Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level

The document outlines the U.S. federal government's transition toward climate adaptation as a risk-management strategy. It details the economic impact of 2012 extreme weather events, analyzes legislative attempts like the SAFE and STRONG Acts, and describes executive actions under the Obama administration. It further reviews the adaptation roadmaps of key federal agencies including the USACE, USDA, DOD, DHS, and EPA, while noting a continuing need for a coordinated national adaptation strategy.

• The United States experienced significant extreme weather in 2012, with 11 "Billion-Dollar Weather/Climate Disasters" totaling $115 billion in damages, the second-highest totals for number of events and damages since 1980.
• The 2012 U.S. drought was the most severe since the 1930s, causing agricultural failure in 22 states, 123 deaths, and $30 billion in costs.
• The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) designated climate change as a high risk in 2013, stating that extreme weather events will increase the federal government's fiscal exposure and recommending a national climate change adaptation strategy.
• The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 provided $50.7 billion for Hurricane Sandy recovery, with specific authorizations for adaptation: up to $5.38 billion for the Federal Transit Administration to reduce future disaster risk and $2.9 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flood risk and support coastal ecosystem sustainability.
• Proposed legislation in 2013 included the SAFE Act, which aimed to protect natural resources through a National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, and the STRONG Act, which sought to establish a National Extreme Weather Resilience Plan and an interagency working group to identify gaps in resilience activities.
• Executive Order 13514 (2009) and Executive Order 13653 (2013) mandated federal agencies to develop Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans and Adaptation Plans, and established the Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience and the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.
• Federal agencies have developed specific adaptation goals: the USACE focuses on water-resource infrastructure; the USDA on food security and forest conservation; the DOD on national security and facility readiness; the DHS on critical infrastructure and Arctic security; and the EPA on climate information tools and tribal partnerships.

APA

Hampton, R., & Cross, J.-M. (2014). Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-climate-adaptation-at-the-federal-level

Chicago

Hampton, Rachel, and John-Michael Cross. Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2014. https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-climate-adaptation-at-the-federal-level.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hampton |first1=Rachel |last2=Cross |first2=John-Michael |title=Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=16 January 2014 |url=https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-climate-adaptation-at-the-federal-level |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hampton2014climate, author = {Hampton, Rachel and Cross, John-Michael}, title = {{Climate Adaptation at the Federal Level}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2014}, month = jan, url = {https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-climate-adaptation-at-the-federal-level}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }