FEMA eliminates mentions of climate change from strategic planning document

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) strategic planning document for the next four years makes no mention of climate change.

NPR reported that FEMA dropped references to topics including climate change, rising sea levels and global warming in a document released Thursday.

The document says disaster costs are expected to go up because of the “rising natural hazard risk, decaying critical infrastructure, and economic pressures that limit investments in risk resilience.”

{mosads}”As good stewards of taxpayer dollars, FEMA must ensure that our programs are fiscally sound,” the document says. “Additionally, we will consider new pathways to long-term disaster risk reduction, including increased investments in pre-disaster mitigation.”

FEMA public affairs director William Booher said in an email to NPR “it is evident that this strategic plan fully incorporates future risks from all hazards regardless of cause.”

“Building upon the foundation established by FEMA’s previous two Strategic Plans, this plan commits the agency, and the nation, to taking proactive steps to increasing pre-disaster investments in preparedness and mitigation,” Booher said in the email.

A report earlier this week said administration officials are working to combat global climate change despite President Trump’s skeptical rhetoric on the issue.

Although Trump announced last year he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. still helped write a rulebook on implementing it, Reuters reported earlier this week.

The U.S. has also increased funding for overseas clean energy projects and has contributed to international research on the effects of global warming.

The White House said in a statement this week the administration supports debate and analysis on the issue.

Since taking office, Trump has pushed for increased use of fossil fuels in the U.S. and has rolled back various Obama-era energy and environmental policies.