Climate Change: Future Federal Adaptation Efforts Could Better Support Local Infrastructure Decision Makers
Highlights
What GAO Found
According to the National Research Council (NRC) and others, infrastructure such as roads and bridges, wastewater systems, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) centers are vulnerable to changes in the climate. Changes in precipitation and sea levels, as well as increased intensity and frequency of extreme events, are projected by NRC and others to impact infrastructure in a variety of ways. When the climate changes, infrastructure-- typically designed to operate within past climate conditions--may not operate as well or for as long as planned, leading to economic, environmental, and social impacts. For example, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that, within 15 years, segments of Louisiana State Highway 1-- providing the only road access to a port servicing 18 percent of the nation's oil supply--will be inundated by tides an average of 30 times annually due to relative sea level rise. Flooding of this road effectively closes the port.
Decision makers have not systematically considered climate change in infrastructure planning for various reasons, according to representatives of professional associations and agency officials who work with these decision makers. For example, more immediate priorities--such as managing aging infrastructure--consume time and resources, limiting decision makers' ability to consider and implement climate adaptation measures. Difficulties in obtaining and using information needed to understand vulnerabilities and inform adaptation decisions pose additional challenges.
Key factors enabled some local decision makers to integrate climate change into infrastructure planning. As illustrated by GAO's site visits and relevant studies, these factors included (1) having local circumstances such as weather-related crises that spurred action, (2) learning how to use available information, (3) having access to local expertise, and (4) considering climate impacts within existing planning processes. As one example, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District managed risks associated with more frequent extreme rainfall events by enhancing its natural systems' ability to absorb runoff by, for instance, preserving wetlands. This effort simultaneously expanded the sewer system's capacity while providing other community and environmental benefits. District leaders enabled these changes by prioritizing adaptation, using available locallevel climate projections, and utilizing local experts for assistance.
GAO's report identifies several emerging federal efforts under way to facilitate more informed adaptation decisions, but these efforts could better support the needs of local infrastructure decision makers in the future, according to studies, local decision makers at the sites GAO visited, and other stakeholders. For example, among its key efforts, the federal government plays a critical role in producing the information needed to facilitate more informed local infrastructure adaptation decisions. However, as noted by NRC studies, this information exists in an uncoordinated confederation of networks and institutions, and the end result of it not being easily accessible is that people may make decisions--or choose not to act--without it. Accordingly, a range of studies and local decision makers GAO interviewed cited the need for the federal government to improve local decision makers' access to the best available information to use in infrastructure planning.
Why GAO Did This Study
The federal government invests billions of dollars annually in infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, facing increasing risks from climate change. Adaptation--defined as adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change-- can help manage these risks by making infrastructure more resilient.
GAO was asked to examine issues related to infrastructure decision making and climate change. This report examines (1) the impacts of climate change on roads and bridges, wastewater systems, and NASA centers; (2) the extent to which climate change is incorporated into infrastructure planning; (3) factors that enabled some decision makers to implement adaptive measures; and (4) federal efforts to address local adaptation needs, as well as potential opportunities for improvement.
GAO reviewed climate change assessments; analyzed relevant reports; interviewed stakeholders from professional associations and federal agencies; and visited infrastructure projects and interviewed local decision makers at seven sites where adaptive measures have been implemented.
Recommendations
GAO recommends, among other things, that a federal entity designated by the Executive Office of the President (EOP) work with agencies to identify for local infrastructure decision makers the best available climaterelated information for planning, and also to update this information over time. Relevant EOP entities did not provide official comments, but instead provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated, as appropriate.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Global Change Research Program |
Priority Rec.
To improve the resilience of the nation's infrastructure to climate change, the Executive Director of the United States Global Change Research Program or other federal entity designated by the Executive Office of the President should work with relevant agencies to identify for decision makers the "best available" climate-related information for infrastructure planning and update this information over time. |
As of January 2023, according to officials from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is developing a Climate Resilience Information System (CRIS) that will provide access to the "best available" climate-related information. OSTP, in coordination with USGCRP and NOAA, released the Climate Mapping for Resilience Assessments (CMRA) portal in September 2022. CMRA is an example of the type of information resource that CRIS will more efficiently enable, once fully established. In addition, on March 22, 2023, OSTP released a report titled "Selecting Climate Information to Use in Climate Risk and Impact Assessments: Guide for Federal Agency Climate Adaptation Planners." Further, a report released on March 22, 2023, by the National Science and Technology Council with OSTP involvement titled "A Federal Framework and Action Plan for Climate Services" provided recommendations and next steps to implement a coherent federal approach to climate services. Should the guidance and recommendations within these reports be implemented over time, it may address elements of this recommendation. As of March 12, 2024, according to OSTP officials, CRIS continues to mature, though slowly, due to fiscal constraints and the need to balance against emerging related priorities. In 2023, there were two important advances that are related to this recommendation, according to OSTP officials. First, the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) was released, including a new generation (CMIP6) of future climate projections and downscaled derivative products. In addition to the information selected for inclusion in NCA5, USGCRP also released the NCA Interactive Atlas which provides digital access to downscaled climate projections maps that show projections of future conditions in the United States. The same updated data will be imported into CMRA. According to OSTP officials, this combination of the most recent output from the climate modeling community, and advanced downscaled products presented in the NCA Interactive Atlas and, soon, in CMRA represent the "best available" climate-related information for infrastructure planning (as well as other decisions related to future climate). These activities partially address the recommendation. GAO has ongoing work evaluating progress toward implementing this and other recommendations related to climate information and will revisit this recommendation after publication of the ongoing work.
