[CPEO-MEF] CLIMATE: GAO report on Climate Change Adaptation at the Defense Department

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Climate Change Adaptation: DOD Can Improve Infrastructure Planning  
and Processes to Better Account for Potential Impacts

GAO-14-446
Publicly Released: June 30, 2014.

What GAO Found

In its Fiscal Year 2012 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap, the  
Department of Defense (DOD) identified climate change phenomena such  
as rising temperatures and sea levels as potentially impacting its  
infrastructure, and officials at sites GAO visited or contacted noted  
actual impacts they had observed. For example, according to DOD  
officials, the combination of thawing permafrost, decreasing sea ice,  
and rising sea levels on the Alaskan coast has increased coastal  
erosion at several Air Force radar early warning and communication  
installations. Impacts on DOD's infrastructure from this erosion have  
included damaged roads, seawalls, and runways. In addition, officials  
on a Navy installation told GAO that sea level rise and resulting  
storm surge are the two largest threats to their waterfront  
infrastructure. For instance, they are concerned about possible storm  
surge during work on a submarine that will be cut in half while  
sitting in a dry dock. Officials explained that if salt water floods  
the submarine's systems, it could result in severe damage.

...

For the entire highlights page and a link to the full report, go to
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-14-446

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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