NASA Climate Action Plan and 2021 Sustainability Plan

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. The Executive Order (EO) calls for a government-wide approach to lead by example in addressing the climate crisis and directs that the Federal government’s buying power and management of real property and other assets be applied to support robust climate action.

Federal agencies are responsible for developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) that describes their efforts to increase resilience to climate change impacts. Agency CAPs also address climate vulnerabilities, increasing climate literacy within the management workforce, and plans to achieve climate-resilient facilities and supply chains.

NASA’s CAP was reviewed by the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and released to the public in early October 2021. The CAP contains NASA’s Policy Statement for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience. NASA’s 2021 Climate Action Plan is here.

Revitalizing Agency sustainability efforts is a critical step in achieving the goals of EO 14008. The CEQ issued instructions for preparing 2021 Sustainability Plans. (Previous EOs also required development of sustainability plans.) These plans describe an agency’s progress and future plans for meeting goals on greenhouse gas reduction, energy and water usage, performance contracting for energy conservation, waste reduction, sustainable buildings, fleet, sustainable procurement, and electronics stewardship. The Office of Management and Budget records annual sustainability progress in scorecards for each agency. NASA’s 2021 Sustainability Plan will be posted on this page when it is approved by CEQ and OMB for release to the public.