41st Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers

WHEREAS, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG-ECP) have a long-standing history of proactively working together to anticipate, respond, and adapt to a changing climate;

WHEREAS, the NEG-ECP adopted an International Emergency Management Assistance Compact (IEMAC) in 1998, which provides for the possibility of mutual assistance among states and provinces for any emergency or disaster;

WHEREAS, the IEMAC assigns responsibility to party jurisdictions to formulate plans, review hazards, develop inter-jurisdictional procedures, assist in warning communities adjacent to jurisdiction boundaries and protect essential services;

WHEREAS, the current body of science points to a strong relationship between a changing climate, greater frequency and intensity of natural disasters, and emerging threats to human and environmental health;

WHEREAS, climate change remains a serious issue for the region and the NEG-ECP agreed to continue working together by updating their 2001 regional climate change action plan;

WHEREAS, regional collaboration offers opportunities for leadership in strengthening our response capabilities, as well as adapting our communities, infrastructures and economies to potential adverse impacts from climate-related emergencies;

WHEREAS, the NEG-ECP continues to recognize the need for states and provinces to share information, improve communications, and incorporate climate-related risk and vulnerability into planning and decision-making as well as identify effective ways to mitigate impacts and provide timely response when climate-related emergencies arise;

WHEREAS, working together across emergency management and climate change sectors strengthens both the response and the region's resilience in protecting our citizens, the environment and our economies by bringing climate change adaptation and emergency response into closer alignment;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Committee on the Environment (COE) and the International Emergency Management Group (IEMG), will extend their cooperation to the management of extreme climate events by collaborating on common points of interest and priority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT beginning in 2018, and at regular intervals thereafter, the IEMG will report on their cooperation with the COE to the governors and premiers through the IEMG's annual report; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT beginning in 2018, and as part of its annual report, the IEMG shall include recommendations for joint initiatives to further protect citizens and infrastructure from the negative impacts of extreme climate-related events; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the governments of the region will also ensure that information about climate-related risks, vulnerability and adaptation options as well as emerging science-based evidence in climate change will be shared and incorporated into planning and decision making in key sectors.

Adopted at the 41st Annual Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, August 28, 2017.