How Federal Agency Plans Address Vulnerabilities
Explore below for summaries of federal agency adaptation plan strategies by category. You can read agency adaptation plans in their entirety at GlobalChange.gov
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- Factor Resiliency into Economic Development Investment Decisions. DOC’s Economic Development Administration will finalize internal guidance on how to factor resiliency, including resiliency to the effects of climate change, into its grant-making investment decisions.
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- Integrate Climate Considerations into Programs, Operations, Plans and Processes. Integrate climate change into existing management processes by reviewing and, as needed, revising existing plans, policies, programs, and operations to incorporate climate change considerations. Includes: how the Department plans and executes operations; its training and testing plans; the DoD sustainable range program; decisions on Future Base Realignment and Closures and stationing; processes pertaining to the health of personnel; and the many policy, planning, and guidance documents pertaining to the built and natural infrastructure, acquisition, and the supply chain.
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- Climate Change Revision to Documents. Identify DOE program and site-specific planning documents and guidance that should be developed or updated to improve climate change resiliency.
- Continuity of Operations Planning and Policy. Update the DOE Departmental Continuity of Operations Plan to include considerations of climate change resilience.
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- Adaptation Part of Employee Performance Plans. Ensure accountability for implementing adaptation actions by including adaption in Employee Performance Plans for those staff responsible for implementing actions from the DHS Climate Action Plan.
- Incorporate Climate Change Considerations into Policies, Programs, Planning, Operations. The Climate Change Adaptation Executive Steering Committee will ensure that all components are adapting climate change into their planning and programs. A workgroup will be established to work with the White House on EO 13653.
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- HUD Environmental Review Online System. Require the system for all HUD programs, subject to environmental review requirements, and identity areas for policy and guidance development, and future enhancements relevant for climate adaptation.
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- Bureau of Reclamation Climate Adaptation Policy. Develop a Bureau of Reclamation Climate Adaptation Policy in response to the Department’s Climate Change Adaptation Policy.
- Conservation Adaption Goals and Resilient Landscape Designs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work through the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and with the Climate Science Centers, develop shared climate change adaptation goals with conservation partners, and develop resilient landscape designs to guide conservation efforts.
- Consider Carbon Storage Policy. Consider incorporating a formal policy requirement for DOI bureaus to incorporate carbon storage as an explicit element of resource management plans.
- Facilitating Pooling of Resources Across Bureaus. Work with the Department’s bureaus and partner agencies to identify opportunities for pooling resources.
- Incorporate Climate Science into Bureau of Ocean Energy Environmental Studies Program. Incorporate climate science into Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s Environmental Studies Program research that enhances our understanding of actions and impacts related to climate change.
- State Wildlife Grants Program. Explore opportunities to further integrate climate change adaptation into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service State Wildlife Grants Program..
- Streamlining Land Acquisition Procedures. Examine the Department’s implementation of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other land acquisition mechanisms to identify opportunities to develop streamlined procedures.
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- Assess Budgetary Implications of Climate-Related Impacts. Assess budgetary implications of climate related impacts and evaluate whether DOJ funding, investment, or purchasing programs increase its vulnerability to climate change or fail to promote climate-resilient investments by states, local communities, or Indian tribes. Estimate the fiscal resources that may be diverted to address climate change risks.
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- Information Technology Modernization. Implement new information technology initiatives to ensure greater flexibility in the ability to perform work outside of the physical office including. These include: cloud email, virtual desktop infrastructure, and cloud storage/collaboration. DOL is also working to update and increase the availability and flexibility of collaborative tools DOL agencies need to perform their missions.
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- Update the Critical Infrastructure Security and Resiliency Plan. Incorporate a program element related to episodic severe weather in the next periodic update of the State Department Critical Infrastructure Security and Resiliency plan, to help identify and reduce vulnerabilities using risk-based decision logic.
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- Identify Science Needs. EPA’s Office of Research and Development will coordinate an effort to identify priority research needs for the entire agency to support the integration of adaptation planning into EPA’s activities.
- Implement Plans at Regional and Program Levels. EPA’s National Environmental Program Offices and the ten Regional Offices will implement the adaptation implementation plans they have already developed, detailing how they will integrate climate adaptation into their work, and help address the EPA-wide actions identified above.
- Incorporate Climate Change into EPA Rulemaking Processes. Integrate climate change trend and scenario information into five EPA rulemaking processes to help ensure the rules are effective as the climate changes. EPA will enhance the ability of rule makers to address the implications of climate change through updates to its Action Development Process, which EPA developed to guide the Agency’s rulemaking activities. This action will involve identifying process points where climate change adaptation considerations need to be considered, and providing rule writers with training and guidance.
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- Improve Telework Efficiency. FTC is implementing a more robust telework solution to provide employees with greater access to programs as well as an increased number of employees that can log onto the system at the same time. FTC is investigating cloud backups and cloud program access to provide greater redundancy in the event that the primary servers are compromised, and to increase employee access to data and programs.
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- Incorporate Adaption into Agency Contracts. GSA is now incorporating and will continue to incorporate climate change adaptation, resilience, and preparedness factors into relevant contracts relating to facilities, products, and services.
