The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan, which outlines agency actions to address the impacts of climate change and help build a more climate-resilient nation. The plan expands the agency’s efforts to ensure its programs, facilities, workforce and operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts. EPA has also established a new Office of Climate Adaptation and Sustainability that will support efforts to build resilience to climate change and promote sustainability in support of the agency’s mission and its partnerships.

The updated plan includes provisions for building a climate-literate workforce through ongoing education and training and to ensure staff are equipped with an understanding of projected climate impacts. One element is the agency-wide Climate Conversations webinar series helping to build a community of practice and encourage peer-to-peer sharing of experiences. EPA is continuing to conduct facility resiliency assessments to identify vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change and make recommendations to increase facility resilience.

EPA is modernizing its financial assistance programs to encourage investments by communities and Tribes that are more resilient in an era of climate change. To support this effort, the agency launched an internal Climate-Resilient Investments Clearinghouse website to help managers of financial assistance programs incorporate climate adaptation and resilience considerations in the investment decisions EPA makes each day.

Communities and funding recipients will be equipped with the tools, data, information and technical support they need to assess their climate risks and develop the climate-resilience solutions most appropriate for them. EPA is also integrating climate adaptation into its rulemaking processes where appropriate and in keeping with our statutory authorities to ensure they are effective even as the climate changes.