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U.S. Agencies Urged to Plan for 'Inevitable Effects' of Warming
2010-10-14 14:04:02.309 GMT
By Kim Chipman
Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The Obama administration, which has
been unable to push climate-change legislation through Congress,
is urging government agencies to prepare for the "inevitable
effects" of global warming.
Strategies should be considered in every decision, and
scientific data on rising temperatures and sea levels should be
easily accessible to officials, according to a report from
President Barack Obama's interagency task force on adapting to
climate change. The government also should develop a strategy to
help poor countries contend with the climate change.
"While taking action to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions
and avoid the effects of climate change is a priority, we must
also prepare for the inevitable effects of climate change,"
Nancy Sutley, head of the White House Council on Environmental
Quality, said today in a statement, updating the group's work.
Obama formed the task force last year to craft a plan for
dealing with climate change, which scientists say will lead to
more frequent and severe storms, droughts and heat waves.
Congressional efforts to cut U.S. emissions tied to global
warming have stalled, and countries remain deadlocked in talks
for a new treaty to fight global warming. The administration
says it remains committed to cutting U.S. greenhouse-gas
emissions 17 percent by 2020.
Federal officials must consider how climate change will
affect services, operations and resources throughout the U.S.
when making decisions, Sutley said.
The task force includes Sutley's council, the Office of
Science and Technology Policy and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
Among recommendations are ensuring that scientific
information about climate change is available to officials so
they can plan as needed. The report also suggests coordinating
federal efforts to respond to climate impacts, including threats
to water resources, public health, oceans and coastlines.
For Related News and Information:
Most-read climate stories: MNI CLIMATE <GO>
Emission market news: NI ENVMARKET <GO>
Today's top energy stories: ETOP <GO>
--Editors: Steve Geimann, Larry Liebert
To contact the reporter on this story:
Kim Chipman +1-202-624-1927 or
kchipman@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Larry Liebert at +1-202-624-1936 or
lliebert@bloomberg.net
