The President’s Taskforce on Climate Preparedness and Resilience was set up to develop guidance on how the federal government can best support local communities in the face of climate change. The Taskforce was composed of 26 governors, mayors, county officials, and tribal leaders from around the nation. The Taskforce met from Nov. 2013-July 2014 and released their final report in Nov. 2014.

Recognizing that climate change will affect virtually all aspects of the nation’s future, the Taskforce focused on opportunities to build climate preparedness and resilience in key domains, including disaster recovery, infrastructure investment, natural resource management, human health, community development, and agriculture.

Some notable recommendations include:

• Increase infrastructure resilience through use of green and natural infrastructure;
• Provide incentives for the development of clean energy distribution and storage;
• Identify the most vulnerable populations to climate change impacts for federal support;
• Develop climate-sensitive health tracking and surveillance tools;
• Remove federal barriers to disaster planning that considers climate change risk;
• Increase partnerships and collaboration in disaster planning and recovery efforts;
• Assist communities in building food security; and
• Increase natural systems resilience through improved natural systems management, watershed protection, and investments in conservation.

Click here to learn more about the Taskforce and download the full report.

“In my time as Mayor, Des Moines has experienced an unprecedented number of 100 and 500 year flood events. Our responsibility as a City is to ensure the safety of all our citizens and their property. Sometimes that process requires strategic buyouts of properties that fall within the floodplain. For this to work effectively, local, state, and federal partners must work closely together and interagency coordination must be a priority in order to avoid conflicting direction from multiple authorities that negatively impact residents.”
– Mayor Frank Cownie, Des Moines, Iowa

Members of the President’s Taskforce on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, at the White House in 2014.