Leidos team helps NASA manage climate risks
A NASA ground station on Ross Island, Antarctica, used for tracking and communicating climate data via satellite. Photo: Getty Images
Leidos climate experts recently helped NASA develop a climate action plan that outlines how it will proactively address climate-related risks to its overall mission.
The move came in response to the Biden administration’s 2021 executive order, which requires the head of each federal agency to publish and execute similar plans for climate adaptation.
Why you should know: One of NASA’s top priorities, as described in the plan published in October, is to ensure continued access to space by managing climate-related risks to launch sites and equipment.
Erik Tucker, the Leidos Project Manager acknowledged in the report, said agencies like NASA are already facing more frequent and extreme weather events, threatening mission activities and leading to increased maintenance and repair costs.
Leidos impact: Tucker and his team helped NASA1 facilitate collaboration among stakeholders across the agency, including Earth system scientists, facilities managers, emergency management staff, natural resource managers and human capital specialists. The resulting plan provides a holistic approach to mission, operations, workforce and asset protection.
Tucker said NASA’s direct experience studying climate change and risk-focused culture provides a unique and powerful perspective in its planning.
From the source: “You can’t fix what you don’t measure,” Tucker explains. “NASA is one of the primary agencies that develops global climate data and research other organizations worldwide rely on to assess their own climate vulnerabilities. One way NASA is enhancing its own resilience is by expanding the use of agency-generated climate science to inform internal planning.”
Starting in 2022, all federal agencies are required to implement and provide annual progress updates on their respective plans.
“Finding adaptation solutions for the climate crisis is a growing priority for all of us,” Tucker said. “Make no mistake, climate is already impacting the entire federal government. There’s no other way forward but to adapt in the face of changing conditions.”
For a full list of federal climate adaptation plans, visit sustainability.gov.
Please contact the Leidos media relations team for more information.
1This work was conducted by Leidos under subcontractor support to Herndon Solutions Group on the NASA Environmental and Medical Contract (NEMCON).
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