An ounce of prevention: preparing for the impact of a changing climate on US humanitarian and disaster response
This paper is a synthesis of research by CNA and Oxfam America on the impact of climate change on US disaster response and prevention. It examines the likely impacts of a changing climate on the US government's civilian and military humanitarian response systems. It analyses both humanitarian and security implications of climate change as well as how the US government responds to overseas climate-related emergencies. It is intended to help understand the changes that can be made now to better prepare these systems for the long-term effects of climate change.
It states that the current US government institutional and budgetary arrangements do not adequately support resilience building and disaster prevention and often shift resources from disaster risk reduction activities to lifesaving emergency response until a supplemental funding bill arrives, interrupting programs that could decrease need in the long term. It advocates for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction to be fully integrated into all relevant US government agencies' disaster planning and response activities.
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