FEMA announces disaster assistance, adaptation initiatives to advance climate change resilience

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced two initiatives on Thursday to advance climate change resilience.

The initiatives are the formation of a Climate Adaptation Enterprise Steering Group and a robust stakeholder engagement process established to help develop the agency’s 2022–2026 Strategic Plan. 

In a release, the agency said that the actions were critical first steps in its efforts to address the crisis. 

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"Climate change is the crisis of this generation. Combating it requires mitigating future risks and reducing impacts," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement. "In partnership with federal science agencies, we are analyzing how climate change will increase the frequency and severity across all hazards and what next steps are necessary to protect communities nationwide. FEMA is also advancing sustainability through our facilities, operations and programs, including lowering emissions and promoting nature-based solutions."

According to FEMA, the Climate Adaption Steering Group is focused on developing a unified agency approach to address the impacts of climate change across all agency programs and operations. 

The group will be co-chaired by leadership from FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, Office of Resilience and FEMA Regions. 

FEMA's 2022–2026 Strategic Plan is also being developed through input from both internal and external stakeholders.

Following recent Biden administration executive orders on climate change, equity and environmental justice, FEMA said it would increase climate literacy among emergency managers, build climate-resilient communities and empower risk-informed decision making using a "whole-of-community approach." 

"As our nation confronts the impacts of climate change, the challenge is clear. It is imperative that we invest in building a more resilient nation. Our programs and policies must protect communities and the economy from the worst impacts of climate-related disasters before they occur," Criswell said.

The administration has issued several climate change-related executive orders since taking office in January, including an "Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad," an "Executive Order on Climate-Related Financial Risk" and an "Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis."

The White House has also rolled back tens of Trump-era environmental policies with the intention to take on many more.

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This weekend, President Biden will meet with world leaders in Rome for the G-20 Summit and will later attend the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

All of this comes amidst continued haggling in Congress over legislation to advance U.S. climate goals and as scientists continue to provide dire messages on the future of planet Earth.

In a list of additional resilience measures, FEMA said it would continue to develop new initiatives to respond to the climate crisis through its existing authorities and responsibilities. 

For example, FEMA is developing its National Risk Index, announcing funding opportunities to aid states and communities in disaster preparation via FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs, implementing the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, funding mitigation efforts in FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program to help homeowners rebuild after disasters, fixing flood insurance inequities and updating the National Flood Insurance Program's pricing methodology, updating the "Building Codes Toolkit For Building Owners and Occupants" and hosting the sixth annual Resilient Nation Partnership Network Forum virtually throughout the month of October with NASA. 

"Communities across the country continue to witness the devastating and increasing impacts of hurricanes, floods, wildfires, droughts and other weather events," FEMA said in a statement. "The increase and severity of disasters burden our emergency management partners and disproportionately impact historically underserved communities. FEMA is working across the agency and with partners to identify a path forward."

In an August report, UN climate scientists warned that the Earth is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, calling it a "code red for humanity,"  though easing back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes.

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Over the past 60 years, the Earth has been warmed by 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit due to the impact of human-caused climate change.

Scientists say that the number and intensity of weather and climate-related events will increase in the coming years due to the impacts of human-caused climate change.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.