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National Global Change Research Plan 2012-2021: A Triennial Update

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"The global environment is changing rapidly as a result of human activities. Over the last half-century, population growth and urbanization, economic growth, energy production, natural resource use, and other trends have accelerated at a rate unprecedented in human history, driving profound changes in ecosystems, oceans, ice, the composition of Earth's atmosphere, and other systems that influence human life. These global changes are causing climate change, ocean acidification, air and water pollution, species loss, and other impacts; and these changes pose both risks and opportunities that present complex challenges for communities, governments, and businesses across the Nation and the world. As the impacts of global change progress, demand for information on response measures is rising. Global-change science is needed to inform adaptation actions to cope with risks created by a changing climate, and to inform mitigation actions (e.g., greenhouse gas reduction measures) to decrease the risks associated with climate change, especially over the long-term. The global-change research enterprise faces the challenge of further advancing fundamental understanding of the causes and effects of change while providing information needed for response measures of many kinds and at different scales."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2017-01
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2016

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"2014 was the hottest year on record worldwide, with record-breaking global average temperatures for the months of May, June, August, September, and October. Although it was only the 34th warmest year on record within the contiguous United States, it marked the 18th year in a row in which U.S. temperatures exceeded the 20th century average. California, Nevada, Arizona, and Alaska experienced their highest annual temperatures ever recorded. Eight U.S. weather and climate disasters exceeded $1 billion each in 2014 alone. Looking beyond this single year, long-term observations show that the United States and the world are getting warmer, global sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and some types of extreme weather and climate events are becoming more frequent and more severe. Temperatures are projected to rise another 2°F to 4°F in most areas of the United States over the next few decades, with far-reaching implications for urban and rural areas, food security and water supply, natural resources and human health, and sectors such as energy and transportation."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2015
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2015

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"Global change alters the capacity of the Earth to sustain life. It encompasses global climate change and processes that interact with climate to affect Earth systems. The impacts of global change are being felt now, both around the world and here in the United States. America and the world are getting warmer, global sea level is rising, and some types of extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe. The most recent decade was the hottest ever recorded, and temperatures are projected to rise another 2°F to 4°F in most areas of the United States over the next few decades. In some regions of the country, prolonged heat and drought are contributing to larger wildfires and longer fire seasons. For coastal communities, sea level rise, combined with coastal storms, has increased the risk of erosion, flooding, and damage to property and infrastructure. The rising temperature and increasing acidity of ocean water is combining with other stresses, such as overfishing and pollution, to impact marine ecosystems and resources. Climate impacts on agriculture and water supplies have been increasing and are projected to become more severe. Extreme heat, sea level rise, and heavy rains are threatening infrastructure like roads, airports, port facilities, energy systems, and military bases. Climate change affects human health through more extreme weather events, decreased air quality, and changing ranges of diseases transmitted by food, water, and insects."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2014
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2014

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"In 1990, Congress passed the U.S. Global Change Research Act (GCRA of 1990, Section 102, P.L. 101-606), creating the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) with a mandate to 'assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.' More than two decades later, USGCRP continues to play a pivotal role in coordinating and integrating scientific research, information, tools, and technologies across the Federal Government. In June 2013, President Obama launched a comprehensive Climate Action Plan that called for sound science to manage the impacts of climate change. Many elements of the Plan - including Developing Actionable Science, Assessing Climate Change Impacts in the United States, Launching a Climate Data Initiative, and Providing a Toolkit for Climate Resilience - build on the tenets of the GCRA and will be supported by USGCRP's ongoing and planned investments in science, assessment, and decision support. As a whole, the GCRA, the President's Climate Action Plan, and the Federal Government's continued investment in USGCRP mark an important and enduring recognition that global change is happening and that action is needed to understand and address the increasingly severe climate-change impacts affecting our Nation. 2012 was the hottest year ever in the contiguous United States. Globally, nine of the 10 hottest years on record have occurred in the 21st century."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2014
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States

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"This report summarizes the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. It is largely based on results of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), and integrates those results with related research from around the world. This report discusses climate-related impacts for various societal and environmental sectors and regions across the nation. It is an authoritative scientific report written in plain language, with the goal of better informing public and private decision making at all levels. The USGCRP called for this report. An expert team of scientists operating under the authority of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, assisted by communication specialists, wrote the document. The report was extensively reviewed and revised based on comments from experts and the public. The report was approved by its lead USGCRP Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the other USGCRP agencies, and the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources on behalf of the National Science and Technology Council. This report meets all Federal requirements associated with the Information Quality Act, including those pertaining to public comment and transparency."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2009-06
U.S. Global Change Research Program [website]