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- Incorporate Climate Risks into Decision-Making and Planning. Continue using a top-down/bottom-up approach to managing climate risks, where leadership is in charge of policy coordination and resourcing, and local participation supplies the site-specific knowledge needed to more fully identify vulnerabilities, vet the viability of potential adaptation approaches, and incorporate sustainability principles into adaptation strategies.
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- Review and Revise Emergency Management and Safety Plans. Review current NARA protocols, practices and programs to identify immediate adjustments to alleviate or reduce climate change risk. Where adjustments to current protocols and practices will not sufficiently address risk, NARA will develop and implement more substantial actions in its programs.
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- Consider Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in Plans and Initiatives. NCPC will consider climate adaptation strategies when preparing plans and initiatives that address current planning needs of the Federal Government in the National Capital Region.
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- Follow the Next Update of the Northern Virginia Hazard Mitigation Plan. NSF Headquarters emergency management is based on hazard assessments that use the Northern Virginia Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. This Plan is updated every five years, with the last version finalized in December 2011. When the next version is published, NSF will follow any climate change guidelines contained in the plan.
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- Track Costs of Climate Change. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer will create a tracking mechanism to better understand the cost of climate change on Peace Corps operations.
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- Annual Updates to Pertinent Plans. Continue updating and implementing SBA’s Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Plan, and Continuity of Operations Planning, based on assessments of changes to the operational environment. Coordinate processes with federal guidance and protocols for preparedness, such as the National Response Framework and National Disaster Recovery Framework.
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- Issue the First Location-Specific Smithsonian Institution Plan. The plan will address the operating environment and activities of the Smithsonian and all of its units, requiring that all parts of the Institution prepare for and adjust to the impacts of climate change on facilities, infrastructure, training, programs, capabilities, and operations. It will also produce guidance on near-term adaptation actions to be taken.
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- Incorporate Adaptation into Existing Headquarters Contingency Planning. Revise existing headquarters emergency contingency plan(s), as needed, to incorporate climate change considerations.
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- Internal Adaptation Investment/Action Barrier Assessment. Identify significant adaptation investment/action barriers that discourage investments or other actions to increase resilience to climate change.
- Internal High Level Agency Funding Assessment. Identify significant internal funding barriers that may, perhaps unintentionally, increase vulnerability.
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- Procurement and Project Approval Documents. Provide stock language on climate change for voluntary inclusion in procurement and project approval documents.
- Procurement Award Requirements. Explore requiring the award documents for certain types of projects to include assessing and addressing climate change risks.
- USAID Mission Program Design. Explore developing a tool to screen climate risks, to ensure that Mission programs address climate risks early during the design stage.
- Vulnerability Assessment Procurement. Develop central funding mechanism for climate vulnerability assessments.
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- Connectivity to Support Remote Critical Personnel. Ensure critical personnel have sufficient network connectivity to support systems from a remote location, if an individual’s main office is closed.
- Include Climate as Risk Component for Major Investments. Include climate evaluations in proposals brought to Investment Review or other major decision-making processes to ensure that climate is considered as a risk component for major investments including facilities, equipment, programs, and the fleet.
- Include Climate in Decisions on Network Operations Facilities. Ensure that climate-related forecasts and impact projections are included in the formal assessment of decisions to close, open, expand, or change functions for network operations facilities.
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- Assess Impacts and Vulnerabilities. Identify key climate change impacts and vulnerabilities for operations and assets on both campuses.
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- Field Office Adaptation Plan. Expand the adaptation plan covering headquarters to include the three field offices.
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- Assess the Vulnerability of Leased Facilities. Identify the Department’s leased properties with the highest climate change risks, including the risks associated with the geographic location of the assets.
- Vulnerability Assessments with GSA. Continue to work with GSA to assess and analyze climate change vulnerabilities for real property assets GSA has assigned to DOC.
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- Identify and Assess the Effects of Climate Change. Develop and utilize an iterative assessment process to identify how climate change might shape the Department’s plans and operations, and what current and projected climate-related impacts might occur to its training and testing, built and natural infrastructure, and acquisition and supply chain.
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- Assess and Address Risks of Mass Human Migration. DHS (including the U.S. Coast Guard) will conduct a migration assessment and project the influx of applications and border crossings due to climate change. Climate change effects on mass migration will be addressed by revising the DHS Maritime Migration Plan.
- Develop a Decision Support Planning Template. Create a decision-support planning template for use in implementing risk-informed adaptation strategies for climate change at the federal, state, local, and private sector level. Investigate the use of existing FEMA risk processes utilized at the state and local levels, and identify potential risk-informed processes to complement preparedness and/or mitigation risk analysis processes.
- Develop a Risk Assessment Methodology. Integrate climate change adaptation into complex event modeling to support accurate forecasts of hazards affected by climate change. Pilot a risk assessment methodology for core infrastructure sectors in the drinking water sector to enable communities to aggregate and rank risk and mitigation strategies with and across sectors and the community.
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- Training and Tools for Scenario Planning. Incorporate climate-related security considerations in scenario planning activities for the field.
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- Measure and Evaluate Performance. Evaluate progress on actions on an ongoing basis to maintain progress toward the long-term goal of integrating climate adaptation into the agency’s programs, policies, rules, and operations.
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- Incorporate New Science into Vulnerability Assessments. Incorporate new science from the Third NCA into GSA’s agency and service-level vulnerability assessments, to inform the FY 2015 Climate Change Risk Management Plan and the prioritization of adaptation activities.
