A new General Services Administration (GSA) plan lays the groundwork for future climate-adaptation and resilience design considerations that may be required for buildings rented or constructed by the GSA.
On October 7, the GSA announced the release of its Climate Risk Management Plan, which describes the actions that GSA will take in making its operations and assets climate ready. The plan, issued in conjunction with 20 other agencies and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is part of the Biden administration’s approach to address climate change.
“By working together and facilitating a whole-of-government approach, GSA can help to spur climate innovations across building, product, and service markets in the government and private sector,” said Deputy Administrator and Senior Climate Change Adaptation Official Katy Kale.
According to GSA, the plan outlines strategies and actions to embed climate risk management practices into the agency’s operations.
The action plans from other agencies are committed to similar goals. The Department of Transportation’s Climate Action Plan will incorporate resilience criteria into transportation discretionary grant and loan programs wherever appropriate. The Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Climate Action Plan seeks to support climate resilient investments by “ensur[ing] that new USACE-built projects are built to last and perform reliably for their intended design lives, despite uncertainty about future climatic conditions.” The Department of Defense Climate Adaptation Plan will use climate intelligence to inform and educate military planners and other key decision-makers on where and how military installations are at risk from climate change hazards.
If you plan to work with federal agencies in the future, consider visiting http://www.sustainability.gov/adaptation, where you can read your target agency’s report to determine if you can structure your offer to coincide with their goals.
