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Climate Change: Summary of GAO's Work on Federal Climate Resilience Projects

GAO-23-106362 Published: Jun 20, 2023. Publicly Released: Jul 20, 2023.
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Fast Facts

The effects of climate change, such as coastal property damage, have cost the federal government billions of dollars in recent years. Planning and preparing for potential climate hazards—enhancing resilience—could help save money in the future. This issue has been on our High Risk List since 2013.

We've previously reported on ways to improve climate information for policymakers and prioritize federal climate resilience investments. For example, we've recommended developing a national strategic plan to adapt to climate change.

Our ongoing work examines how the federal government could be organized to better support these efforts.

Hurricane Michael damaged Tyndall Air Force Base

image of ambulance under collapsed building at Tyndall Air Force Base

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Highlights

What GAO Found

GAO's past work shows how Congress and federal agencies can develop an organizational arrangement to prioritize federal climate resilience investments with the following five elements:

  • Climate change strategic plan
  • National climate information system
  • Expanding the use of climate economics
  • Prioritizing climate resilience investments
  • Community-driven climate migration pilot program

Congress and federal agencies have opportunities to enhance the climate resilience of the nation by making progress on these elements.

Why GAO Did This Study

The federal government faces increasing fiscal exposure to climate change in its role as a provider of disaster assistance and insurance programs and as property owner. GAO was asked to review information on the net economic costs of climate change to the federal government, to recommend how to fill gaps in localized economic cost and benefit data, and to provide specific detail on how Congress could establish an organizational arrangement to prioritize federal climate resilience investments that strategically implements GAO's prior recommendations. As a first step toward a broader effort, this report provides a summary of our published work related to an organizational arrangement and reports on climate resilience and the status of relevant recommendations we made to federal agencies and matters for congressional consideration. We reviewed prior GAO reports and agency documentation and interviewed agency officials on progress made to respond to GAO's recommendations. We have ongoing work to examine the full range of issues we were asked to address.

For more information, contact J. Alfredo Gómez at (202) 512-3841 or GomezJ@gao.gov.

Full Report

GAO Contacts

J. Alfredo Gómez
Director
Natural Resources and Environment

Media Inquiries

Sarah Kaczmarek
Managing Director
Office of Public Affairs

Public Inquiries

Topics

ClimateClimate changeEconomic effectsEconomicsHigh-risk listInformation systemsStrategic planDisaster resilienceFederal agenciesSetting priorities