- Increase Adaptation Support from GIS. Develop requirements with the GSA Geographic Information Systems (GIS) team for their support of adaptation, to increase GSA’s proficiency and strategic use of GIS in assessing and managing climate risk.
- Performance Indicators. Develop performance indicators that describe how to measure, communicate, and benchmark GSA progress on adaptation.
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- Vulnerability and Risk Assessments Based on Latest Science. NSF has secured contractor support, with option years through 2017, to assist with vulnerability and risk assessments, and subsequent planning, based on the best available science.
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- Adaptation Monitoring and Evaluation. Questions are being added to the Volunteer Reporting Tool to assess whether Peace Corps projects are dealing with the impacts of climate change in communities, and to facilitate sharing of best practices.
- Volunteer-Led Climate Change Committees. Facilitate climate change information exchange among Volunteers via committees in which best practices and new ideas for climate change projects are discussed. The committees are expected to drive change in addressing the impacts of climate change and facilitate the sharing of knowledge.
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- Conduct a Risk Assessment of PBGC Vulnerability to Climate Change. Explore and identify climate change vulnerabilities, and identify and prioritize actions to better understand risks and opportunities. The vulnerability assessments will be conducted periodically.
- Coordinate Planning with Small Agency Council. Participate in interagency and executive branch efforts to coordinate national-level adaptation plan efforts, as appropriate, and/or relevant training for key staff.
- Prepare the Adaption Plan for Headquarters. The PBGC climate change adaptation plan and Continuity of Operations Plan will incorporate climate change as a component of its hazards planning approach to emergency preparedness and sustainability.
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- Planning and Policy. Incorporate climate change considerations into long- term planning and operation policy.
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- Incorporate Climate Change Risks into the Enterprise Risk Management Program. Create risk registers prioritizing risks for further analysis and action, and uses this information in strategic planning and to allocate risk-management resources.
- Survey the Delegated Facilities Regarding Their Climate Change Vulnerabilities. Conduct a survey of SSA’s delegated facilities to collect historical information on weather-related issues in their areas, and vulnerabilities they might already be experiencing. The analysis of the survey results will be used in the FY 2015 plan.
- Understanding Climate Change Risks through Interagency Coordination with GSA. Participate in interagency Federal Government initiatives to improve the accessibility and coordination of climate change science for decision-making, and coordinate with GSA to acquire knowledge relevant for planning, such as assessing vulnerabilities and risks and identifying space and infrastructure requirements for field offices, hearing offices, and data centers.
- Vet the Adaptation Plan with the Delegated Facilities. Send the draft plan to the delegated facilities to increase their awareness of the agency’s efforts to improve resiliency, and solicit any insights for proactively addressing projected climate change impacts based on their experience and best practices preparing for weather-related situations and emergencies. Incorporate into future plan revisions as appropriate.
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- Internal Climate Change Adaptation Oversight Process. Identify an internal process to ensure TVA has the needed capacity and organizational structures in order to effectively assess agency-specific climate change risks and opportunities and implement appropriate adaptation actions.
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- Learn from Other Agencies’ Work on Climate Resilient Infrastructure. Conduct outreach to agencies such as USACE, the Federal Highway Administration, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and USDA that might have methodologies and lessons learned on building climate resilient infrastructure.
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- Interagency Efforts and/or Training. Participate in interagency efforts to coordinate adaptation plan efforts, as appropriate, and/or relevant training for key staff.
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- Strengthen the Internal Adaptation Working Group. Strengthen and broaden the internal DOE Adaptation Working Group to involve DOE sites, share experiences, best practices, case studies and innovation; identify resources to support vulnerability assessments at sites, and provide communication tools.
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- Implement a Department-Wide Climate Change Adaptation Education Plan. Implement a Department-wide education plan to increase awareness and educate employees on the risks and impacts of climate change and severe weather to the Department’s mission and programs.
- Online Climate Change Adaptation Information Clearinghouse. Create a climate adaptation presence on the external (public-facing) DHS home page, to serve as an online clearinghouse for all DHS information on climate change.
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- Department-Wide Briefing on Climate Change and Health in 2014. Top climate change experts from CDC and the National Institutes of Health will present the latest scientific findings from the National Climate Assessment, including regional climate change projections. It will be in the form of a live webcast for regional offices to participate and ask questions, which will also be archived for future viewing and possibly disseminated to other stakeholders.
- Adaptation Planning Workshop to Improve Operational Readiness. Host a workshop on adaptation planning to teach critical divisions about adaptation planning activities, bringing together climate change adaptation experts with mission-related program planners, emergency preparedness coordinators, chief sustainability officers, continuity of operations planners, and occupant emergency planners from each Division to catalyze adaptation planning activities.
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- Improve Operational Readiness of HUD Field Staff. Increase the number of approved telework agreements in place and develop alternative communications structures in order to ensure operational viability of HUD field offices in the event of disaster.
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- Incorporate Climate Change into National Environmental Policy Act Training. Incorporate a climate change section into existing training on the National Environmental Policy Act given to Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement employees, state and tribal employees.
- Resiliency Training for Employees. Provide support, education, and training for employees about preparedness and response to natural disasters and other impacts associated with climate change, including telework options at designated work sites.