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This is the official website of the United States Global Change Research Program. "The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. […] Thirteen departments and agencies participate in the USGCRP, which was known as the U.S. Climate Change Science Program from 2002 through 2008. The program is steered by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research under the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, overseen by the Executive Office of the President, and facilitated by an Integration and Coordination Office. During the past two decades, the United States, through the USGCRP, has made the world's largest scientific investment in the areas of climate change and global change research. Since its inception, the USGCRP has supported research and observational activities in collaboration with several other national and international science programs."

U.S. Global Change Research Program
Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: A Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

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"The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is being conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 [GCRA]. The GCRA requires a report to the President and the Congress every four years that integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP); analyzes the effects of global change on the natural environment, agriculture, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity; and analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent 25 to 100 years. This Technical Input was produced by a team of experts at the request of the NCA Development and Advisory Committee. It will be available for use as reference material by all NCA author teams. The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] or the Department of Commerce."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2012
Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment

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"Climate change threatens human health and well-being in the United States. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) Climate and Health Assessment has been developed to enhance understanding and inform decisions about this growing threat. This scientific assessment, called for under the President's Climate Action Plan, is a major report of the sustained National Climate Assessment (NCA) process. The report responds to the 1990 Congressional mandate to assist the Nation in understanding, assessing, predicting, and responding to human-induced and natural processes of global change. The agencies of the USGCRP identified human health impacts as a high-priority topic for scientific assessment. The purpose of this assessment is to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based, and, where possible, quantitative estimation of observed and projected climate change related health impacts in the United States. The USGCRP Climate and Health Assessment has been developed to inform public health officials, urban and disaster response planners, decision makers, and other stakeholders within and outside of government who are interested in better understanding the risks climate change presents to human health."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2016-04
Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems

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"A recent U.S. scientific assessment project -- one of a series commissioned by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) -- examined how these climate changes are affecting agriculture, land resources, water resources and biodiversity in the United States. While this document offers readers a summary version of the original report, a limited amount of new information drawn from support¬ing scientific materials has been added to provide additional detail on the original findings. The lead sponsor of this activity was the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) led and coordinated the project. The time horizon considered was 1900 to 2100, but the main focus was on the recent past and the next 25 to 50 years, which fall within the planning horizon of many natural resources managers."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2009-11
Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services: Technical Input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

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"Ecosystems, and the biodiversity and services they support, are intrinsically dependent on climate. During the twentieth century, climate change has had documented impacts on ecological systems, and impacts are expected to increase as climate change continues and perhaps even accelerates. This technical input to the National Climate Assessment synthesizes our scientific understanding of the way climate change is affecting biodiversity, ecosystems, ecosystem services, and what strategies might be employed to decrease current and future risks. Building on past assessments of how climate change and other stressors are affecting ecosystems in the United States and around the world, we approach the subject from several different perspectives. First, we review the observed and projected impacts on biodiversity, with a focus on genes, species, and assemblages of species. Next, we examine how climate change is affecting ecosystem structural elements--such as biomass, architecture, and heterogeneity--and functions--specifically, as related to the fluxes of energy and matter. People experience climate change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems as changes in ecosystem services; people depend on ecosystems for resources that are harvested, their role in regulating the movement of materials and disturbances, and their recreational, cultural, and aesthetic value. Thus, we review newly emerging research to determine how human activities and a changing climate are likely to alter the delivery of these ecosystem services. This technical input also examines two cross-cutting topics. First, we recognize that climate change is happening against the backdrop of a wide range of other environmental and anthropogenic stressors, many of which have caused dramatic ecosystem degradation already. This broader range of stressors interacts with climate change, and complicates our abilities to predict and manage the impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and the services they support. The second cross-cutting topic is the rapidly advancing field of climate adaptation, where there has been significant progress in developing the conceptual framework, planning approaches, and strategies for safeguarding biodiversity and other ecological resources. At the same time, ecosystem-based adaptation is becoming more prominent as a way to utilize ecosystem services to help human systems adapt to climate change."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

