Obama launches ‘climate hubs’ to help farmers adapt to climate change

President Barack Obama's administration has announced the creation of seven "climate hubs" that will assist farmers and rural communities adapt to the effects of climate change.

The hubs will act as information centres and with the aim of helping farmers handle risks, including fires, pests, floods and droughts, that are exacerbated by global warming.

Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Secretary, gave a briefing to reporters at the White House and said the country's experience with extreme weather patterns recently underscores the need for immediate action to address the impact of climate change on agriculture and forestry.

The hubs will be located in Ames, Iowa; Durham, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; El Reno, Oklahoma; Corvallis, Oregon; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, according to officials.

The formation of the hubs is an example of executive actions Obama has promised to take to address climate change and the president has made the issue a top priority for 2014. Crucially, he has the authority to take many measures that address it without congressional approval.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the effects of climate change have led to a longer crop growing season in the Midwest, a fire season that is 60 days longer than it was three decades ago, and droughts that have cost the United States $50 billion from 2011-2013.

New rules are expected to be announced by the Obama administration later this year limiting carbon emissions from existing U.S. power plants and the president is also under increasing pressure from to reject plans for the Keystone XL pipeline, which would transport crude oil from Canadian oil sands in Alberta to refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.