Sec. 2. Definitions
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In this Act: The term adaptation means an adjustment in a natural or human system in response to a new or changing environmental condition, including such an adjustment associated with climate change, that exploits beneficial opportunities or moderates negative effects. The term adaptive capacity means the ability of a system— to adjust to climate vulnerabilities to moderate potential damage or harm; to take advantage of new, and potentially beneficial, opportunities; or to cope with change.
The term cascading climate hazards means a series of successive environmental hazards triggered by an initial hazard that is driven or exacerbated by climate change, such that the impacts to vulnerable systems are amplified. The term Chief Resilience Officer means the Chief Resilience Officer of the United States appointed by the President under section 3(a)(1). The term climate change means changes in average atmospheric and oceanic conditions that persist over multiple decades or longer and are natural or anthropogenic in origin, including— both increases and decreases in temperature; shifts in precipitation; shifts in ecoregion or biome geography and phenology, as applicable; changing risk from certain types of rapid-onset climate hazards and slow-onset climate hazards; and changes to other features of the climate system.
The term climate information means information, data, or products that enhance knowledge and understanding of climate science, risk, conditions, vulnerability, or impact, including— climate data products; historic or future climate projections or scenarios; climate risk or vulnerability information; data or information related to climate adaptation and mitigation; and other best available climate science. The term compound climate hazards means 2 or more environmental hazards driven or exacerbated by climate change that occur simultaneously or successively, such that the impacts to vulnerable systems are amplified.
The term Council means the Partners Council on Climate Adaptation and Resilience established by section 4(a). The term Freely Associated State means— the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Federated States of Micronesia; the Republic of the Marshall Islands; the Republic of Palau; and the United States Virgin Islands. The term frontline communities means human communities that— are highly vulnerable to climate change or exposed to climate risk; experience the earliest, most adverse impacts of climate change; and may have a reduced ability to adapt to climate change due to a lack of resources, political power, or adaptive capacity.
The term Implementation Plan means the Implementation Plan jointly developed by the Chief Resilience Officer and the Working Groups under section 6(b). The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ). The term National Climate Assessment means the assessment delivered to Congress and the President pursuant to section 106 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 ( 15 U.S.C. 2936 ).
The term natural infrastructure means infrastructure that— uses, restores, or emulates natural ecological, geological, or physical processes; and is created through the action of natural physical, geological, biological, and chemical processes over time; is created by human design, engineering, and construction to emulate or act in concert with natural processes; or involves the use of plants, soils, and other natural features, including through the creation, restoration, or preservation of natural areas using materials appropriate to the region to manage stormwater and runoff, to attenuate flooding and storm surges, to manage erosion and saltwater intrusion, and for other related purposes.
The term non-Federal partner means a member of a unit of State, local, or territorial government, the government of an Indian Tribe, the government of a Freely Associated State, a private sector entity, or another individual or organization not affiliated with the Federal Government. The term Operations Report means the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Operations Report jointly developed by the Chief Resilience Officer and the Working Groups under section 5. The term rapid-onset climate hazard means an abrupt environmental hazard driven or exacerbated by climate change that occurs quickly or unexpectedly and triggers impacts that materialize rapidly and interact with conditions of exposure and vulnerability to result in a disaster.
The term represented agency means each Federal agency from which the Chief Resilience Officer appoints a member to a Working Group under section 3(b)(4)(B)(ii). The term resilience means the capacity of a social, physical, economic, or environmental system to cope with an environmental hazard event, trend, or disturbance that is driven or exacerbated by climate change by responding or reorganizing in ways that maintain, to the greatest extent practicable, the essential function, identity, and structure of the system and ensure that, in the event of a rapid-onset climate hazard or a slow-onset climate hazard, basic human needs are met, while also maintaining the capacity for adaptation and transformation.
The term risk means the potential for consequences in a situation in which— something of value is at stake; and the outcome is uncertain. The term risk includes the potential for consequences described in subparagraph
(A)that is evaluated as the product obtained by multiplying— the probability of a hazard occurring; by the consequence that would result if the hazard occurred. The term slow-onset climate hazard means an environmental hazard driven or exacerbated by climate change that evolves gradually through time due to incremental change or because of an increasing frequency or intensity of recurring climate impacts. The term slow-onset climate hazard includes hazards such as— sea level rise; desertification; biodiversity loss or the alteration of or shift in habitat range of individual species or entire biomes; increasing temperatures; ocean acidification; saltwater intrusion; soil salinization; drought and water scarcity; reduced snow pack; sea ice retreat; glacial ice treat; permafrost thaw; and coastal and river bank erosion. The term Strategy means the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy required to be developed jointly by the Chief Resilience Officer and the Working Groups under section 6(a). The term vulnerability means the propensity or predisposition of a human individual or community or physical, biological, or socioeconomic system to be susceptible to and adversely affected by the impacts of climate change. The term Working Group means a National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Working Group established by the Chief Resilience Officer under section 3(b).
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