The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) recently released its Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, which is intended to guide the Department's policies in regard to climate change risks, impacts and vulnerabilities.
The plan identifies five areas where the department's mission could be affected by climate vulnerabilities: healthy watersheds and water supplies, biodiversity and ecosystems, coastal and marine resources, infrastructure and facilities, as well as people, communities and cultural resources.
"The Interior Department is committed to meeting the Biden-Harris administration's ambitious climate and infrastructure goals,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a DOI press release. “As the climate crisis disproportionately affects underserved communities, Interior will center environmental justice, build resilient communities and invest in a clean energy future that can create millions of good-paying union jobs, while protecting the communities, natural and cultural resources on which Americans rely.”
The DOI plans to implement new strategies over the next year to address some of the identified concerns, a post on the DOI website states. Objectives include advancing climate equity, transitioning to a resilient clean energy economy, supporting resilience for tribal and insular communities, empowering future conservation and resilience workers, enhancing climate literacy, as well as bolstering climate resilience in management of sites. facilities and supply of products and services. The department also aims to promote climate-resilient lands, waters and cultural resources during that time.
“At the Department of the Interior, I believe we have a unique opportunity to make our communities more resilient to climate change and to help lead the transition to a clean energy economy," Haaland said.
The DOI plan is part of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better climate agenda. A recent release from the White House addressed the ways in which plans to rebuild national infrastructure would also address climate change.
"From reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the transportation sector, replacing lead pipes to deliver clean drinking water, electrifying America’s power grid, and more, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal embeds key provisions that advance President Biden’s climate plan alongside his full Build Back Better agenda," the release states.
The plan includes investments in electrical vehicle (EV) and renewable energy infrastructure to spur private investment, according to the release. That includes modernizing public transport and a $7.5 billion investment in a national charging network.
There are also plans to electrify both school buses and public transportation, the release states. Additional measures include EV tax credits for both private and commercial use, as well as the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps.