Staudt, Amanda; Staudinger, Michelle D.; Ruckelshaus, Mary

2012-07
Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report

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This document is the draft version of what will eventually be a final document. "Climate change is already affecting the American people. Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense, including heat waves, heavy downpours, and, in some regions, floods and droughts. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and glaciers and arctic sea ice are melting. These changes are part of the pattern of global climate change, which is primarily driven by human activity. Many impacts associated with these changes are important to Americans' health and livelihoods and the ecosystems that sustain us. These impacts are the subject of this report. The impacts are often most significant for communities that already face economic or health-related challenges, and for species and habitats that are already facing other pressures. While some changes will bring potential benefits, such as longer growing seasons, many will be disruptive to society because our institutions and infrastructure have been designed for the relatively stable climate of the past, not the changing one of the present and future. Similarly, the natural ecosystems that sustain us will be challenged by changing conditions. Using scientific information to prepare for these changes in advance provides economic opportunities, and proactively managing the risks will reduce costs over time. Evidence for climate change abounds, from the top of the atmosphere to the depths of the oceans. This evidence has been compiled by scientists and engineers from around the world, using satellites, weather balloons, thermometers, buoys, and other observing systems. The sum total of this evidence tells an unambiguous story: the planet is warming."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2013-01-11
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Global Change Research Program for Fiscal Year 2010

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"We herewith transmit a copy of 'Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2010'. The report describes the activities and plans of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) established under the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The USGCRP coordinates and integrates scientific research on climate and global change supported by 13 participating departments and agencies of the U.S. government. This Fiscal year 2010 edition of 'Our Changing Planet' highlights recent advances and progress supported by participating agencies in each of the program's research and observational elements, as called for in the 'Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program' released in July 2003. A new strategic plan reflecting President Obama's priorities is in preparation. The document describes a range of activities including examples of the USGCRP's contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as progress in understanding Earth system components of the global climate system, how these components interact, and the processes and forces bringing about changes to the Earth system."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2009-10
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2008

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"We are pleased to transmit a copy of 'Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2008'. The report describes the activities and plans of the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which incorporates the U.S. Global Change Research Program, established under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and the Climate Change Research Initiative, established by the President in 2001. CCSP coordinates and integrates scientific research on climate and global change supported by 13 participating departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. This Fiscal Year 2008 edition of 'Our Changing Planet' highlights recent advances and progress supported by CCSP-participating agencies in each of the program's research and observational elements, as called for in the 'Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program' released in July 2003. The document describes a wide range of advances in understanding the underlying processes responsible for climate variability and change, such as advances in understanding of climate change at high latitudes. It also describes progress on understanding the ongoing and projected effects of climate change on nature and society, including the interconnected relationships between climate, forests, and wildfire. The document also describes how observational and predictive capabilities are being improved and used to create tools to support decisionmaking at local, regional, and national scales to cope with environmental variability and change."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2007-10
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005

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"We are pleased to transmit to you a copy of 'Our Changing Planet:The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005'. The report describes the activities and plans of the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which incorporates the U.S. Global Change Research Program, established under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and the Climate Change Research Initiative, established by the President in 2001. The CCSP coordinates and integrates scientific research on climate and global change supported by 13 participating departments and agencies of the U.S. Government. This Fiscal Year 2004 -- Fiscal Year 2005 edition of 'Our Changing Planet' includes a review of the key components of the 'Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program', which was released in July 2003. The CCSP Strategic Plan was the first comprehensive update of a national plan for climate and global change research since the original strategy was issued at the inception of the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This report outlines how the CCSP is moving forward to implement the Strategic Plan during FY 2004 and FY 2005. As a significant part of this implementation, the CCSP will produce 21 scientific syntheses and assessments on a wide range of topics to support informed discussion of climate variability and change and associated issues by decision makers and the public. The first nine of these products are being developed during FY 2004 and FY 2005."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2004-07
Our Changing Planet: The FY 1992 U.S. Global Change Research Program

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"World leaders continue to debate the economic and social implications of global environmental changes, both natural and human-induced. The 1988 midwestern U.S. drought underscored the potential effects of a warm, dry summer, just as the climate of recent decades in the Sahel starkly reveals the human tragedy that can occur in marginal-subsistence zones of a changing planet. Furthermore, the linking of the antarctic ozone 'hole' to man-made chlorofluorocarbons (CFC 's) and the current debate over humanity's role in the 'greenhouse effect' have placed the environment high on the national and international agenda. The substantial costs associated with addressing global environmental changes require policy decisions be based on adequate scientific and economic knowledge. In virtually all these issues, the salient feature is the significant scientific uncertainty associated with predicting the behavior of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land Earth system. To reduce this uncertainty, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has been developed as a central component of the U.S. Government ' s approach to global environmental change and its contribution to worldwide efforts."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1991?
Our Changing Planet: The FY 1993 U.S. Global Change Research Program

