Climate Change: Federal Expenditures

Publication Date: January 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

Type:

Abstract:

Research has been the cornerstone of the U.S. strategy to address global climate change. Funding has grown from a few million per year in the 1970s, to $2.4 billion in FY1993, and to $5.1 billion in FY2004, as reported by the Office of Management and Budget. After adjusting for inflation, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports the increase from FY1993 to FY2004 as 55%, from $3.3 billion to $5.1 billion. Federal expenditures for science and technology research, voluntary deployment programs, international assistance, and tax incentives received budget authority of $5.8 billion in FY2006 and a budget request of $6.5 billion in FY2007.

Climate-related expenditures are spread across more than a dozen agencies, although the Department of Energy (DOE) spends more than 44% of the total. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), with budget authority of about $1.15 billion in FY2006, is almost 20% of total expenditures, including tax incentives. Tax incentives are another 19% of the total climate-related expenditures.

Implementation is directed by the Cabinet-level Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology Integration. The strategy places management responsibility and accountability for the various programs in individual agencies.