EPA releases online climate change training to boost local response

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an online training module this week to help local governments handle the effects of climate change as part of the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Created under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the training provides municipal officials with information about how climate change may affect the services they manage, such as drinking water and emergency response for droughts, fires and floods. It also gives specific examples of successful policies and actions that already have been undertaken by local governments, as well as links to resources that can assist in risk assessment and management.

The virtual training was created using the National Climate Assessment and with input from the EPA’s Local Government Advisory Committee Training aimed at the neighborhood level also is planned.

“Across the country, communities are being challenged by the impacts of a changing climate,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. “The Obama administration is committed to helping communities make smart decisions in the face of those challenges. EPA’s new training offers tools that can help local governments improve their ability to deliver reliable, cost-effective services even as the climate changes.”