Hurricane Helene reveals feds' climate risk exposure
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Hurricane Helene's devastating flooding in Asheville, N.C., left the world's largest repository of climate and weather data offline, in a clear example of the federal government's exposure to climate change-worsened extremes.
Why it matters: The National Centers for Environmental Information is just one of countless federal assets at risk from climate change, to the tune of trillions of dollars per decade, according to a new report.
- What's more, the government isn't up to the task of identifying and managing that risk, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found.
Zoom in: Helene's catastrophic impacts on western North Carolina left the NCEI offline and will delay the release of the country's monthly climate reports for the U.S. and the globe, NOAA — the NCEI's parent agency — said in a statement Friday.
- "NCEI maintains one of the most significant archives on Earth, with comprehensive oceanic, atmospheric and geophysical data dating back to the 1700s," NOAA said.
- Much of that data is currently inaccessible.
The lab, which maintains the country's list of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, hasn't lost its historical data, NOAA said.
- The center is operating without water and limited network services, and its employees are working to get back on their feet in the storm's wake.
The intrigue: The monthly climate reports are used by the public and private sectors, including the agricultural, energy, retail, reinsurance, transportation and media sectors, NOAA stated.
- "These reports and data rely on expert analysis from a team of dedicated staff, who are all personally impacted by the event."
- The NCEI is far from the only federal asset hit with a climate change-worsened disaster. Hurricane Michael in 2018 caused widespread destruction at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla.
- Flooding heavily damaged Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska in 2019, prompting costly repairs to the home of U.S. Strategic Command.
State of play: The GAO's report was prompted by a request from Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
- It found that congressional action is needed to ensure that federal financial exposure to climate change is fully accounted for and minimized through climate resilience measures.
- Right now, the GAO found, the government may not be pursuing climate resilience to the correct or fullest extent.
- The Pentagon has long been the agency farthest ahead on planning for climate change's consequences, given the vulnerability of its sprawling network of bases worldwide to everything from sea level rise to heat waves.
What they're saying: "This report makes clear that Congress should act to limit the U.S. government's alarming fiscal exposure due to the intensifying impacts of climate change," Cantwell said in a statement.
- Collins, in a separate statement, called for "a coordinated plan by the federal government to increase climate resiliency efforts and improve reporting of climate-related financial risks."
What's next: Congress is likely to pursue legislation in the next session that responds to GAO's core recommendations, a Senate Democratic aide told Axios.
- Draft legislation currently under review would establish a central interagency office — OMB or OSTP are two likely candidates — to assess agency funding needs and prioritize programs when asking Congress for funding.
- Helene's devastation only adds urgency to the conversation and could spark a bipartisan deal, the aide said: "I feel like the pressure is getting more and more that we need to respond."
