Tom Vilsack Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Official Website
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its updated Climate Adaptation Plan, joining over 20 federal agencies in expanding the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to enhance federal operations' resilience to climate change impacts. The updated plans advance the National Climate Resilience Framework, aligning climate resilience investments across public and private sectors through common principles and opportunities for action.
Communities nationwide are facing climate change impacts such as depleted crop yields from droughts, infrastructure damage from floods, and destruction from wildfires. In response, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking measures to assess, manage, and mitigate these risks. USDA's approach includes promoting climate resilience in agricultural production, natural resource management, rural development, food security and safety, and science innovation. For instance, the Forest Service aims to reduce wildfire risk through the Wildfire Crisis Strategy (WCS) and support post-wildfire recovery via climate-informed actions in its Reforestation Strategy.
“USDA has taken a Department-wide approach to considering the impacts of climate change on our mission delivery and those we serve,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “From USDA headquarters to field offices nationwide, these efforts enable USDA to support the agriculture and forestry sectors and diverse communities across the country as they confront the impacts of climate change.”
Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, added: “As communities face extreme heat, natural disasters and severe weather from the impacts of climate change, President Biden is delivering record resources to build climate resilience across the country.” She noted that more than $50 billion is being allocated to help communities increase their resilience under President Biden's Investing in America agenda.
President Biden initiated whole-of-government efforts to address climate change through Executive Order 14008 at the start of his administration. The urgency was highlighted last year when a record 28 individual billion-dollar extreme weather events caused over $90 billion in damages. USDA continues its leadership role in adaptation and resilience.
The initial Climate Adaptation Plan was released by USDA in 2021 with progress reports following in 2022. Updated plans for 2024-2027 aim to integrate climate risk into agency missions, operations, and asset management by:
- Assessing exposure of assets using historical data and projections.
- Expanding focus on managing climate risk for facilities, supply chains, employees, lands, and waters.
- Mainstreaming adaptation into policies, programs, planning budgets.
- Linking adaptation actions with other administration priorities like environmental justice.
- Adopting common progress indicators across agencies.
All agency plans are available at www.sustainability.gov/adaptation. More information on USDA’s efforts can be found at www.usda.gov/oce/energy-and-environment/climate/adaptation.
USDA plays a significant role in American life by transforming food systems with a focus on resilient local production; ensuring access to nutritious food; creating new markets using climate-smart practices; investing in rural infrastructure; committing to equity; and building a representative workforce. More details are available at www.usda.gov.
