Climate Adaptation-Related Laws: 115th-117th Congress (January 2017-December 2022)

This report by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) summarizes climate adaptation-related laws passed by the US Congress between January 2017 and December 2022. It highlights a trend toward integrating climate resilience into national security (specifically DoD installations), increasing funding for pre-disaster mitigation, and expanding conservation efforts for forests, wetlands, and coastal ecosystems.

• The US Department of Defense (DoD) has increasingly integrated climate change into its national security and installation planning. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 declared that "climate change is a direct threat to the national security of the United States". Subsequent legislation required the DoD to identify vulnerable bases, incorporate resilience into Master Plans, and create a Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Tool. By FY2023, the DoD requested $3.1 billion in climate investments focused on operational efficiencies and installation resilience.
• Significant legislative efforts have focused on pre-disaster mitigation (PDM) and updating building standards to withstand extreme weather. The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 emphasized PDM grants for elevating structures and implementing the latest building codes, allowing disaster-damaged structures to be rebuilt to the most recent model codes. Additionally, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act requires federal agencies to consider disaster resilience when managing federal property and assets to ensure facilities like hospitals and roads can withstand worsening disasters.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (n.d.). Climate Adaptation-Related Laws: 115th-117th Congress (January 2017-December 2022). https://www.eesi.org/files/Climate_Adaptation_Related_Laws_EESI.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Climate Adaptation-Related Laws: 115th-117th Congress (January 2017-December 2022). n.d. https://www.eesi.org/files/Climate_Adaptation_Related_Laws_EESI.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Climate Adaptation-Related Laws: 115th-117th Congress (January 2017-December 2022) |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Climate_Adaptation_Related_Laws_EESI.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitutendclimate, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Climate Adaptation-Related Laws: 115th-117th Congress (January 2017-December 2022)}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Climate_Adaptation_Related_Laws_EESI.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }