This CRS report (25 February 2021) briefly describes what the various Department of the Interior agencies are doing vis-a-vis climate change adaptation: 'Climate Change Adaptation - Department of the Interior'. Authors are R. Eliot Crafton, Laura B. Comay, Mark K. DeSantis, Carol Hardy Vincent, Anna E. Normand, and Charles V. Stern.
Download CRS_Report_CC_Adaptation_Interior_25February2021
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Introduction
Climate change—changes in the average or variability of weather conditions that persist over long time scales (e.g., multiple decades or longer) —and related global changes can threaten human health; the economy; the built environment; and the natural world, including wildlife, plants, and the ecosystems upon which they rely. Many scientists, governments, and organizations have researched climate change, documented its experienced effects, projected potential effects, and undertaken activities to respond to it. Scientists have demonstrated the effects of climate change already realized around the world, and they project that climate changes will intensify in future decades.
Climate change has been observed directly (e.g., in long-term temperature and extreme weather records).5 The changes can affect plant growth rates, water availability, energy demand, and many other aspects of human and natural systems; these changes can be beneficial or adverse, can change over time and across regions, and can influence other stressors, such as poverty, famine, and water stress.6 Effects of climate change are spatially variable, with some regions more affected than others. For some degrees of climate change, certain regions may see benefits (e.g., longer growing seasons) in addition to stressors. Projections for climate change and its effects over the coming decades span a wide range and depend on many factors (e.g., current and future greenhouse gas emissions). Ultimately, the magnitude of the effects of climate change over time will depend on actions taken to adapt to and mitigate climate change (see text box “Adaptation Versus Mitigation”)
Issues for Congress
DOI and its agencies have undertaken various climate change adaptation activities over the years, many of which were conducted in accordance with government-wide and DOI- or agency- specific authorities. Many of these activities were undertaken pursuant to executive and secretarial orders, and selected climate change adaptation activities continued to operate in some capacity during the Trump Administration. Selected orders from previous Administrations, such as the Obama Administration, that initiated certain adaptation activities were revoked during the Trump Administration, at times resulting in the cessation of certain activities. Other adaptation activities have been undertaken pursuant to statutorily authorized programs or congressional directions or when compatible with statutory purposes. The status of some adaptation activities also is unclear, and activities may have been altered, suspended, or set aside at times. Further, with available information, it can be difficult to identify the full breadth of climate change adaptation activities that DOI and its agencies have undertaken and the current status of such activities.
One concrete measure of how approaches to climate change adaptation have changed throughout the years and across Administrations is the issuing, amending, and/or revoking of executive and secretarial orders related to climate change adaptation. Generally, climate change-related executive and secretarial orders issued during the Trump Administration focused on rescinding climate adaptation orders, including several executive and secretarial orders that required various climate change adaptation activities to be conducted, issued during prior Administrations. Rather, the Trump Administration focused on certain other activities, including energy production. As a result, there apparently was less focus on undertaking new DOI-wide climate adaptation initiatives during the Trump Administration than during some previous Administrations, although agencies within DOI continued to implement certain policies and programs relevant to climate change adaptation.
The extent to which individual agencies within DOI were pursuing climate change adaptation activities at the end of 2020 varied by agency and activity and, in some cases, is unclear. For example, pursuant to the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020,140 USGS was required to establish a new Midwest CASC and FWS was required to provide a report updating Congress on the status of the LCC network. However, information regarding the status of these activities was not publicly available at the time of this report’s publication. As of the end of 2020, the National and Regional CASCs were operational, and FWS reportedly was providing scientific support for the LCC network but was no longer providing direct funding to the individual cooperatives.
In other instances, climate change adaptation activities undertaken by DOI agencies have been more readily identifiable. For example, the USGS’s scientific and monitoring activities listed above that directly and indirectly relate to climate change adaptation are documented examples where climate change adaptation activities have continued. In addition, the USGS commitment in 2020 to report to DOI on significant new findings in climate science and advances in best practices for incorporating climate information into planning and policymaking activities reflects ongoing climate change adaptation activities.
In its oversight capacity and to bolster its legislative activities, Congress may be interested in seeking additional information related to the full breadth of climate change adaptation activities within DOI and its agencies that have been undertaken pursuant to both administrative directives and statutory requirements, as well as the current status of such activities. Congress has shown this type of interest in the past; for example, Congress has required DOI or its agencies to produce reports—at times with potential repercussions for an agency’s appropriations—to inform Congress on the status of certain activities. For example, in FY2020 Congress required FWS to provide a report on the status of the LCC program prior to receiving certain appropriated funds. In addition to oversight of ongoing programs, some Members of Congress in the 116th Congress expressed interest in pursuing legislation related to climate change adaption.
A more complete public understanding of DOI’s climate change adaptation activities, such as those presented herein, may be useful to inform congressional responsibilities for authorizations, appropriations, and oversight. For example, Members of Congress may be interested in examining legislation related to whether, how, or under what circumstances DOI agencies might incorporate climate change adaptation activities into the pursuit of fulfilling their statutory responsibilities.
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“Put away your surplus during the years of great plenty so you will be ready for the lean years which are sure to follow.” - Joseph to Pharaoh (Book of Genesis)
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