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"I am pleased to forward with this letter 'Our Changing Planet: The FY 1993 U.S. Global Change Research Program,' a report prepared by the Committee on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) to supplement the President's Fiscal Year 1993 Budget. This is the fourth report in a series established in 1989. This report outlines a Presidential Initiative for an accelerated, focused research strategy designed to reduce key scientific uncertainties and to develop more reliable scientific predictions upon which sound national and international policies and responses to global change can be based. Because of the importance of this area, even in a time of substantial fiscal constraints, the President is proposing a 24 percent increase in the budget for this effort in FY 1993. The U.S. Global Change Research Program is a key component of the President's overall approach to the U.S. responsibility for global stewardship. This broad approach recognizes the profound economic and social implications of responding to global environmental changes and maintains U.S. leadership on this issue. Given the international importance of negotiations on the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the report emphasizes activities intended to respond to scientific uncertainties identified through the assessment process of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1992?
Our Changing Planet: The FY 1994 U.S. Global Change Research Program

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"In their February 22, 1993 report entitled: 'Technology for America's Economic Growth: A New Direction to Build Economic Strength', President Clinton and Vice President Gore describe a strategy for moving America's investments in science and technology in a '...new direction to build economic strength and spur economic growth.' The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is an important element of this strategy. The February 1993 report identifies the importance of investments in research to better understand global warming, ozone depletion, and other phenomena important to local, regional, and global environments. The U.S. Global Change Research Program has been implemented as both a source of sound scientific information to support national and international policy formulation and decisions relating to natural and human-induced changes in the global environment and their regional impacts."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1993?
Our Changing Planet: The FY 1991 U.S. Global Change Research Program

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"I am pleased to forward with this letter 'Our Changing Planet: The FY 1991 U.S. Global Change Research Program,' a report by the Committee on Earth Sciences of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology to accompany the President's Fiscal Year 1991 Budget. The report outlines an accelerated, focused research strategy designed to reduce key scientific uncertainties and to develop more reliable scientific predictions upon which sound policies and responses to global change can be based. Because of the importance of this area, the President is proposing a 57 percent increase in the budget for this effort for FY 1991. The research program presented here is a key component of the President's overall approach to the global change issue. This approach has, as its central goal, the provision of a sound scientific basis for developing national and international policy on global change. The President has called for an expanded schedule of international collaboration on research, monitoring, data exchange, and a new Framework Convention on climate change. This comprehensive approach recognizes the profound economic and social implications of responding to global environmental changes and maintains U.S. leadership on this issue."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1991?
Our Changing Planet: The FY 1990 Research Plan

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"The Earth is a changing place. Over the past million years deserts, forests, and grasslands have migrated across the land, seashores have advanced and retreated, and wet and dry periods have come and gone. The dramatic rise in industrial activities during the 19th and 20th centuries has produced a new set of concerns, namely, that human activities may be affecting the Earth system. Consequently, wise use of the Earth for human habitation has become an important political and scientific issue. World population growth, intense industrial and agricultural activities, and the need to maintain man's health and welfare require that each individual and country exercise appropriate environmental care and sensitivity. The global changes that may affect both human well-being and the quality of life on this planet include ozone depletion, global climate warming, sea level change, drought, deforestation, desertification, and reduction in biodiversity. While dramatic and complex in and of themselves, these discrete global environmental concerns cannot be fully understood unless they are addressed collectively."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

1989-07
U.S. National Climate Assessment: Climate Change Impacts in the United States

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"This report assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. It integrates findings of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the results of research and observations from across the U.S. and around the world, including reports from the U.S. National Research Council. This report documents climate change related impacts and responses for various sectors and regions, with the goal of better informing public and private decision-making at all levels."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2014-05
FY 2013 Federal Agency Climate Change Adaptation Plans: Summary of Research and Information Needs

