2017 was truly an historic and unprecedented year of disastrous extremes in the US—from hurricanes and wildfires to drought and flooding—many of which had clear climate connections. NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center’s 2017 report on billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. tallied a staggering $306.2 billion dollars in costs cumulatively, which set a new record. These events also resulted in hundreds of fatalities. Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Irma propelled 2017 to become the costliest hurricane season on record at $265 billion, and California’s terrible wildfires also led to it also being the costliest wildfire year at $18 billion.
For the most part, our nation is still dealing with these types of disasters as one-off events, instead of investing in proactively protecting communities and taking steps to limit the risks of disasters. Furthermore, our current policies often leave behind low-income communities, communities of color and tribal communities and other disadvantaged or disenfranchised communities—leaving them facing disproportionate harms. With climate change likely to contribute worsening and more costly disasters, it is time for a new approach, based on science and informed by equity principles.
Results/Conclusions
UCS has proposed the concept of a climate resilience gap, which we define as the scope and extent of climate change–driven conditions for which people (individuals, communities, states, and even countries) remain unprepared, leaving them open to potentially harmful impacts. Responding effectively to climate change requires us to narrow the climate resilience gap through aggressive action on both climate mitigation and adaptation.
Our federal, state and local policies must aim to close this resilience gap for all communities, drawing on the best available science, aiming for equitable outcomes and ensuring that scare resources are wisely invested.
Many current policies—ranging from the National Flood Insurance Program to local zoning laws—have maladaptive features that can perpetuate risky development. Federal agency budgets for pre-disaster hazard mitigation are frequently underfunded and post-disaster funding tends to favor business-as-usual rebuilding, both of which leave communities more vulnerable to future disasters. As a nation, we need to invest more in tools, data and capacity building to help communities assess their risks and make informed choices. Targeting policies and resources to disadvantaged communities and ensuring that they can fully participate as stakeholders is vital. Finally, we need to significantly ramp up resources and develop governance structures to help navigate the serious challenges we face as climate impacts worsen.