House bill shifts focus to climate change adaptation

…Included in the 648-page draft bill are provisions that would require federal agencies to prepare adaptation plans, create dedicated funds for general and wildlife adaptation efforts, and establish a new National Climate Service to provide local governments with information on climate change and technical assistance to help them develop strategies to adapt to shifting weather patterns. The bill also sets guidelines for inter-agency and international cooperation on adaptation programs and asks the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate how global warming will affect public health.

The legislation was released yesterday, weeks after a federally requested report warned that climate change will affect the day-to-day operations of state and local governments, from building bridges to managing drinking water supplies. It said officials often do not have the information they need to help their communities adapt. “Climate is no longer stable,” said the National Academy of Sciences report.

The bill would address adaptation planning at the state and federal levels. All federal agencies would be required to develop general adaptation plans, with the main agencies that deal with natural resources — U.S. EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Agriculture Department, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department — also charged with developing plans to help protect natural resources from climate change and ocean acidification.

NY Times