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"This document outlines the common research and information themes and needs identified through a thorough analysis of the 27 Federal agency plans publicly available to the ASIWG [Adaptation Science Interagency Workgroup] in February 2013 when the development of this summary began, and the existing efforts that may align with those themes and needs. This distilled information can help Federal Agencies and public and private-sector partners to: [1] Understand the current most common research and information needs for adaptation as identified by agencies; [2] Connect to existing tools and resources that may help meet their needs; [3] Enhance and guide conversations between existing USGCRP [U.S. Global Change Research Program] Interagency Working Groups (IWGs) about how best to meet those needs; and [5] Inform future Federal research agendas related to climate change adaptation, preparedness, and resilience-building actions. This summary report can inform work toward advancing the preparedness-related goals and actions laid out in the President's Climate Action Plan by providing example applications of several tools and resources already available for addressing common Federal agency adaptation needs. This document can also inform the development of research strategies to enable science-producing Federal agencies to continue producing climate science and climate change information that can be translated into forms useful for on-the-ground action to prepare, adapt, and build resilience."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2013-08
United States Global Change Research Program: Strategic Plan 2012-2021 [Draft]

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NOTE: "Draft document for public comment only--Professional editing will follow public comment period." From the document summary: "Earth's environment is changing rapidly. Increases in world population and 65 industrialization are altering the atmosphere, ocean, land use, ecosystems and the distribution of species over the planet. Scientific research, including monitoring and modeling of the multifaceted Earth system, provides information for governments, businesses, and communities to understand these changes and to respond to potential risks brought about by global change, such as more severe heat waves, storms, floods, fires, crop failures, and water shortages. Created by Congress in 1990, the United States Global Change Research Program USGCRP) coordinates federal research aimed at understanding, assessing, and responding to global change. During the Program's first two decades, member agencies and partners in industry, academia, and state, local, and foreign governments have created and maintained a mix of atmospheric, oceanic, land, and space-based observing systems, gained new theoretical understanding of Earth system processes, developed predictive models, promoted advances in data management and sharing, and developed an expert scientific workforce."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2011-09-30
Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report: A Sustained Assessment Report

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From the Document: "Central to life on Earth, carbon is essential to the molecular makeup of all living things and plays a key role in regulating global climate. To understand carbon's role in these processes, researchers measure and evaluate carbon stocks and fluxes. A stock is the quantity of carbon contained in a pool or reservoir in the Earth system (e.g., carbon in forest trees), and a flux is the direction and rate of carbon's transfer between pools (e.g., the movement of carbon from the atmosphere into forest trees during photosynthesis). This document, the 'Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report' (SOCCR2), examines the patterns of carbon stocks and fluxes--collectively called the 'carbon cycle.' Emphasis is given to these patterns in specific sectors (e.g., agriculture and energy) and ecosystems (e.g., forests and coastal waters) and to the response of the carbon cycle to human activity. The purpose of SOCCR2 is to assess the current state of the North American carbon cycle and to present recent advances in understanding the factors that influence it. Concentrating on North America--Canada, the United States, and Mexico--the report describes carbon cycling for air, land, inland waters (streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs), and coastal waters (see Figure ES.1, p. 23)."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2018-11
Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume I

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From the executive summary: "New observations and new research have increased our understanding of past, current, and future climate change since the Third U.S. National Climate Assessment (NCA3) was published in May 2014. This Climate Science Special Report (CSSR) is designed to capture that new information and build on the existing body of science in order to summarize the current state of knowledge and provide the scientific foundation for the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4). Since NCA3, stronger evidence has emerged for continuing, rapid, human-caused warming of the global atmosphere and ocean. This report concludes that 'it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.' The last few years have also seen record-breaking, climate-related weather extremes, the three warmest years on record for the globe, and continued decline in arctic sea ice. These trends are expected to continue in the future over climate (multidecadal) timescales. Significant advances have also been made in our understanding of extreme weather events and how they relate to increasing global temperatures and associated climate changes. Since 1980, the cost of extreme events for the United States has exceeded $1.1 trillion; therefore, better understanding of the frequency and severity of these events in the context of a changing climate is warranted."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2017
Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States, Report-in-Brief

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"The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) fulfills that mandate in two volumes. This report, Volume II, draws on the foundational science described in Volume I, the 'Climate Science Special Report' (CSSR). Volume II focuses on the human welfare, societal, and environmental elements of climate change and variability for 10 regions and 18 national topics, with particular attention paid to observed and projected risks, impacts, consideration of risk reduction, and implications under different mitigation pathways. Where possible, NCA4 Volume II provides examples of actions underway in communities across the United States to reduce the risks associated with climate change, increase resilience, and improve livelihoods. This assessment was written to help inform decision-makers, utility and natural resource managers, public health officials, emergency planners, and other stakeholders by providing a thorough examination of the effects of climate change on the United States."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2018
Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II: Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States

