Climate Change Response
The federal government’s efforts to respond to climate change include adaptation (adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change) and climate engineering (large-scale deliberate interventions in the earth's climate system to diminish climate change or its impacts).
Recent reports on adaptation focused on governmentwide strategic planning, and natural hazard mitigation and insurance have noted the need for a national strategic plan that will guide the nation's efforts to adapt to a changing climate, including defined federal priorities. In addition, the federal government is responding to specific impacts, such as the more than 180 Alaska Native villages affected to some degree by the growing impacts of climate change—which include melting polar ice, increasing storm intensity, and coastal flooding—increasing the urgency of federal and state efforts to identify imminently threatened villages and assess their relocation options. Figure 1 shows sea erosion at the Alaska Native village of Shishmaref, Alaska.
Figure 1: Sea Erosion of Shishmaref, Alaska (June 2003)
The United States lacks a clear strategy for climate engineering research in the context of the federal response to climate change. See figure 2 for climate engineering technologies, their technical status, future directions for research, and potential responses.
Figure 2: Examples of Climate Engineering Technologies
Technology Assessment
GAO-11-71, Jul 28, 2011
Climate Change Adaptation
GAO-10-113, Oct 7, 2009
Alaska Native Villages
GAO-09-551, Jun 3, 2009
Climate Change
GAO-07-863, Aug 7, 2007
Climate Change
GAO-07-285, Mar 16, 2007
More Reports
Climate Change
GAO-13-242, Apr 12, 2013
Energy Conservation and Climate Change
International Climate Change Assessments
Climate Change Adaptation
GAO-12-238T, Nov 16, 2011
Climate Change Adaptation
Climate Change
GAO-11-317, May 20, 2011
Climate Change Issues
Climate Change
GAO-10-903, Sep 23, 2010
Climate Change
GAO-10-818, Jul 30, 2010
Climate Change
GAO-10-546T, Mar 18, 2010
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- Alfredo Gomez
- Director, Natural Resources and Environment
- gomezj@gao.gov
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- Frank Rusco
- Director, Natural Resources and Environment
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- Tim Persons, Ph.D
- Chief Scientist, Applied Research and Methods
- personst@gao.gov
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