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April 2, 2024
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a briefing on the impacts of climate change on U.S. national security. Climate change impacts—from extreme heat to wildfires and flooding—affect people’s homes and communities, as well as supply chains, the electric grid, military installations, and other critical infrastructure across the country. Effective adaptation actions can help address these widespread and costly vulnerabilities.
Panelists discussed climate adaptation already happening at the local level around the country and the range of federal programs designed to support these efforts. They also highlighted ways that federal policy can advance national-level coordination on adaptation to safeguard critical infrastructure, and protect and improve people’s lives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Adam Smith, Applied Climatologist, National Centers for Environmental Information, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Susanne Torriente, Global Principal, City Resilience, Jacobs
Mary-Carson Stiff, Executive Director, Wetlands Watch
Antoine Richards, Chief of Staff, Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM)
Rachel Jacobson, Lead Researcher, State Climate Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Q&A
What are some examples of how military installations are working with communities to ensure things like the grid, hospitals, schools, and transportation systems are resilient?
Torriente
Stiff
Richards
Jacobson
What are examples of policies or programs at DOD that helped support military installation resilience, especially programs that received bipartisan support?
What is being done to synchronize the planning processes and building codes of military installations and local communities?
Are communities having conversations about moving military installations to insulate them from future climate impacts?
To make communities more resilient, they need information in real time. What does data availability look like to inform this work?
Compiled by Emily Phillips and Kylie Tugend and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.