GA Tech Climate Change 

Seminar Series:

Science, Impacts, Technologies 

and Policy

Georgia Institute of Technology

April 22, 2015

Ken Mitchell, Ph.D.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Atlanta, GA
• The President’s Climate Action Plan

• What EPA is doing to advance 

the President’s plan

• Collecting Emissions Data

• Getting Reductions

• Advancing the Science

• Partnering Internationally

• Partnering With States, Localities, 

and Tribes

• Helping Communities Adapt

Outline

www.epa.gov/climatechange
• President Obama’s Climate 

Action Plan takes a series of 

ambitious steps to combat 

climate change

• Cuts carbon pollution in America 

through domestic policies that involve 

both voluntary and regulatory action

• Prepares our country for the impacts of 

climate change

• Leads international efforts to address 

global climate change

• Advances the Science

The President’s Climate Action Plan

https://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change
• EPA collects various types of GHG emissions data and 

promotes consistency in inventories

• The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks

• The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program

• These data help policy makers, businesses, and the 

Agency track greenhouse gas emissions trends and 

identify opportunities for reducing emissions and 

increasing efficiency

What EPA is Doing - Collecting Emissions Data

http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/
• EPA is reducing GHG emissions and 

promoting a clean energy economy 

through highly successful 

partnerships and common-sense 

regulatory initiatives

• EPA's vehicle GHG rules

• Carbon pollution standards for the power 

sector

• Partnering with the private sector through 

voluntary energy and climate programs

• Reducing EPA's own carbon footprint

What EPA is Doing - Getting Reductions

http://epa.gov/climatechange/EPAactivities.html
What EPA is Doing - Advancing the Science

• EPA contributes to world-class climate 

research through:

• The U.S. Global Change Research Program 

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• The National Research Council of the National 

Academies of Science

• EPA's Office of Research and Development 

conducts research to understand the 

environmental and health impacts of climate 

change and to inform sustainable solutions 

for adapting to and reducing the impact 

from a changing climate

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http://www2.epa.gov/climate-research
What EPA is Doing - Partnering Internationally

• EPA is engaged in a variety of 

international activities to advance climate 

change science, monitor our environment, 

and promote activities that reduce 

greenhouse gas emissions

• EPA establishes partnerships, provides 

leadership, and shares technical expertise 

to support these activities

• EPA participates in bi- and multilateral 

partnerships, providing leadership, 

technical expertise, and capacity building 

support

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http://epa.gov/climatechange/EPAactivities/internationalpartnerships.html

UN Framework Convention on 

Climate Change

As a party to the Framework, the 

U.S. is committed to working with 

the international community to 

promote the convention’s key 

objective: stabilizing greenhouse 

gas concentrations 

in the atmosphere 

at a level that 

prevents dangerous 

human-induced 

interference with 

the climate system
What EPA is Doing - Partnering With States, 

Localities, and Tribes

• EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program provides technical 

assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to state, local, and tribal 

governments

• Identifies/documents cost-effective policies and initiatives that address climate change, 

including those that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and related clean 

technologies

• Measures/evaluates the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of climate 

change and clean energy initiatives

• Offers tools, guidance, and outreach support for assessing the options and benefits of 

actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

• Fosters peer exchange opportunities for state and local officials to share information on 

best practices and lessons learned about innovative policies and programs

8 http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/
What EPA is Doing - Helping Communities Adapt

• Across the United States and the world, 

climate change is already affecting 

communities, livelihoods, and the 

environment

• In response, many parts of the federal 

government are taking action to help 

Americans adapt to current and potential 

risks; for example:

• EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries and Climate 

Ready Water Utilities programs help coastal 

resource managers and water utility managers, 

respectively, plan and prepare for climate change

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http://epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-adaptation/fed-programs.html
Questions?

mitchell.ken@epa.gov

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