ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities

With President Biden’s Administration cabinet almost fully confirmed, including a strong climate team, ASAP members are seizing our moment to accelerate adaptation policy. The White House team is taking a “whole of government approach” to climate or what adaptation professionals call “mainstreaming” climate information and adaptation action (see ASAP’s Living Guide to the Principles of Climate Change Adaptation.) But while integrating climate adaptation into other actions and policies is important, it’s not enough. We can’t achieve the pace or scale of adaptation needed without a distinct set of policies designed explicitly to address current and imminent climate impacts. In addition to distinct policies to accelerate adaptation action, we also need our priority adaptation policies to respond to the unique conditions of 2021: the ongoing implementation of response programs addressing health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 disaster and massive social, education, and infrastructure programs that address systemic and individual racism.

ASAP’s 2021 Policy Priorities respond to those demands while describing what’s needed for adaptation professionals to be able to implement effective and just adaptation and resilience work across all sectors and scales. 

Join us in making progress on these top priorities in 2021:

1. Establish standards for climate data and mandate use of future climate projections. 
2. Treat climate change as a crisis and prioritize justice and equity in crisis response. 
3. Overlay climate resilience needs on all infrastructure decisions. 
4. Preserve, restore, and manage natural systems for climate resilience. 
5. Define, develop, and train the climate change adaptation and climate resilience workforce.

These priorities, created by and for ASAP members, don’t just signal what we’ll advocate for in 2021. They also represent where ASAP members have deep expertise. If you’re a decision-maker at any scale of governance looking for adaptation insight to take your climate agenda to the next level, look no further than the ASAP network.