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While in California, The President And The VP Talk Climate
President Joe Biden waves as he walks to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House July 20, 2022 in Washington, D.C.
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Getty Images
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Topline:
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are in California this week and climate is an important topic in their agendas, with a new federal report pushing on the issue. The president is currently in L.A. and Harris will be in San Francisco next week to discuss the administration’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
Why it matters: A new report from the federal Government Accountability Office says there needs to be a more cohesive, national plan for funding around climate resilience. The report says the U.S. spent $315 billion on disaster assistance from 2015 to 2021. That number will only climb as the climate crisis makes weather and drought more severe. The Government Accountability Office made similar recommendations back in 2011, but none of them were ever implemented.
What could a more comprehensive strategy look like? The report recommends, among other things:
- Creating a single, national climate information system with the latest and best climate science
- Establishing a federal agency to help identify and prioritize climate resilience projects, outside of disaster aid
- Piloting a national climate migration program as communities are reshaped by the climate emergency
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