Climate resilience policy
Adaptation, mitigation, federal and state programs, and the institutional choices that shape community resilience.
- Selected reports
- Policy explainers
- Public testimony and archived materials
Public testimony and archived materials
September 2026 | Federal Climate Risk & Resilience
Comments submitted by Samantha A. Medlock on the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s proposed amendment to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5).
The comments support accurate characterization of high-emissions scenarios while cautioning against restricting their use for risk management. They examine implications for federal engineering standards, public safety, infrastructure planning, fiscal exposure, state, local, Tribal and territorial governments, and national security, and recommend specific revisions to preserve scientifically defensible stress testing and high-end risk analysis.
View the comments (PDF)Testimony of Samantha A. Medlock, in the hearing entitled “Mitigation and Multiple Loss Properties: Factors Influencing the High Cost of Flooding,” before the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance and Housing, Thursday, March 26, 2026, examining the growing risks posed by major flood events and how targeted mitigation investments can reduce flood damage, strengthen community preparedness, and lower long-term costs for homeowners and taxpayers alike.
The White House, 2023
A whole-of-government framework for integrating climate resilience into federal planning, investment, and implementation. It remains an important reference point for how the federal government previously defined and organized resilience policy.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, August 2024
The National Resilience Guidance is a collaborative framework designed to help individuals, communities, and organizations strengthen resilience through a whole-community approach. It defines resilience as “the ability to prepare for threats, adapt to changing conditions, and withstand and recover rapidly from adverse events,” emphasizing the critical link between chronic stressors and acute shocks. The guidance outlines actionable principles for building resilient social, economic, environmental, housing, infrastructure, and institutional systems. Key components include a Community Resilience Maturity Model to assess progress and the Resilience Resources Gateway, an interactive platform providing tools, case studies, and training to support implementation across all sectors. The National Resilience Guidance was unpublished by FEMA in January 2025.