Climate Resilience: A Strategic Investment Approach for High-Priority Projects Could Help Target Federal Resources

Abstract

Federal funding for disaster assistance since 2005 has totaled at least $450 billion, including a 2019 supplemental appropriation of $19.1 billion for recent disasters. In 2018 alone, 14 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disaster events occurred across the United States, with total costs of at least $91 billion including the loss of public and private property, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Disaster costs will likely increase as certain extreme weather events become more frequent and intense due to climate change, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, a global change research coordinating body that spans 13 federal agencies. In 2013, GAO included Limiting the Federal Governments Fiscal Exposure by Better Managing Climate Change Risks on its list of federal program areas at high risk of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, or most in need of transformation. The cost of recent weather disasters has illustrated the need to plan for climate change risks and invest in climate resilience. Investing in climate resilience can reduce the need for far more costly steps in the decades to come. The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 provides one potential source of funding for climate resilience projects. In particular, it allows the President to set aside up to 6 percent of the estimated aggregate amount of grants from certainprograms under a major disaster declaration to implement pre-disaster hazard mitigation activities. Officials estimate funds for the related program will average $300 million to $500 million annually. GAO was asked to review the federal approach to prioritizing and funding climate resilience projects that address the nations most significant climate risks.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 23, 2019
Accession Number
AD1169883

Entities

People

  • Celia R. Mendive
  • J. A. Gomez
  • Joe Thompson
  • Paige Gilbreath
  • Taiyshawna Battle

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Engineered Resilient Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Climate Change
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Congress
  • Department Of Homeland Security
  • Environment
  • Environmental Protection
  • Flood Control
  • Flood Hazards
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Law
  • Natural Resources
  • Public Policy
  • River Flooding
  • Sea Level Rise
  • Storm Surges
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
  • Government Contracting/Procurement.