Top officials at every government agency have spent months making a report on which threats of climate change their agency is facing and what plan they are making to cope with it. The White House on 7th October offered the 1st look at the result. Twenty-three agencies’ climate adaptation plan was released. In the plan, the dangers posed by Earth warming are mentioned to every aspect of American life and the difficulty of coping with those threats.
Federal Government attempted this exercise before during the Obama administration. That work was stopped under former President Donald Trump. In his administration, most agencies stopped thinking about climate change. Within weeks of taking office, the current President directed officials to resume the work quickly. The President stressed that there is an urgent need to take action against climate change. All the agencies were given four months to develop a plan that would list the threat their agency is facing due to climate change and how to deal with it.
The plan released by some of the agencies –
Agriculture –
- The department listed the ways that climate change threatens America’s food supply.
- The changes in precipitation patterns and temperature reduce soil quality, more storms and wildfires, and more pests and diseases will reduce livestock and crops.
- The department said more research has to be done on the matter of climate change. The results of the study have to be well communicated to the farmers.
- The plan also mentions the limitations.
Energy –
- The department said it had assessed the climate risks for just half of its sites.
- DOE’s nuclear security mission is critical to national security, and the site where it is conducted is affected by extreme weather.
- If climate change affects the facilities for radioactive waste processing and disposal, then DOE’s environmental mission could also be affected.
- The department says it can address that threat but does not share details.
Transportation –
- Climate change also threatens the ability to move within and between the cities. Even transportation of goods is also affected that drives the economy.
- The rising temperatures will make it more difficult and expensive to build and maintain bridges and roads.
- The experience of getting around will become more frustrating and slow.
- Extreme weather will cause flight cancellation. Heat will force the plane to travel a shorter distance and carry less weight.
Defense –
- New sources of conflict could be created by climate change and make things difficult for the military to operate.
- Water shortage can cause tension between the U.S. military overseas and the countries where troops are based.
- Learning to operate during extreme weather should be given a top priority.
Commerce –
- As the effect of climate change becomes more severe, the department expects a surge in applications for patents for climate change adaptation-related technologies.
- The surge would impact the department’s ability to process the applications timely. This will have a direct impact on U.S. competitiveness and economic growth.
- The department said they had found a solution for this.
Homeland Security –
- The risk of climate refugees increases as the climate changes. More people reaching the U.S. border are pushed off their country due to climate change impact.
- An increase in population movement from Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean can be seen due to climate changes.
- The department is making a plan for mass migration.