The Nation Saves $6 for Every $1 Spent on Climate Change Resilience

Posted by: YijunW

2017 was the costliest year ever for the U.S., stated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA writes on January 5, 2018, during 2017, U.S. experienced 16 weather and climate disasters, losing more than $1 billion and costing about $306 billion. On January 11, 2018, the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) published "The Natural Hazard Mitigation Saves." Experts predict that extreme weather caused by climate change can lead to natural disasters to occur more frequently (Washington Post). Natural disasters can threaten the safety and wellbeing of humans, animals, and plants across the country. Fortunately, the National Institute of Building Sciences researched on federally funded mitigation grants across 23 years and found that mitigation funding can save the nation $6 in future natural disaster costs for every $1 spent on hazard mitigation. Implementing two sets of mitigation strategies, which are the 2015 International Codes (I-Codes), the model building codes developed by the International Code Council (ICC), would prevent 600 deaths, 1 million injuries and 4000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder (NIBS). Washington Post https://wapo.st/2IqChnu NIBS https://bit.ly/2BaG0kK NOAA https://bit.ly/2ElIUW0