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"The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) fulfills that mandate in two volumes. This report, Volume II, draws on the foundational science described in Volume I, the 'Climate Science Special Report' (CSSR). Volume II focuses on the human welfare, societal, and environmental elements of climate change and variability for 10 regions and 18 national topics, with particular attention paid to observed and projected risks, impacts, consideration of risk reduction, and implications under different mitigation pathways. Where possible, NCA4 Volume II provides examples of actions underway in communities across the United States to reduce the risks associated with climate change, increase resilience, and improve livelihoods. This assessment was written to help inform decision-makers, utility and natural resource managers, public health officials, emergency planners, and other stakeholders by providing a thorough examination of the effects of climate change on the United States."

U.S. Global Change Research Program

2018
Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2009

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"The report describes the activities and plans of the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which incorporates the U.S. Global Change Research Program established under the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and the Climate Change Research Initiative that was established by the President in 2001. The document describes a wide range of activities including examples of CCSP's contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as well as significant progress in understanding Earth system components of the global climate system, how these components interact, and the processes and forces bringing about changes to the Earth system. It provides details on progress towards understanding the ongoing and projected effects of climate change on nature and society, such as the relationship between climate change and shifts in storm tracks and how this may affect water availability in the southwestern United States. The document also describes how observational and predictive capabilities are being improved and used to create tools to support decision-making at local, regional, and national scales to cope with environmental variability and change. The report also describes the program's 21 scientific synthesis and assessment products and its recently completed Scientific Assessment of the Effects of Global Change on the United States. To date, eight of the synthesis and assessment products have been completed and the remaining products will be completed in the coming months. These products are being widely disseminated and briefed to stakeholders, including Congress. They are also providing important input to CCSP's ongoing strategic planning."

Climate Change Science Program (U.S.); U.S. Global Change Research Program

2008
Our Changing Planet: The FY 2002 U.S. Global Change Research Program

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"The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) supports research on the interactions of natural and human-induced changes in the global environment and their implications for society. The USGCRP began as a Presidential initiative in 1989 and was codified by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101- 606). The statute directs the implementation of a program aimed at 'understanding and responding to global change, including the cumulative effects of human activities and natural processes on the environment.' On June 11, 2001, President Bush announced the establishment of the U.S. Climate Change Research Initiative to study areas of uncertainty and identify priority areas for investment in climate change science. The definition of this new initiative is underway, and is expected to lead to changes in USGCRP climate research activities in FY 2003 and beyond. These changes will be highlighted in the next annual report of the USGCRP."

U.S. Global Change Research Program; National Science and Technology Council (U.S.)

2002
Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment

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"The National Climate Assessment assesses the science of climate change and its impacts across the United States, now and throughout this century. It documents climate change related impacts and responses for various sectors and regions, with the goal of better informing public and private decision-making at all levels. A team of more than 300 experts (see page 98), guided by a 60-member National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee (listed on page vi) produced the full report -- the largest and most diverse team to produce a U.S. climate assessment. Stakeholders involved in the development of the assessment included decision-makers from the public and private sectors, resource and environmental managers, researchers, representatives from businesses and non-governmental organizations, and the general public. More than 70 workshops and listening sessions were held, and thousands of public and expert comments on the draft report provided additional input to the process. The assessment draws from a large body of scientific peer-reviewed research, technical input reports, and other publicly available sources; all sources meet the standards of the Information Quality Act. The report was extensively reviewed by the public and experts, including a panel of the National Academy of Sciences, the 13 Federal agencies of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and the Federal Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Sustainability."

U.S. Global Change Research Program; United States. Government Printing Office

Melillo, Jerry M.; Yohe, Gary Wynn, 1948-; Richmond, Terese (T.C.)

2014
Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment: Highlights

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"This book presents the major findings and selected highlights from 'Climate Change Impacts in the United States,' the third National Climate Assessment. This 'Highlights' report is organized around the National Climate Assessment's 12 Report Findings, which take an overarching view of the entire report and its 30 chapters. All material in the 'Highlights' report is drawn from the full report. The Key Messages from each of the 30 report chapters appear in boxes throughout this document. In the lower left corner of each section, icons identify which chapters of the full report were drawn upon for that section. A key to these icons appears on page 1."

U.S. Global Change Research Program; United States. Government Printing Office

Melillo, Jerry M.; Richmond, Terese (T.C.); Yohe, Gary Wynn, 1948-

2014

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