Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a new Climate Action Plan outlining the steps the Department is taking to tackle the climate crisis, including bolstering the Department's ability to adapt to climate change, building national resilience, undertaking mitigation measures, and addressing key vulnerabilities. This plan is part of President Biden's whole-of-government approach to confronting the climate crisis.
"Our world is facing a climate crisis that poses existential threats and demands urgent action. We must act now," . "The DHS Climate Action Plan outlines how our Department will remain mission-resilient to climate change while reducing our own impact on the environment, including by electrifying our vehicle fleet, educating our workforce on the importance of adaptation and resilience, and leveraging grant programs to incentivize investments in disaster resiliency."
President Biden prioritized the revitalization of federal agency climate adaptation and resilience planning efforts after a four-year pause. Through this approach, large federal agencies like DHS developed individual adaptation and resilience plans, called "Climate Action Plans," to address their most significant climate risks and vulnerabilities. The DHS Climate Action Plan includes five priority actions:
, including through the continuation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program - the funding for which President Biden doubled to $1 billion - to provide incentives for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to adopt modern, disaster-resistant building codes. DHS initial BRIC selections include wildfire resilience programs, flood control programs, and small-town coastal hazard mitigation plans.
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