In conjunction with the President's speech at the U.N., the White House announced several actions to strengthen global resilience to climate change. Among these is an effort led by NOAA to develop extreme-weather risk outlooks in the 15-30 day range, which is beyond the 14-day horizon for current “reliable” forecasts. The first step NOAA will take in providing this information is to issue weekly 3-4 week precipitation outlooks and extend extreme-heat index projections to 8-14 days out.
The President’s announcement also included several activities aimed at supporting developing countries in their plans to adapt to climate change. These include:
- An Executive Order requiring government agencies to consider climate resilience activities in the government’s international development work;
- Providing higher resolution datasets for Africa, and later Mexico and Central and South America;
- Providing additional access for meteorologists in developing countries to NOAA training on climate prediction, monitoring and assessment; and
- Launching a public-private partnership on climate data and information for resilient development.
The United States will also participate in many global, multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at supporting sustainable energy, agriculture and the financial tools needed for achieving these efficiencies.