The president has called climate change an emergency and vowed to take bold steps to fight it. Alice Hill, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former senior director for resilience policy at the U.S. National Security Council, says that in addition to mitigation measures, taking steps to prepare for and adapt to the reality of climate change is imperative.
- Some ways the government can incentivize preparation are the following, according to Hill: ensuring flood insurance premiums reflect true risk, increasing liability for developers in certain cases and insisting communities have disaster-resistant building codes.
- Investing in risk reduction (e.g., building elevated houses) can save up to $11 for every dollar, said Hill.
- President Biden has “done a great deal” on climate, but the problem is “enormous” and needs to be addressed now, she said.
SEE ALSO | Defense Department prepares for impact of climate change with Climate Adaptation Plan
Icebergs that calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier float in the Ilulissat Icefjord on Sept. 4, 2021 in Ilulissat, Greenland (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The Windy Fire blazes through the Long Meadow Grove of giant sequoia trees near The Trail of 100 Giants overnight in Sequoia National Forest on Sept. 21, 2021 near California Hot Springs, CA (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)
