On October 7th, White House officials formally presented the findings submitted by nearly two dozen government agencies in compliance with a directive from President Biden on the climate threats that may have the most impact on their focus areas.
The sobering report paints a dystopian scenario wherein citizens face food shortages, traffic issues, as well as the dangers that extreme weather conditions will have on the American way of life.
Six areas were pointed out as the most likely to be affected by climate change. Therefore, the government agencies involved need to find ways by which the effects could be mitigated.
Agriculture: An endangered food supply
Where the agricultural sector is concerned, the most urgent issue is how extreme climate conditions may impact the country’s food supply.
Over the past few years, record-breaking drought and more intense hurricanes and snowstorms have wrought havoc on farms across America through an increase in pests, the proliferation of livestock and crop diseases, as well as worsening soil quality. The wildfires in California were also noted to have been ruinous to crops, particularly the state’s best-known exports: almonds and grapes for winemaking.
The report submitted by the Department of Agriculture noted that there are limits as to what can be done in the meantime. The primary factor imposing these limits is cost. For example, farmers may try to build better irrigation systems, and the government may build new dams to bring water into areas. However, all these come at a cost – both financially and environmentally.
Energy: The ongoing shift to renewable power
For its part, the Department of Energy has assessed climate risks for only half of its operational sites, including several storage facilities for nuclear wastes.
According to the DOE statement, some of its nuclear facilities are located in areas that are prone to extreme weather conditions. This further puts its environmental goals in peril if massive hurricanes or similar disasters hit sites involved in radioactive waste processing.
However, the DOE has assured the public that it has measures already in place to protect its facilities from climate risks.
Transportation: Restricted movement
Both mobility and the ferrying of goods from producers to consumers are already feeling the impact of climate change. Severe weather conditions in the summer and winter have caused road conditions to deteriorate, resulting in more accidents and traffic jams, while both hurricanes and blizzards have cancelled flights.
Transportation experts warn that extreme heat will affect the airline sector particularly, forcing planes to fly shorter routes with fewer passengers or cargo.
Homeland Security: An impending refugee crisis
On its end, Homeland Security expressed concerns that climate change will result in a massive influx of people driven out of their countries of origin by natural disasters or by the economic effects of climate change.
While officials did not present any concrete response plans at the moment, they did state that they will work on “balanced, equitable outcomes” where the security of the nation’s borders is concerned.
National defense: Challenges amidst new conflicts
Another pressing issue is how climate change will force the military to rethink its operational procedures and respond to new sources of armed conflict such as water shortages in countries when the US military maintains a presence.
According to the DoD report, the water requirements of troops on bases may compromise those of the local population, leading to unnecessary friction.
Commerce and industry: Considering new technologies
It was where the business and industrial sectors were concerned that the report showed a bit more optimism. Of late, there has been an increase in the number of patent applications for new technologies that will enable businesses to adapt to climate change.
While this may seem daunting at first, incentives and priority will be given to those applications with a great deal of promise when mitigating environmental challenges for both the public and private sectors.
