WASHINGTON — Today, June 20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan, detailing actions to address climate change impacts and enhance national climate resilience. The plan aims to ensure that EPA’s programs, facilities, workforce, and operations are increasingly resilient to climate change. This initiative aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s broader efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
The plan builds on previous EPA Climate Adaptation Plans from 2014 and 2021 by incorporating climate adaptation into agency programs, policies, rules, enforcement activities, and operations. The EPA has partnered with other federal agencies, states, Tribes, territories, and local governments to promote climate resilience nationwide while focusing on environmental justice.
“We’re already seeing the devastating impacts of climate change in our daily lives,” said Vicki Arroyo, EPA Associate Administrator for Policy. “The publication of EPA’s 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan supports our continuing efforts to prepare for these impacts, build resilience, and support climate-smart solutions and investments that work for communities across the country.”
Kimberly Patrick, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Mission Support added: “We are strengthening EPA’s ability to adapt and building a more climate-informed workforce. The plan lays out our roadmap for the next four years to reinforce our facilities, critical infrastructure, supply chains and procurement processes to withstand potential risks posed by climate change – above all, to safeguard our workforce so that they can continue to carry out our mission of protecting human health and the environment.”
Key elements of the plan include:
- **Fostering a Climate-Ready Workforce**: Building a climate-literate workforce through ongoing education and training.
- **Building Facility Resilience**: Conducting facility resiliency assessments.
- **Developing Climate-Resilient Supply Chains**: Including an assessment of climate hazard risk in supply chain management.
- **Integrating Climate Resilience into External Funding Opportunities**: Modernizing financial assistance programs.
- **Applying Climate Data and Tools to Decision Making**: Equipping communities with necessary tools and information.
- **Integrating Climate Adaptation into Rulemaking Processes**: Ensuring rule effectiveness amidst changing climates.
In March 2024, the EPA launched a new Office of Climate Adaptation and Sustainability to support these efforts.
President Biden has directed federal agencies to address the climate crisis by protecting federal investments while fostering economic growth. Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality stated: “As communities face extreme heat... President Biden is delivering record resources... By updating our own adaptation strategies... [we are] leading by example.”
Today’s release is part of a coordinated effort involving over twenty federal agencies’ adaptation plans. These plans align with Executive Orders 14008 (Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), 14030 (Climate-Related Financial Risk), and 14057 (Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries). They also contribute to objectives in the National Climate Resilience Framework.
More information on these plans is available at the Federal Sustainability Plan website.