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- Improve Adaptive Practices of Personnel. Enhance existing systems, plans, and programs, including continuity of operations risk management practices, telework plans, and health-monitoring programs to improve the adaptive capacity of personnel.
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- Adaptation Training and Tools for Foreign Service Officers. Incorporate adaptation components into new sustainability modules which are in development for Foreign Service Officers.
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- Workshops for GSA Regions on Addressing Climate Change Risks. In 2012 and 2013, GSA held a workshop for two of its regions—the National Capital Region (Region 11) and the Heartland Region (Region 6)—to build capacity for identifying and addressing climate change risks. GSA is considering expanding the effort to other GSA regions, if staffing resources allow.
- Adaptation Training for GSA Organizations Nationally. Led by the Office for Federal Building Health and Performance, GSA plans to deliver training on climate change adaptation to GSA business lines by request. The goal is to build climate risk literacy, capability, and confidence in relevant business lines and agency processes so that climate risk management is incorporated into the planning and management phases of GSA projects.
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- Volunteer Guidance and Training. Incorporate climate change into programming by training Volunteers on the ways climate change will impact their communities, and opportunities to incorporate climate change education and initiatives in their respective communities.
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- Guidance for Staff in Strategic Planning and Project Design. Develop three technical guidance documents for USAID staff on incorporating climate change in strategic planning, designing adaptation projects, and considering climate change in funded programs that are not global climate change.
- Identify Staff Positions Needing Climate Change Training. Identify staff positions that need to know about climate change and develop online modules or webinars to train them.
- Mission Director Awareness. Raise awareness and inform Mission Directors of the importance of climate change to USAID.
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- Central Repository of Resources for Internal Adaptation Working Group. Educate the USPS Climate Change Adaptation Working Group by identifying existing programs and resources that contribute to a climate-resilient USPS. The repository will ensure that critical environmental information on storage tanks, hazardous materials, etc. is provided in times of emergency for safety and security purposes.
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- Collaborate with Stakeholders on Climate Change. Promote deliberate collaboration with internal and external stakeholders in addressing climate change considerations.
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- Adopt a Whole Community Approach to Building Partnerships. Encourage dialog, collaboration and action between the emergency management community and the critical infrastructure community, to develop an integrated engagement approach that connects the FEMA community (state and local), the critical infrastructure community, as well as homeland security advisors, associations, and other entities to address the impacts of a changing climate.
- Develop Strategy to Engage Private Sector on Adaptation. Develop a climate adaptation approach that incorporates the existing National Infrastructure Protection Plan structures and engages state, local, and community planners to address the risks of climate change. DHS will pilot a place-based engagement approach for addressing adaptation planning, then develop and execute the strategy.
- Federal Level Exercise on Climate Change Adaptation. Conduct a Climate Adaptation Plan Workshop with federal climate change subject matter experts and planners and a Senior Level Exercise with the White House Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience; and develop an exportable exercise package for the whole community of stakeholders.
- Strategic Communications Plan on Climate Change Adaptation. Create a singular, coordinated Climate Change Adaptation Strategic Communications Plan to help educate the public on the homeland security implications of climate change and extreme weather, and measures that may be taken to mitigate the projected impacts.
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- Disaster Area Response Teams in Indian Country. The Disaster Area Response Teams in each of HUD’s six Area Offices of Native American Programs will work with partners to ensure a coordinated federal response to potential hazards and disasters.
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- Public Land Use. The Bureau of Land Management will develop a program to help public land users understand how climate change may affect the use and enjoyment of public lands.
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- External Coordination Efforts. Identify internal process to coordinate adaptation planning with related efforts among state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. These efforts include TVA’s Regional Resource Stewardship Council and TVA’s Regional Energy Resource Council, as well as TVA participation in the Appalachia Land Conservation Cooperative and the Southeast Climate Science Center.
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- Connection between Green Schools and Adaptation. Determine if there are lessons and promising practices from the honorees from the Green Ribbon Schools recognition program that could be used to address climate change issues broadly for other schools.
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- Partner with Tribes. Each EPA Program and Regional Office will support the development of adaptive capacity in the tribes.
- Resilience of Vulnerable People and Places. Help increase the resilience of the most vulnerable people and places by improving their capacity to improve resilience to climate change.
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- Climate Change Communication and Outreach. The Office of Communications of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health will develop a climate change communication and outreach strategy to promote outreach and awareness among its stakeholders, including at-risk populations. It will address the impact of climate change on public health and mitigation and adaptation measures.
- Refine Resource Packet on Climate Change Resilience of Health Care Facilities. HHS has developed and disseminated a Resource Packet consisting of specific tools and information related to resilience of health care facilities in a context of climate change-exacerbated stressors. The purpose is to encourage smarter, more climate resilient investment decisions by the health care industry. HHS will continue to refine this product throughout 2014 and into 2015.
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- Support and Encourage Climate Resilient Stakeholder Investment. Identify opportunities to support and encourage climate resilient stakeholder investment.
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- Build Capacity in Food for Peace Partners. Conduct stocktaking exercise of Food for Peace partners on climate-smart humanitarian, resilience, and development activities.
- Climate Change Resilience Workshop. Hold a workshop to advance the capacity of climate forecasters in developing countries to provide climate services.
