USDOT unveils Climate Adaptation Plan 2024-2027

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced that it has released its 2024-2027 Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP) to enhance climate resilience across transportation infrastructure and federal assets. This plan focuses on supporting investments in climate-smart infrastructure, addressing environmental justice, and integrating climate risk considerations into USDOT operations and programs.

Key CAP highlights

The CAP introduces initiatives to strengthen infrastructure resilience and support vulnerable communities:

1. Climate Hazard Exposure and Resilience (CHER) Tool: An internal tool that uses climate projection data and vulnerability assessments to create risk scores for USDOT facilities, aiding in climate risk management
2. Incorporating Resilience into Grant Funding: USDOT now includes climate resilience criteria in discretionary grants across all transportation modes, encouraging climate-adaptive projects
3. PROTECT Program: Administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), this initiative supports resilience projects like evacuation routes and coastal defenses to protect infrastructure from extreme weather
4. USDOT Order 4360: Issued in September 2023, this policy requires adaptation and resilience in managing USDOT operational assets, prioritising climate risk strategies for internal operations
5. Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer: This interactive tool allows users to explore the cumulative effects of transportation underinvestment in marginalised communities, supporting equitable infrastructure planning.

CAP priorities

The CAP is organised around four main priorities:

• Priority One: Investment in Climate-Smart Infrastructure
  USDOT provides guidance, technical assistance and decision-support tools to build resilient transportation across all modes
• Priority Two: Linking Climate Resilience and Environmental Justice
  USDOT incorporates environmental justice in grant programmes and technical assistance to address historical inequities and enhance community resilience
• Priority Three: Leveraging Federal Climate Data
  USDOT provides stakeholders with critical climate data to inform resilience and adaptation efforts
• Priority Four: Reducing Climate Impacts on Federal Assets
  Through ongoing risk assessments, USDOT is working to minimise climate risks to federal property, ensuring operational continuity.

Looking ahead

The 2024-2027 CAP strengthens USDOT’s ability to respond to climate challenges, safeguarding infrastructure and supporting communities. By integrating resilience and environmental justice across programmes and policies, the agency aims to ensure long-term sustainability and equity in U.S. transportation systems.