GAO ADDS CLIMATE CHANGE TO HIGH RISK LIST FOR GOV’T EXPOSURE

Tamar Hallerman
GHG Monitor
2/15/13

The Government Accountability Office for the first time added climate change to its running list of high-risk issues that could lead to government fiscal exposure. GAO head Gene Dodaro unveiled the addition to the High Risk List during a Feb. 14 briefing before two Congressional committees, where he told lawmakers that government must better manage climate change risks in order to limit exposure. GAO in its report says government is currently “not well positioned” to address the fiscal exposure that could occur as a result of climate change because it is an “inherently complicated, crosscutting” issue. “Climate change poses significant financial risks to the federal government, which owns extensive infrastructure, such as defense installations, insures property through the National Flood Insurance Program and provides emergency aid in response to natural disasters,” according to GAO.

The list instead calls on more interagency coordination and strong government leadership to manage the risks associated with climate change. “With regards to providing climate-related information, [the National Research Council] observed that no single government agency or centralized unit could perform all the required functions, and that coordination of agency roles and regional activities is a necessity,” the document states. The High Risk List is updated biennially at the beginning of each Congress and aims to identify government programs and operations that have a high risk for waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement or need to be overhauled. The list, which currently includes 30 programs, also helps set the agendas for Capitol Hill’s oversight committees.

Waxman: ‘Congress Can’t Ignore Issue’

Lawmakers in favor of climate change mitigation said the addition should function as a call to action in Congress. “This report is a huge development. Congress can’t ignore an issue that its own auditors say is a top risk to taxpayers,” said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee who also co-chairs a recently-created bicameral task force on climate change. “Members of both parties rely on GAO to identify the biggest risks facing our government. When GAO concludes that climate change is high risk, it becomes a fiscal imperative for the federal agencies and Congress to respond.”