaptation measures can protect our citizens, communities, and ecosystems from many negative consequences of climate change," said Rosina Bierbaum, a member of the summit committee and Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan in a press release on 29 September.  "But we need to act now," she added.

Earlier this year, on 30 April 2010, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change similarly highlighted the importance of mobilizing Americans and the government towards climate change preparedness in its report,  Adapting to Climate Change: A Call for Federal Leadership.  See our blog posting, Group Calls Upon Federal Government to Lead U.S. Preparations for Climate Change Impacts (30 April 2010). 

Online Resources

Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy [PDF].  Report from the Council on Environmental Quality, October 5, 2010. See also Obama Administration Officials Release Progress Report on Work of Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, Press release (14 October 2010) from the Council on Environmental Quality.

National Climate Adaptation Summit [PDF].  Report of the National Climate Adaptation Summit Committee, submitted to John Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on 13 September 2010.  See also:

• United States Must Take Steps to Adapt to Climate Change, Report States [PDF].  Press release (29 September 2010) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research / University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.
• Webcast of summit report release.

WWF Climate Change Blog

• Big Ideas in a Little Book on "Preparing for Climate Change." 12 Oct 2010.
• In Rolling Stone Interview, Obama Says "We're Going to Have to Mobilize" on Climate Change.  11 Oct 2010.
• Group Calls Upon Federal Government to Lead U.S. Preparations for Climate Change Impacts.   30 April 2010.