A lot of efforts are being made to curb the challenges of climate change at all levels of governance including the state and local ones. The federal government is a key player in the adaptation of effective coordination towards the climatic change. It is for this reason that the federal government agencies are coming forth to ensure that climate change adaptation forms part of their programs and policies.
Other agencies “have taken a leadership role in assisting state, local and tribal governments, businesses and communities in the adaptation of their programs and projects” (Pielke 22). The following are the agencies involved in the adaption of climate change initiatives.
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) which coordinates climate change related activities through the USDA Climate Office Program and US Forest Service which provides a roadmap for responding to climate change and performance scorecard; the Department of Energy (DOE) which forms the focal point for clean energy adaptation and assessment of impact of climate change in DOE offices with the help of Climate Change Policy and Technology, and the Fossil Energy Office; the Department of Commerce (DOC) which has laid down strategies through the DOC strategic plan and DOC Energy Working Group to facilitate integration of climate-related activities; the Department of Defense (DOD) which explores climate change adaptation programs through the established DOD Readiness Training and Policy Program and DOD Quadrennial Defense Review; the Department Of the Interior (DOI) which develops integrated strategies to respond to impacts of climate change.
It also supports integrated adaptation across landscapes through the DOI’s Landscapes Conservation Cooperatives; the Department Of Transportation (DOT) in collaboration with Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting (CCCEF) that forms the focal point for climate change. Moreover, they develop plans and actions regarding climate change.
The next one is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which identifies impacts on water and develops goals and objectives in responding to its impact. With the help of the Global Change Impacts and Adaptation Program one is able to assess the impact of climate change on human health and the environment.
The above mentioned agencies are the ones that are involved in the formulation and execution of environmental policies. Each agency is concerned with the development of strategies and programs that assess the impact of climate change. They also formulate goals and objectives on mitigation of those changes. Some of the initiatives and programs run by aforementioned agencies have been highlighted.
The office of the president is also involved in the execution of the integrated initiatives towards the issue of the climate change. In 2009, the “White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP),
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiated the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force (ICCATF)” (Pielke 23). It in turn incorporated the representatives from more than 20 federal agencies and the president signed the Executive Order on Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance. In October 2009, “he called on the ICCATF to develop,
within one year, recommendations on how the policies and practices of Federal agencies can be made compatible with and reinforce a national climate change adaptation strategy” (Pielke 24).
Works Cited
Pielke, Roger. Policy History of the US Global Change Research Program: Part 1. Administrative Development. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1999. Print.