	Federal, State, Local, and International Efforts to Adapt to Climate Change

While federal agencies are beginning to recognize the need to adapt to  climate change, there is a general lack of strategic coordination across  agencies, and most efforts to adapt to potential climate change impacts are  preliminary. The subjects of our site visits in the  United States—New York City; King County, Washington; and Maryland— have all taken steps to plan for climate change and have begun to  implement adaptive measures in sectors such as natural resource  management and infrastructure. NOAA’s Regional Integrated Sciences  and Assessments (RISA) program supports climate change research to  meet the needs of decision makers and policy planners at the national,  regional, and local levels. Similarly, the  U.S. As part of this effort, DNR chaired  an Adaptation and Response Working Group, which issued a report on sea  level rise and coastal storms. Federal, State, and Local Officials Face Numerous Challenges When Considering Climate Change Adaptation Efforts

The challenges faced by federal, state, and local officials in their efforts to  adapt fell into three categories, based on our analysis of questionnaire  results, site visits, and available studies. First, available attention and  resources are focused on more immediate needs, making it difficult for  adaptation efforts to compete for limited funds. Specifically, about 71 percent (128  of 180) of the respondents rated the challenge “non-adaptation activities  are higher priorities” as very or extremely challenging. In particular, the managers lacked computational models  for local projections of expected changes. Similarly, King County officials said they are not sure how to  translate climate change information into effects on salmon recovery  efforts. Adaptation Efforts Are Constrained by a Lack of Clear Roles and Responsibilities

A lack of clear roles and responsibilities for addressing adaptation across  all levels of government limits adaptation efforts, based on our analysis of  federal, state, and local officials’ responses to our Web-based  questionnaire, site visits, and relevant studies. A  systems view is essential in order to manage change optimally.”

	Federal Efforts to Increase Awareness, Provide Relevant Information, and Define Responsibilities Could Help Government Officials Make Decisions about Adaptation

Potential federal actions for addressing challenges to adaptation efforts  fall into three areas, based on our analysis of questionnaire results, site  visits, and available studies: (1) federal training and education initiatives  that could increase awareness among government officials and the public  about the impacts of climate change and available adaptation strategies;  (2) actions to provide and interpret site-specific information that could  help officials understand the impacts of climate change at a scale that  would enable them to respond; and (3) steps Congress and federal  agencies could take to encourage adaptation by setting priorities and re- evaluating programs that hinder adaptation efforts. Public education: About 70 percent (129 of 184) of the respondents rated  the “creation of a campaign to educate the public about climate change  adaptation” as very or extremely useful. Nearly 94 percent (43 of 46) of the state officials and  about 83 percent (52 of 63) of the local officials who responded to the  question rated the development of state and local climate change impact  and vulnerability assessments as either very or extremely useful,  compared to about 69 percent (49 of 71) of federal officials. United Kingdom officials noted that the Climate Impacts  Programme provides similar tools to assist decision makers in the United  Kingdom. About 71 percent (129 of 181) of the officials who responded to our  questionnaire rated the “development of a national adaptation strategy  that defines federal government priorities and responsibilities” as very or  extremely useful. Governmentwide Planning and Collaboration Could Assist Adaptation Efforts

Climate change is a complex, interdisciplinary issue with the potential to  affect every sector and level of government operations. Our past work on crosscutting issues suggests that governmentwide  strategic planning can integrate activities that span a wide array of federal,  state, and local entities. We also provide information about our prior work on responding to  similarly complex, interdisciplinary issues. To describe the challenges that federal, state, and local officials face in  their efforts to adapt and the potential actions that Congress and federal  agencies could take to help address these challenges, we administered a  Web-based questionnaire to a nonprobability sample of 274 federal, state,  and local officials who were identified by their organizations to be  knowledgeable about adaptation.
Why GAO Did This Study

Changes in the climate attributable to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases may have significant impacts in the United States and the world. For example, climate change could threaten coastal areas with rising sea levels. Greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere will continue altering the climate system into the future, regardless of emissions control efforts. Therefore, adaptation--defined as adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change--is an important part of the response to climate change. GAO was asked to examine (1) what actions federal, state, local, and international authorities are taking to adapt to a changing climate; (2) the challenges that federal, state, and local officials face in their efforts to adapt; and (3) actions that Congress and federal agencies could take to help address these challenges. We also discuss our prior work on similarly complex, interdisciplinary issues. This report is based on analysis of studies, site visits to areas pursuing adaptation efforts, and responses to a Web-based questionnaire sent to federal, state, and local officials.

What GAO Found

While available information indicates that many governments have not yet begun to adapt to climate change, some federal, state, local, and international authorities have started to act. For example, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program supports research to meet the adaptation-related information needs of local decision makers. In another example, the state of Maryland's strategy for reducing vulnerability to climate change focuses on protecting habitat and infrastructure from future risks associated with sea level rise and coastal storms. Other GAO discussions with officials from New York City; King County, Washington; and the United Kingdom show how some governments have started to adapt to current and projected impacts in their jurisdictions. The challenges faced by federal, state, and local officials in their efforts to adapt fell into three categories, based on GAO's analysis of questionnaire results, site visits, and available studies. First, competing priorities make it difficult to pursue adaptation efforts when there may be more immediate needs for attention and resources. For example, about 71 percent (128 of 180) of the officials who responded to our questionnaire rated "non-adaptation activities are higher priorities" as very or extremely challenging. Second, a lack of site-specific data, such as local projections of expected changes, can reduce the ability of officials to manage the effects of climate change. For example, King County officials noted that they are not sure how to translate climate data into effects on salmon recovery. Third, adaptation efforts are constrained by a lack of clear roles and responsibilities among federal, state, and local agencies. Of particular note, about 70 percent (124 of 178) of the respondents rated the "lack of clear roles and responsibilities for addressing adaptation across all levels of government" as very or extremely challenging. GAO's analysis also found that potential federal actions for addressing challenges to adaptation efforts fell into three areas. First, training and education efforts could increase awareness among government officials and the public about the impacts of climate change and available adaptation strategies. Second, actions to provide and interpret site-specific information would help officials understand the impacts of climate change at a scale that would enable them to respond. For instance, about 80 percent (147 of 183) of the respondents rated the "development of state and local climate change impact and vulnerability assessments" as very or extremely useful. Third, Congress and federal agencies could encourage adaptation by clarifying roles and responsibilities. About 71 percent (129 of 181) of the respondents rated the development of a national adaptation strategy as very or extremely useful. Climate change is a complex, interdisciplinary issue with the potential to affect every sector and level of government operations. Our past work on crosscutting issues suggests that governmentwide strategic planning--with the commitment of top leaders--can integrate activities that span a wide array of federal, state, and local entities.