Following the May 6 unveiling of the third National Climate Assessment (NCA), the White House has embarked on a public outreach campaign to help the public understand the ramifications of climate change in their own communities and take action.
The outreach campaign began with a series of interviews of President Obama by local and national meteorologists in the White House Rose Garden last week and will continue with Cabinet members and other White House officials making stops across the country to discuss the regional impacts of climate change highlighted in the report.
The White House hopes its public education efforts will change the discussion on climate change. At a news briefing, John Podesta, White House Counselor to the President, said the public understands climate change is happening, but “they don’t feel that sense of urgency.” As noted by White House Science Advisor John Holdren: "The issue still ranks low on salience. But I think that salience is going to go up, and we will see it in the polls and what people communicate to their members of Congress."
AMWA took the opportunity to do its own outreach on climate change by issuing a press release urging Congress to pass the “Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act” (H.R. 765 and S. 1508), sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). The legislation would establish a new EPA-based competitive funding program offering assistance to communities that undertake infrastructure projects to help their water and wastewater systems prepare for, or respond to, the impacts of climate change.