- Flood Mitigation Measures. Inform partners of the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance, and relevant countries, about effective natural alternatives to hard flood mitigation measures.
- Food Assistance Programming Guidance. For partners of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, provide training and technical assistance in climate smart agriculture techniques, to ensure that climate sensitive approaches are incorporated in food assistance programming.
- Launch Resilience Challenge. Engage local stakeholders in Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and South and Southeast Asia in defining barriers and implementing promising solutions for building resilience to acute shocks and chronic stresses, including those related to climate change.
- Partner Capacity Building. Organize a summit on hydro-meteorological lessons learned in order to build resilience to climate change by reducing the risk of disaster. The participants will be donors and implementers, such as other representatives from the U.S. Government, the World Bank, United Nations, and NGOs.
- Summit on Building Resilience to Climate Change. Increase implementing partners’ ability to understand and apply information about climate impacts and adaptation responses.
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- Coordinate HealthData.gov with Data.gov. Explore ways to set up a section of the HealthData.gov platform to coincide with the Data.gov climate-focused section of that platform, in order to make a cohesive presentation of climate-related data on both platforms.
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- Adaptation Support Services for Other Federal Agencies. Assess the market among federal agencies for climate change adaptation services and determine how GSA should support agencies in acquiring them. Services include topics such as interpreting and applying climate models, applied climate science, climate risk management, and communicating and training on climate change risks.
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- Incorporate Adaptation into Comprehensive Planning. NCPC will continue to encourage federal actions and decisions that enable the Federal Government to manage climate change risks in the National Capital Region, and will include adaptation considerations in the 2014 updates to the Federal Environment Element of the Comprehensive Plan.
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- Align Other Agencies with OPM Emergency Procedures. To make the best use of all available human resources tools in the event of an emergency, OPM will make sure other federal agencies are aware of OPM’s emergency procedures, and continue to develop and communicate the policies associated with the procedures.
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- Sharing Best Practices and Resources. Share best practices and resources relating to adaptation with other federal agencies in the Chicago area.
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- Historic Preservation Fund Grants. The National Park Service will include provisions addressing climate change and related issues into grants from the Historic Preservation Fund to state, local, and tribal grantees.
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- Grantee Asset Management. DOT will work to incorporate climate variability and change impact considerations in asset management, including the policy, guidance, practices, and performance measures of its asset management programs. This will assure that potential impacts are incorporated into existing grantee asset management systems and their own buildings and operations.
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- Financial Assistance Mechanisms. Integrate climate change considerations into financial assistance mechanisms—such as grants, loans, contracts, and technical assistance programs—to encourage recipients of EPA financial assistance to incorporate climate change into their activities.
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- Use the Project Review Process to Consider Climate Change. NCPC will use its submission guidelines, its policies and procedures, and the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital Region to require federal agencies to identify their climate change risks and describe adaptation measures considered in the plans and projects submitted to NCPC for review.
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- Help Inform the National Climate Assessment. Assemble science to inform policy; publish scientific assessments and technical reports available on agriculture, forests, biogeochemistry, and food security.
- Regional Climate Hubs. Provide support to deliver tools and strategies for climate change response, regional assessments of risk and vulnerability, and outreach and education on science-based risk management. The goal is to provide tighter coordination among USDA agencies to translate and deliver climate adaptation and resilience information to USDA partners and stakeholders.
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- Coordination of Research and Services on Climate Variability. NOAA will continue coordinating climate and related ecological research and services partnerships within the Department and with Department partners to better understand climate variability and change and how climate variability and change will affect communities and ecological processes. The output of this action is to deliver a Regional Climate Outlook product for each NOAA region on a quarterly basis.
- Improved Climate Data, Forecasts, and Tools. NOAA will continue to provide actionable scientific information of the type needed to support climate change adaptation decisions.
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- Establish Climate Science Centers (USGS). USGS Climate Science Centers have stakeholder advisory committees and regional science plans, and they provide effective linkages between USGS assets and partners. USGS will establish a national science strategy and national advisory committee.
- Funding for External Climate Adaptation Activities. USGS will provide funding for external climate adaptation activities, especially from Climate Science Centers.
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- Scientific Models and Decision-Support Tools. Incorporate climate change into the five major tools EPA uses to implement its environmental management programs, to build the capacity of the EPA workforce and its partners to integrate climate adaptation planning into their work.
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- Identify the Highest Priority Shortwave Facilities. Identify the large fixed facilities needed in the future to ensure that adequate shortwave service is available in high-priority target areas. Once identified, the agency will improve each facility as needed for operation in a changing environment.
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- Resilience Framework and Guidelines for Consistently Safe Buildings and Infrastructure. NIST will continue its program in measurement science to develop performance-based standards and tools for new and retrofit building designs resistant to extremes of wind, storm surge, and fire that prevent or mitigate collapse. The result will be a comprehensive, community-based resilience framework and provide guidelines for consistently safe buildings and infrastructure.
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- Agency Real Property Decisions. Integrate climate adaptation and resilience into real property decisions, via updates to the Asset Management Plan.
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- Promote Building Standards and Practices. Develop climate-ready best practices for buildings with critical infrastructure partners and construction industry stakeholders, and encourage state and local planning entities to adopt building codes/standards (such as the Federal Flood Risk Management Standards) and best practices related to anticipated climate change impacts on commercial and industrial building structures.
