From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Climate Change Strategies Description: Hear about federal approaches to climate change and climate resilience. Related GAO Work: GAO-20-127: Climate Resilience: A Strategic Investment Approach for High-Priority Projects Could Help Target Federal Resources Released: November 2019 [ Background Music ] [ Alfredo Gomez: ] The federal government has made little measurable progress to reduce its fiscal exposure to climate change. [ Matt Oldham: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm Matt Oldham. Recent hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding highlight the federal government's fiscal exposure to natural disasters, particularly as certain extreme weather events become more frequent and intense due to changes in the climate. Since 2005, federal funding for disaster assistance is at least $450 billion. With me is Alfredo Gomez, a Natural Resources and Environment director, to talk about a GAO report on federal strategies for climate resilience. Thanks for joining me, Alfredo. [ Alfredo Gomez: ] Thank you. [ Matt Oldham: ] Alfredo, we recently did a podcast on the disaster resilience framework. How does that framework relate to this report on climate resilience priorities? [ Alfredo Gomez: ] So, our report builds on the principles that were outlined in the disaster resilience framework with the objective of helping federal agencies and others save taxpayers' dollars by preparing for disasters instead of just reacting to them. Most of the federal efforts are reactive, so that is that we wait for a disaster to happen, and then we pay a lot of money, for example, in flood insurance and disaster aid. In short, what our report does is it provides an approach for how the federal government can be more proactive. And since we generally don't budget for disasters, we end up having to borrow a lot more money. [ Matt Oldham: ] And so, what are some of those federal efforts to help prepare the country for the effects of climate change? [ Alfredo Gomez: ] The federal government is not prepared for the impacts of climate change, and this is bad for taxpayers. Some federal agencies have funded projects that help make the country more resilient. So, for example, the Corp of Engineers builds sea walls that can help protect communities. These are good steps. We believe the federal government can do more to help build resilience. Climate change impacts cut across agency missions, and they present risks and fiscal exposure that are larger than any one agency's mission. We want the federal government to be more strategic in addressing these impacts. It should make sure that it's directing tax dollars towards addressing the greatest climate risks, and it should think about this in a government-wide way. [ Background Music ] [ Matt Oldham: ] So, it sounds like while some individual federal agencies have plans and programs in place to enhance resilience, there's room for improvement in a total federal strategy, a 'whole of government' approach. Alfredo, we're talking about billions of dollars in costs. How could agencies bring this number down? [ Alfredo Gomez: ] So, in addition to the work on climate resilience, since 2013 GAO has included limiting the federal government's fiscal exposure by better managing climate change risks on its high risk list. And this is a list of federal programs and functions that are at high risk of fraud, waste, abuse, or in most need of transformation. So, in this high-risk report, we've identified several ways in which the federal government can reduce its fiscal exposure to climate change. Other things, for example, are for the federal government to address challenges in the federal flood insurance program, and also to make federal property more resilient. Unfortunately, many of our climate-related recommendations have not been implemented. As of August of this year, no action had been taken to implement 14 of our 17 recommendations to improve federal strategic planning for climate resilience. [ Matt Oldham: ] Alright, last question, what's the bottom line to this report? [ Alfredo Gomez: ] As you mentioned earlier, Matt, we've spent almost half a trillion dollars in disaster assistance since 2005. The problem is not going away, since extreme weather will become more frequent and intense due to climate change. The federal government has made little measurable progress to reduce its fiscal exposure to climate change. And we need to be more strategic about how we address this issue. In our report, we lay out a process that the federal government can follow to target federal resources toward climate resilience projects that address the nation's most significant risks. In this way, the federal government can better ensure that it's getting the most bang for its buck with resilience investments, and helping prepare the country for the challenges of climate change. [ Matt Oldham: ] Alfredo Gomez was talking about federal strategies for addressing climate resilience and climate change. Thank you for your time, Alfredo. [ Alfredo Gomez: ] Thank you for having me. [ Background Music ] [ Matt Oldham: ] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us in Apple Podcasts. And make sure you leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit us at GAO.gov.