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| U.S. Global Change Research Program |
Priority Rec.
To improve the resilience of the nation's infrastructure to climate change, the Executive Director of the United States Global Change Research Program or other federal entity designated by the Executive Office of the President should work with relevant agencies to clarify sources of local assistance for incorporating climate-related information and analysis into infrastructure planning, and communicate how such assistance will be provided over time. |
In January 2023, officials from the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) noted that regional science organizations, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Action Partnerships, work to provide climate information to regional and local agencies. These officials also said that the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) continues work on the development of the Climate Resilience Information System (CRIS), which will allow for more efficient development of regionally- and locally-tailored resources. They further stated that the evolving capabilities of CRIS, coupled with the local-focus of the regional science organizations addresses these recommendations. In addition, on March 22, 2023, OSTP released a report titled "Selecting Climate Information to Use in Climate Risk and Impact Assessments: Guide for Federal Agency Climate Adaptation Planners." Further, a report released on March 22, 2023, by the National Science and Technology Council with OSTP involvement titled "A Federal Framework and Action Plan for Climate Services" provided recommendations and next steps to implement a coherent federal approach to climate services. Further, on March 12. 2024, OSTP officials noted that USGCRP continues to work closely with the federal regional science organizations. With the release of Fifth National Climate Assessment and its Interactive Atlas, the regional science organizations now have access to county-scale projection data for physical climate variables. Further, USGCRP has just added a new engagement position to its National Coordination Office. That new position will work across USGCRP, will interface with regional science organizations, and will work to better connect the climate research, and climate services activities of USGCRP. These actions partially address this recommendation. GAO has ongoing work evaluating progress toward implementing this and other recommendations related to climate information. GAO will reevaluate this recommendation when its ongoing work is published.
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| Council on Environmental Quality | To improve the resilience of the nation's infrastructure to climate change, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality should finalize guidance on how federal agencies can consider the effects of climate change in their evaluations of proposed federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act. |
On August 1, 2016, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued final guidance to federal departments and agencies on how to consider the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change when evaluating proposed federal actions in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. However, in March 2017, the White House issued Executive Order 13783, directing CEQ to rescind the guidance, among other things. CEQ rescinded the guidance on April 5, 2017.
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| Department of Transportation | To improve the resilience of the nation's infrastructure to climate change, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should work with relevant professional associations to incorporate climate change information into design standards. |
DOT took steps to address this recommendation and GAO-17-3, published on November 30, 2016, largely supersedes it by calling for a more substantial government-wide approach to addressing climate change in design standards. DOT's 2014 climate adaptation plan identified priority actions that could help DOT grantees and partners prepare for future climate shifts and providing tools such as analysis and forecasting models for incorporating climate considerations into transportation decision-making. The plan integrated expertise offered by professional associations, specifically the Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. GAO-17-3 recommended that the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, in consultation with certain other federal entities, should convene federal agencies for an ongoing governmentwide effort to provide the best available forward-looking climate information to standards-developing organizations for their consideration in the development of design standards, building codes, and voluntary certifications.
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| Environmental Protection Agency | To improve the resilience of the nation's infrastructure to climate change, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency should work with relevant professional associations to incorporate climate change information into design standards. |
EPA took steps to address this recommendation and GAO-17-3, published on November 30, 2016, largely supersedes it by calling for a more substantial government-wide approach to addressing climate change in design standards. EPA developed the publicly-available Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool to assist drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utility owners and operators in understanding potential climate change threats and assessing the related risks at their individual utilities. EPA designed CREAT under its Climate Ready Water Utilities initiative in consultation with a working group composed of representatives from utilities, water sector associations (including the design standards-developing organization American Water Works Association), climate science experts, and others. GAO-17-3 recommended that the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of NIST, in consultation with certain other federal entities, should convene federal agencies for an ongoing governmentwide effort to provide the best available forward-looking climate information to standards-developing organizations for their consideration in the development of design standards, building codes, and voluntary certifications.
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