The EPA today released a new policy statement on climate change adaptation to help the nation prepare for and respond to the impacts of a changing climate. The policy commits the agency to work with states, tribes, and local communities to increase their resilience to extreme weather events and prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The EPA’s policy is consistent with the President’s Climate Action Plan and Executive Order 13653 on Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change, which calls on the federal government to strengthen the adaptive capacity of its programs and operations. The new policy updates the EPA policy first issued in June 2011, and includes the following directives:

• Modernize EPA financial assistance program to encourage climate-resilient investments;
• Provide information, tools, training and technical support for climate change preparedness and resilience;
• Implement priority actions identified in EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan and Implementation Plans;
• Focus on the most vulnerable people and places;
• Measure and evaluate performance of climate adaptation actions;
• Continue EPA planning for climate change-related risk; and
• Coordinate with other federal agencies

To read the EPA’s Climate Change Adaptation Policy, visit:  http://epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/fed-programs.html