Data Driven Policy Actions to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change Threats in the COFA Countries

The Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) organization comprised of nearly 30 subject matter experts that provide academic research, civil-military coordination training, and operational insights to support decision making before, during, and after crises. The Center is designed to bridge understanding between humanitarians, civilian, and military responders.

Addressing the climate crisis is central to U.S. foreign policy and national security following President Biden’s issuance of Executive Order 14008. Initially identified as a threat multiplier, climate change is now seen as a direct threat and a catalyst for instability and conflict in some parts of the world. For this project, the Capstone team was tasked with: 

• Conduct a deep dive on the Pacific Disaster Center’s 2050 Climate Impacts Analysis model and findings to look more deeply at the vulnerability and coping capacity indicator data in order to better understand the drivers of the scores. 
• Utilize the indicator data in the DisasterAWARE platform to better understand which factors had the greatest influence on vulnerability and coping capacity.