Ecosystems And Climate Change Research Priorities For The U S Climate Change Science Program

Report summarizes and interprets workshop discussions focusing on three areas: Feedback between ecological systems and global change; Consequences of global change for ecological systems; Sustaining and improving ecological systems in the face of global change.

Report summarizes and interprets workshop discussions focusing on three areas: Feedback between ecological systems and global change; Consequences of global change for ecological systems; Sustaining and improving ecological systems in the face of global change.

The report reviews a draft strategic plan from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, a program formed in 2002 to coordinate and direct U.S. efforts in climate change and global change research. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program incorporates the decade-old Global Change Research Program and adds a new component -the Climate Change Research Initiative-whose primary goal is to "measurably improve the integration of scientific knowledge, including measures of uncertainty, into effective decision support systems and resources."

The U.S. government supports a large, diverse suite of activities that can be broadly characterized as "global change research." Such research offers a wide array of benefits to the nation, in terms of protecting public health and safety, enhancing economic strength and competitiveness, and protecting the natural systems upon which life depends. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which coordinates the efforts of numerous agencies and departments across the federal government, was officially established in 1990 through the U.S. Global Change Research Act (GCRA). In the subsequent years, the scope, structure, and priorities of the Program have evolved, (for example, it was referred to as the Climate Change Science Program [CCSP] for the years 2002-2008), but throughout, the Program has played an important role in shaping and coordinating our nation's global change research enterprise. This research enterprise, in turn, has played a crucial role in advancing understanding of our changing global environment and the countless ways in which human society affects and is affected by such changes. In mid-2011, a new NRC Committee to Advise the USGCRP was formed and charged to provide a centralized source of ongoing whole-program advice to the USGCRP. The first major task of this committee was to provide a review of the USGCRP draft Strategic Plan 2012-2021 (referred to herein as "the Plan"), which was made available for public comment on September 30, 2011. A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Strategic Plan addresses an array of suggestions for improving the Plan, ranging from relatively small edits to large questions about the Program's scope, goals, and capacity to meet those goals. The draft Plan proposes a significant broadening of the Program's scope from the form it took as the CCSP. Outlined in this report, issues of key importance are the need to identify initial steps the Program will take to actually achieve the proposed broadening of its scope, to develop critical science capacity that is now lacking, and to link the production of knowledge to its use; and the need to establish an overall governance structure that will allow the Program to move in the planned new directions.

Climate change is one of the most important global environmental problems facing the world today. Policy decisions are already being made to limit or adapt to climate change and its impacts, but there is a need for greater integration between science and decision making. This book proposes six priorities for restructuring the United States' climate change research program to develop a more robust knowledge base and support informed responses: Reorganize the Program Around Integrated Scientific-Societal Issues Establish a U.S. Climate Observing System Support a New Generation of Coupled Earth System Models Strengthen Research on Adaptation, Mitigation, and Vulnerability Initiate a National Assessment of the Risks and Costs of Climate Change Impacts and Options to Respond Coordinate Federal Efforts to Provide Climate Information, Tools, and Forecasts Routinely to Decision Makers

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) released its Strategic Plan in 2003. This Revised Research Plan in compliance with Section 104(a) of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, is an update to the 2003 Strategic Plan. It reflects both scientific advances since the publication of the 2003 Strategic Plan and the evolving needs of society. The update focuses on near-term (1-3 year) planning needs, and specifically addresses research plans for the period 2008 to 2010. The Revised Research Plan also represents one of the first steps in the longer-term development of the next Strategic Plan. CCSP is currently developing a process for gathering input from a wide range of stakeholder and scientific communities to inform the development of that new Strategic Plan, which will describe approaches for addressing the Nation's needs for climate change information beyond the 2010 timeframe and into the next decade. The Revised Research Plan contains an updated statement of capabilities and objectives consistent with CCSP's current Strategic Plan but reflecting both scientific progress and the Nation's evolving societal and environmental needs. It also contains examples of research progress and a discussion of the program's emerging priorities. Using the program's five strategic goals as an organizing framework, the Revised Research Plan provides a goal-by-goal overview of emerging research questions and themes, key research topics, and illustrative research plans for the years 2008 to 2010. CCSP's vision is a Nation and the global community empowered with the science-based knowledge to manage the risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. Its mission is to facilitate the creation and application of knowledge of the Earth's global environment through research, observations, decision support, and communication. This mission arises from the recognition that climate variability and change will continue to influence society directly and indirectly, and that in order to make informed decisions, society requires knowledge as to 1) what is changing and how; 2) what forces are causing those changes; 3) how the Earth system may change in the future and affect societies and ecosystems; 4) what parts of the Earth system are most sensitive to global change and how adaptable those parts are; and 5) how scientific knowledge can be effectively applied to manage the risks and opportunities. These are the essence of CCSP's strategic goals.

Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.