The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan, which describes agency actions to address the impacts of climate change and help build a more climate-resilient nation.
The plan expands the EPA’s efforts to ensure its programs, facilities, workforce and operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts. The EPA plays a central role in efforts to tackle the climate crisis and build a climate-resilient nation.
The plan builds on work initiated in the 2014 and 2021 EPA Climate Adaptation Plans to incorporate climate adaptation into the EPA’s programs, policies, rules, enforcement activities and operations.
The EPA has already made significant strides partnering with other federal agencies, states, tribes, territories and local governments to promote climate resilience across the nation, placing an emphasis on advancing environmental justice.
Highlights from the EPA’s 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan
Fostering a climate-ready workforce
The EPA is building a climate-literate workforce through ongoing education and training to ensure staff are equipped with an understanding of projected climate impacts, the vulnerability of EPA programs to the impacts and adaptation approaches.
One example is the agency-wide Climate Conservations webinar series helping to build a community of practice and encourage peer-to-peer sharing of experiences.
Building facility resilience
The EPA is continuing to conduct facility resiliency assessments to identify vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change and make recommendations to increase facility resilience.
Developing climate-resilient supply chains
The EPA has included an assessment of climate hazard risk as part of its overall Agency Supply Chain Risk Management Plan. The agency plans to conduct supply chain risk assessments under the Program Management Improvement Accountability Act and Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act in fiscal year 2024.
Integrating climate resilience into external funding opportunities
The EPA is modernizing its financial assistance programs to encourage investments by communities and tribes that are more resilient in an era of climate change.
To support this effort, the EPA launched an internal Climate-Resilient Investments Clearinghouse website to help managers of financial assistance programs incorporate climate adaptation and resilience considerations in the investment decisions the EPA makes each day.
Applying climate data and tools to decision making
The EPA is equipping communities and the recipients of financial resources with tools, data, information and technical supports they need to assess their climate risks and develop the climate-resilience solutions most appropriate for them.
Integrating climate adaptation into rulemaking processes
The EPA is integrating climate adaptation into its rulemaking processes where appropriate and in keeping with their statutory authorities to ensure they are effective even as the climate changes.
For example, on March 14, 2024, the EPA finalized a rule requiring a broad array of facilities that manage hazardous materials to develop response plans to prepare for the largest foreseeable discharges in adverse weather conditions, including more extreme weather conditions expected as the climate changes.
The EPA is also committed to applying climate change and environmental justice policy principles through National Environmental Policy Act reviews.