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- Design Criteria for Capital Improvement Projects. The Bureau of Land Management will review design criteria for climate change considerations in Bureau of Land Management capital improvement projects over $1 million.
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- Climate Resiliency Practices and Lessons Learned by Locality. Identify current climate resiliency best practices and lessons learned both within DOJ and throughout the Federal Government for addressing localized impacts. Research climate-resilient building products and practices and identify geographical locations that would benefit from the use of these products and practices when performing construction and renovation work.
- Identify High Risk Assets. Identify with a greater level of detail—and map—those buildings, utilities infrastructure, and assets that are deemed to be at the highest risk.
- Increase Adaptive Capacity of Buildings and Utilities Infrastructure. Confirm that DOJ can quickly and effectively address direct physical damage to buildings, utilities infrastructure, assets, and regional infrastructure. Pursue adaptive designs for new or upgraded facilities and infrastructure.
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- Assessing Vulnerability of GSA Leased Facilities. Work with DOT sub-agencies agencies to determine which leased buildings from GSA are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and will then partner directly with GSA to address these vulnerabilities.
- Decision-Making Tools. DOT will provide tools, case studies, best practices, outreach, and performance measures for incorporating climate considerations into transportation decision-making.
- Investment Decisions. DOT will take actions to ensure that federal transportation investment decisions address potential climate impacts in statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and project development processes as appropriate in order to protect federal investments.
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- Climatology Standard for Building Design. Evaluate Standard 169-2013 of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Climatic Data for Building Design Standards, and consider adopting it to build resilience to changing climate norms.
- Design Standards in State, Territorial, and Tribal Grants. VA will consider changing its recommendations for grantees on sustainable design standards to be mandatory, including updated climatology and SLR standards.
- Updates to VA Strategic Capital Investment Planning Process. Comprehensively address climate change adaptation goals through the Strategic Capital Investment Planning process. Incorporate climate adaptation considerations into the prioritization process, perhaps starting by identifying and assessing gap criteria related to climate resilience.
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- Climate Protection Levels for Mission-Critical Sites. In partnership with customer agencies, the GSA Public Buildings Service will determine Climate Protection Levels for mission-critical sites.
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- Infrastructure Resilience. Take steps to increase climate resilience of USAID owned and directly leased facilities.
- Vulnerabilities in Construction. Evaluate data relating to climate change from USAID construction assessment to understand vulnerabilities in USAID construction activities.
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- Evaluate Climate Risk in Real Estate Planning. Evaluate climate risk for plans involving real estate, including leasing, design, and construction, to ensure that these decisions are based on current climate information.
- Incorporate Climate Change in Building Design Standards. Update building design standards and frame design strategies to incorporate climate change criteria.
- Incorporate Climate Risk in Routine Facility Assessments and Evaluations. Consider adding climate risk to regular facility condition assessments, post-event facility assessments, and other local site evaluations.
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- National Drought Resilience Partnership. Establish a framework to improve capabilities to monitor and plan for drought and support risk management strategies. Collaborate on the development and implementation of tools and products, improve accessibility and compatibility of sharing data, and establish a National Soil Moisture Network with an emphasis on expanding into underserved regions and vulnerable populations.
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- National Integrated Drought Information System. NOAA will continue to lead the implementation of the National Integrated Drought Information System. The system is a collaboration on monitoring, research, data, and communication of drought-related information, yielding drought-related tools and resources that inform decision-makers.
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- Reform Reclamation’s Drought Program. Broaden the drought program from providing emergency support for wells, to identifying a suite of strategies and actions that will help mitigate the short-term impacts of drought, and address the longer-term impacts of adapting to more severe and more frequent droughts.
- Water Rights for Trust Resources. Conduct review of legal, programmatic and policy considerations regarding federal prioritization for the acquisition and protection of water rights for trust resources.
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- Strategic Partnership Planning. Establish partnerships that will collaboratively advance TVA’s water resource improvements, and also serve as potential sources of shared funding.
- Water Resource Outreach Campaign. Increase public awareness and involvement through the promotion of water resource protection and improvement best practices.
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- Develop Training for Water Resources Managers. Work with partners to develop two additional training modules on climate change science for local, tribal, and state water resources managers.
- Integrated Water Resources Management Pilot Studies. Conduct a pilot study on Integrated Water Resources Management with the Delaware River Basin Commission, where climate change adaptation is one component. Also possibly conduct a pilot project with the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, pending ongoing discussions.
- Policy and Guidance Regarding Regional Drought Contingency Plans. Characterize specific drought threats to different regions of USACE operations, and generate updated policy and guidance regarding Drought Contingency Plans to account for climate change.
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- Review Emergency Response Procedures and Policies. Review all emergency response policies and procedures and assess their implementation and effectiveness during past extreme events, to gain a thorough understanding of existing vulnerabilities and the resilience of current systems.
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- Protect Agency Facilities and Operations. Develop and implement measures to protect the workforce, operations, and underlying infrastructure against extreme weather events.
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- Flood Risk Evaluation of Future Acquisitions. Any future acquisitions of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will include an evaluation of the location of critical systems within the facility to minimize flood risk.
