References to “Climate Change” Removed from USAID Report

References to “Climate Change” Removed from USAID Report

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) removed references to “climate change” in its 2017 sustainability report. Notably, in a departure from USAID’s 2016 report, the 2017 version no longer lists “climate change adaptation” as a priority. The 2017 version also omits discussion — which had appeared in the 2016 report — of USAID’s efforts to “pursue reductions of [greenhouse gas] emissions.”

USAID’s sustainability report is intended to document how it is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving other environmental goals. All federal departments were required to prepare such reports under Executive Order 13693 — Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade — which was signed by President Obama in March 2015. EO13693 was revoked by President Trump in May 2018 and, as a result, the Treasury Department did not publish its 2017 report.