Major report adds climate change to ‘high risks’ facing US government

The investigative arm of Congress has labeled climate change a “high risk” area for the U.S. government, a finding that liberal Democrats are using to seek political support for tougher measures to confront global warming. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), in its biennial list of high-risk areas facing government operations, warned Thursday that the U.S. needs a better cross-government approach to a threat that’s creating huge financial exposure. “Climate change creates significant financial risks for the federal government, which owns extensive infrastructure, such as defense installations; insures property through the National Flood Insurance Program; and provides emergency aid in response to natural disasters,” the report states. Several Democrats quickly highlighted the finding, which arrives as President Obama is vowing new executive-level actions on climate but has provided few specifics on his agenda...more

Congress is a bigger threat than global warming.