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- Assess Exposure of DHS Facilities to Flood Risk. Develop a methodology to assess which properties are susceptible to flood risk, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) floodplain information on special flood hazard zones (1%) to determine which properties are in the floodplain, and identify facility-related flood potential risks and impacts.
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- Floodplain Regulations. Update HUD’s floodplain management regulation to require higher flood elevation.
- Accessibility to Elevated Buildings. In housing that is elevated to reduce the risk of flooding, identify building design elements that meet accessibility standards.
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- Manage Stormwater. NARA is collaborating with Water Districts on watershed plans to factor in climate change, and to use vacant land to manage stormwater.
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- Update Heat Response Planning. Update heat response planning, focusing on agency holdings and human health, observe and complete research into local urban heat island effects, and ways to reduce facility contributions to the local heat island effect.
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- Ability of Equipment to Withstand Heat. The Postal Service depends on sophisticated equipment to process and sort the mail. The Postal Service will ensure that this equipment can meet temperature thresholds and operational needs. It will also support risk mitigation plans for critical supplies.
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- Reduce Incentives for Development in Fire-Prone Areas. Support the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and its collaborative actions. Conduct a review, with all appropriate stakeholders, of polices/procedures for fire prevention, suppression, and disaster assistance payments.
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- Review Emergency Response Procedures and Policies. Review all emergency response policies and procedures and assess their implementation and effectiveness during past extreme events, to gain a thorough understanding of existing vulnerabilities and the resilience of current systems.
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- Disaster Resiliency for Schools. Examine efforts that can be undertaken with FEMA to strengthen planning and investing in disaster resiliency for schools and affected communities and determine if there is a role for the Department in FEMA’s efforts related to a Whole Community approach to emergency management. Examine connections that can be made related to community resiliency and adaptation strategies for schools.
- Role of Schools in Addressing Emergency Management. Continue to review the input provided through the community sessions of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, and examine the role of schools in addressing emergency management.
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- Training for the Emergency Management Workforce. FEMA will develop targeted training and information resources to help emergency management staff better understand connections between climate change and emergency management programs and functions. The resources will include a Comprehensive Preparedness Guide, Internal Communications Plan, and slides, talking points, FAQs, lessons learned, and best practices.
- Assure Capacity for Medical First Response Activities. Proactively evaluate state, local, tribal and territorial climate change medical first responder disaster preparedness activities, and ensure DHS has the capacity to provide an appropriate response without compromising the Department’s mission.
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- Anticipate, Mitigate, and Avoid Budgetary Impacts. Research options to anticipate, mitigate, and avoid diversion of fiscal resources for emergency management activities.
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- Incorporate Climate Change into Emergency Response Planning. Integrate climate change risks into all emergency response planning efforts, including those executed by the Office of Emergency Management, such as VA's Comprehensive Emergency Management Program.
- Public Health Preparedness Manual. Develop an updated Public Health Preparedness Manual to train and prepare staff to respond to a wide variety of disaster-related public health emergencies, including many related to climate change impacts, to increase VA's ability to deliver essential healthcare and enable staff to continue operations during emergencies.
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- Hurricane Sandy Grant Program. Build upon the partnership grant program established in response to Hurricane Sandy as a model for future collaboration across small business resource partners in response to a disaster.
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- Improve Disaster Management Capacity. Invest in disaster management resources to improve capability and capacity to scale up response for more intense, broader, or frequent events.
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- Natural and Nature-Based Infrastructure for Coastal Resilience. NOAA will inform and advance the use of natural and nature-based infrastructure for coastal resilience, including through increased understanding of the value of the ecosystem services and benefits provided, in response to the threat of watershed changes such as warmer stream conditions and altered stream flow to riverine-dependent species.
- Resilient Salmon Restoration Projects. Northwest Fisheries Science Center will produce and deliver better information on the vulnerabilities of salmon and other protected species to climate change, and use this information in planning for recovery of endangered species in the Pacific Northwest.
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- Aquatic Ecology Management. Identify and protect exceptionally diverse aquatic biological communities.
- TVA Natural Resource Plan Climate Sentinel Monitoring. Collect baseline data to assess and analyze potential biological, ecological, and hydrological responses of aquatic ecosystems related to climate change.
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- Track and Assess Climate-Related Impacts on Marine Ecosystems and Fish Stocks. NOAA will track and assess climate-related impacts on U.S. marine ecosystems and the distribution of major fish stocks.
- Understanding Impacts on Marine Ecosystems. Working with a variety of partners, NOAA will implement five key projects that increase understanding of current and future climate impacts on ocean and coastal resources (fish stocks, protected species) to help resource managers and the people that depend on them take action to increase resilience and adaptation in a changing climate.
- Vulnerability of U.S. Fish Stocks and Fishing Communities. NOAA will complete the first methodology for rapidly assessing the vulnerability of the nation’s major fish stocks, and develop social indicators of vulnerability and resilience of resource-dependent coastal communities along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
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- Climate Change Tools for Coral Reef Management. NOAA will develop frameworks and tools to help local coral reef managers incorporate climate change information into effective decision making that minimizes their risks to climate change.
- Climate Data and Forecasts Relating to the Arctic. NOAA will provide new and enhanced climate data and forecasts to those making climate change adaptation decisions related to the Arctic region.
