Obama Signs Executive Order Aimed at ‘Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change’
President Barack Obama signed an
executive order Friday directing federal agencies to take a series of
steps aimed at helping local communities “strengthen their resilience to
extreme weather and prepare for other impacts of climate change.”
“The impacts of climate change —
including an increase in prolonged periods of excessively high
temperatures, more heavy downpours, an increase in wildfires, more
severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, and sea-level
rise — are already affecting communities, natural resources, ecosystems,
economies, and public health across the Nation,” the executive order said.
The executive order, titled “Preparing
the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change,” added that “the
Federal Government must build on recent progress and pursue new
strategies to improve the Nation’s preparedness and resilience.”
U.S.
President Barack Obama looks on during a meeting with Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri Al-Maliki shakes in the Oval Office at the White House
November 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
The executive order established a “Task
Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience” composed of state and
local leaders to advise the president on how the federal government can
help communities facing “the impacts of climate change.”
The executive order comes one year
after Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern shores of the U.S., devastating
some local communities.
The task force builds on efforts Obama
announced in June to combat global warming, including the first-ever
limits on climate pollution from new and existing power plants. Obama’s
plan is intended to reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions by 17
percent between 2005 and 2020. The plan also would boost renewable
energy production on federal lands, increase efficiency standards and
prepare communities to deal with higher temperatures. The 12 hottest
years on record all have occurred in the past 15 years.
Obama’s plan would be put in place
through executive order, bypassing Congress, which has stalemated over
climate legislation in recent years.
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