Debate over the cause and impacts of climate change has gone on for decades. Today, there is little doubt that greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere and that human-induced climate change is real. Greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere today are at a record level being just below 400 parts per million about 40 percent higher than in pre-industrial times. Many actions are now underway to enhance an understanding of the full impacts of climate change and to create resilient and adaptive responses. Actions by federal agencies to respond to climate change are
called for in Executive Order (EO) 13653 and the US Climate Action Plan issued by President Obama in 2013.
A major challenge facing society and a key theme of this paper is building consensus within federal and state governments and between government and industry on how best to anticipate, respond, and adapt to continuing changes in climate. As history shows, such collaboration is often hard to achieve but is absolutely necessary to address the cause and impacts of climate change. Hence, a key goal of the EO 13653 and the US Climate Action Plan is for the federal government to work with state and local government and tribal leaders on designing and implementing effective and resilient responses to impacts of climate change.
Toward accomplishing this objective, the Climate Action Plan invokes partnerships as a critical means to develop systems that are more resilient to climate change. A key goal of the plan is to remove policy barriers, modernize programs, and establish a short-term task force of state, local, and tribal officials to advise the federal government on key actions in support of local and state efforts to prepare for climate change. In particular, the plan calls for innovative strategies in regions such as those affected by Superstorm Sandy to develop knowledge about strengthening communities against future extreme weather and other climate impacts. The action plan also aims to deliver specific science-based knowledge to government and specific private sectors to help them understand,
prepare for, and reduce the impacts of climate change.
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