- Coral Population Enhancement . NOAA will develop a Management Plan for Coral Population Enhancement Activities that will integrate population enhancement efforts with resilience planning, regional priorities, marine protected area planning/zoning, recovery actions, demographic monitoring, and core species science.
- Understand and Prepare for Ocean Acidification. NOAA will continue to lead inter-governmental efforts to design and implement ocean acidification monitoring and research programs to track and project impacts on shellfish, fish stocks, and other marine resources.
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- Mold and Mildew Prevention. Update existing mold and mildew guidance, and distribute it, to ensure that all specific building owner types are aware of the issue and protocols regarding increased mold and mildew due to flooding and moist conditions.
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- American Indian Health. The Bureau of Indian Affairs/Bureau of Indian Education will design and implement administrative guidance to identify and address climate-driven human health challenges in the Bureau of Indian Education School Safety Plans, Bureau of Indian Affairs facilities Continuity of Operations Plans, and the national Bureau of Indian Affairs All Hazards Emergency Response Operations program.
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- Bio-Surveillance Analysis of Insect Disease Vectors. Incorporate relevant information on climate change into bio-surveillance analysis, regarding insect vectors in biological events or forecasting reports of vector-borne diseases. Coordinate dissemination of this information to a broader federal audience to improve situational awareness.
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- Identify Locations and Scenarios Prone to Climate-Related Health Impacts. Identify with a greater level of detail those locations and scenarios within and outside of the United States where health impacts to personnel are currently occurring or will likely occur based upon future climate projections (from drought, heat, severe weather, flooding).
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- Healthcare-Acquired Infection and Influenza Surveillance System. Upgrade the system to version 2.0 that is better able to track vector-, food-, and water-borne diseases, as well as the emergence and evolution of long-term, climate-associated health impacts across the VA patient population. If a current pilot project with the California Department of Public Health is successful, VA will also scale up the system for electronic reporting to all local and state public health authorities in the United States.
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- Malaria. Study the relationship between climate and malaria transmission in countries involved in the President’s Malaria Initiative.
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- Weather Safety Management Policy. Update the extreme temperature and weather safety management and engagement policy for climate change considerations, starting with heat and cold policy.
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- Back-Up Power. All future new construction of Bureau of Fiscal Services facilities will be equipped with generator power and a secondary source of power, if cost effective or available.
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- Redundant Power at Headquarters. OPM plans to install additional redundant power at its headquarters building to support critical systems and improve reliability of its operation in the event of power outages.
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- Back-Up Power. Implement building retrofits at select mail processing facilities to shorten the time to connect alternate power during emergencies (critical facilities experiencing power outages).
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- Understand Risks to the Supply Chain. State is already using an Integrated Logistics Management System procurement process, and in the future “is interested in” using it to determine future vulnerabilities in the supply chain.
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- Fact Sheets on Telecommunications and Data Center Services. GSA will collect, review, and summarize published information on climate risks to data center and telecommunications supply chains, and summarize the information in short fact sheets for each of the eight NCA regions. GSA also intends to share the outputs of this work with federal working groups addressing climate change adaptation, resilience, and preparedness.
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- Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance. Launch a voluntary International Climate Smart Alliance, a private-public partnership for smart agricultural practices relating to climate change adaptation.
- Feed the Future Program. Increase the food security of partner countries to become more resilient to climate change impacts, by assessing prevailing conditions, defining priorities, and aligning U.S. resources to develop food and agricultural sectors of food insecure countries.
- National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic actions aligned with the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, to achieve federal lands that are more resilient and able to sustain functions and productivity.
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- Food Insecurity Hotspots. Identify “hotspots” of observed climate change in countries with the greatest food insecurity.
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- Build Adaption Capacity in Coastal Communities. NOAA will partner with FEMA to deliver training to relevant coastal communities, to increase their ability to assess and plan for hazards and climate change impacts.
- Impact of Sea Level Change on Coastal Ecosystems and Communities. NOAA will continue developing networks of sentinel sites to coordinate assets and efforts to increase understanding of, and better respond to, sea level change impacts on coastal ecosystems and surrounding communities.
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- Hurricane Response Plans for Coastal Parks. The National Park Service will include sea level rise and storm surge science into new and existing hurricane response plans for coastal parks in the Southeast and Northeast Regions.
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- Sea Level Rise Standard. Require new and renovated building designs to use a SLR standard created by the VA Office of Construction and Facilities Management. The new standards will require that selected sites either be protected from flooding or have protective measures in place that can be used to mitigate potential damage.
- SLR Impacts Study and Guidance. Execute a sea level rise impact study to assess the vulnerability of VA infrastructure to SLR and SLR-enhanced storm surge on a facility-level basis. Develop SLR guidance material for facility designers, based on the results of the SLR impact study. For new and renovated facilities, VA will incorporate SLR considerations into the design choices, including site selection, site protection, equipment, and strategies for locating building equipment and uses on elevated floors.
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- Beach and Sand Dune Erosion. At the Kennedy Space Center, the Dune Vulnerability Team continues to address the ongoing erosion of the beach and sand dunes that provide the physical barrier protecting NASA’s Launch Pads 39A and 39B, by constructing dunes and planting them with vegetation to stabilize them.
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- Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer. With partners under the National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan, develop a Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer and associated datasets.
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