Climate-fueled disasters accelerated in 2020 —we need a national resilience plan, fast

If 2020 made anything crystal clear, it’s that climate change is no longer a far-off, invisible threat.

One climate-fueled disaster after another pummeled communities across the country this past year, from a deadly series of western wildfires that scorched more than 10.6 million acres — bigger than the areas of Maryland, Delaware and D.C. combined — to a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season that pushed 12 powerful storms ashore in rapid succession.

And that’s to say nothing of the extreme wind event that flattened houses, businesses and crops across the Corn Belt last summer, killing four people and causing an estimated $7.5 billion in damages.

More than ever, we need sweeping action to tackle climate change head-on. Dramatically cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering carbon are essential parts of that equation. But reducing and removing carbon alone won’t eliminate many of the impacts already set in motion. We must do more to make our communities, and the natural systems that support them, more resilient to the climate impacts we are experiencing now even as we redouble efforts to control emissions.

We need a national resilience strategy.

The good news is that the incoming Biden administration and lawmakers need not look too far for sound policy ideas. Cities and states have instituted resilience policies that are worth federal consideration. And members of the outgoing 116th Congress introduced a number of bipartisan proposals that could reduce climate risk for rural and urban communities alike.

Some of those proposals just passed as part of the omnibus appropriations package. They include provisions to help the drought-stricken West improve water security and a directive for the Department of Energy to establish hybrid microgrids for rural and isolated communities exposed to extreme weather. Congress also passed a stand-alone bill, the STORM Act, to create a revolving loan fund to help states, tribes and local governments invest in risk reduction projects.

These proposals are critical to build climate resilience for the health and safety of Americans, but many other great ideas are awaiting action.

Additional action to advance community resilience to flood, fire, drought and other impacts will protect local economies, stimulate recovery and reduce future impacts. We should prioritize action early in the 117th Congress to advance our national resilience.

The Environmental Defense Fund has organized many of these opportunities, along with a few new, state-tested ideas, into a Resilience Across America framework. By weaving resilience policies through nearly every U.S. agency we can better protect human life, property and taxpayer resources in a changing climate. For example, they would:

• Direct the Department of Commerce to establish a coastal adaptation and preparedness program to protect communities from rising seas and increasingly violent storms.
• Invest in natural infrastructure solutions to protect transportation corridors.
• Expand a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program to help state and local governments mitigate climate-related health problems and health disparities.
• Enhance flood mapping to help homeowners, businesses and localities minimize risks.
• Make it easier for farmers to use cover crops to increase soil health and protect farmlands from drought and heavy rainfall.

Proposals identified in this framework encourage financially sound decision making. For example, one proposal requires the federal government to determine the potential flood risks to taxpayer-funded projects before those projects begin or a facility is built or leased.

The Resilience Across America framework includes some ideas that cities and states have instituted, such as employing a chief resilience officer to coordinate resilience activities across government and with external partners. It also includes a proposal for a new “Climate Resilience Corps” under AmeriCorps to employ young people to work on projects to improve community adaptation, mitigation, preparedness and disaster recovery.

In addition, there is a recommendation for using the Department of Education’s Federal Resources for Educational Excellence platform to disseminate educational resources on environmental justice, a core concern associated with past approaches to dealing with environmental impacts.

At its core, Resilience Across America is a roadmap for the Biden administration and new Congress to provide the necessary tools to anticipate, prepare for and mitigate problems that result from climate-related events. The goal is not to help communities bounce back to whatever normal existed before, but to bounce forward to a safer and more just society.

The catastrophic climate events of 2020 underscore the need to act quickly. Resilience Across America can give federal legislators a head start in the sprint to help the nation adjust to what lies ahead and thrive in the face of adversity.

Eric Schwaab is senior vice president of Ecosystems and Oceans at Environmental Defense Fund.