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Temperatures
have increased in many areas—snow cover is not
lasting as long in the spring, and total precipitation
is increasing, with more rainfall occurring in intense
downpours. These changes appear to be affecting plants
and wildlife. There is evidence of a longer growing
season in northern areas and changing in species ranges.
The international assessments of the
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
project that these changes will increase over
the next 100 years.
The
Nation and the National Assessment Process
The
Global Change Research Act of 1990 [Public Law 101-606]
gave voice to early scientific findings that human activities
were starting to change the global climate:
(1)
Industrial, agricultural, and other human activities,
coupled with an expanding world population, are contributing
to processes of global change that may significantly
alter the Earth habitat within a few generations;
(2)
Such human-induced changes, in conjunction with natural
fluctuations, may lead to significant global warming
and thus alter world climate patterns and increase global
sea levels. Over the next century, these consequences
could adversely affect world agricultural and marine
production, coastal habitability, biological diversity,
human health, and global economic and social well-being.”
To
address these issues, Congress established the US Global
Change Research Program
(USGCRP) and mandated
that the USGCRP:
- shall
prepare and submit to the President and the Congress
an assessment which
-
integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings
of the Program and discusses the scientific uncertainties
associated with such findings;
-
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;
-
analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced
and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent
25 to 100 years
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To address
these issues, Congress established the US Global Change
Research Program (USGCRP)
and mandated that the USGCRP:
- shall
prepare and submit to the President and the Congress an
assessment which
-
integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of
the Program and discusses the scientific uncertainties
associated with such findings;
-
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;
-
analyzes current trends in global change, both human-induced
and natural, and projects major trends for the subsequent
25 to 100 years
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1.
Regional Analyses
Workshops
and assessments are being conducted to characterize the potential
consequences of climate variability and change in regions spanning
the US. A total of 19 workshops were held around the country,
with the Native Peoples/Native Homelands workshop being national
in scope rather than regional. To date, 16 of these groups are
preparing assessment reports. The
Upper Great Lakes Workshop report is available now.
2. Sectoral
Analyses
The sectoral
studies analyze how the consequences in each region affect the
Nation, making these reports national in scope and of interest
to everyone. The sectors being addressed in this first phase of
the ongoing National Assessment include:
- Agriculture
- Forests
- Human
Health
- Water,
and Coastal Areas and Marine Resources
3. National
Overview
The
National
Assessment Synthesis Team (NAST) has responsibility
for summarizing and integrating the findings of the regional and
sectoral studies and then drawing conclusions about the importance
of climate change and variability for the United States.
Their overview
report is available is available now.
Each of the
regional, sectoral, and synthesis activities is being led by a
team comprised of experts from both the public and private sectors,
from universities and government, and from the spectrum of stakeholder
communities. Their reports have all gone through an extensive
review process involving other experts and other interested stakeholders
and are available on request (http://www.nacc.usgcrp.gov).
The assessment process is supported in a shared manner by the
set of USGCRP agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture,
Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Energy,
Health and Human Services, and Interior, plus the Environmental
Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
and the National Science Foundation. Through this involvement,
the USGCRP is hopeful that broad understanding of the issue and
its importance for the Nation will be gained and that the full
range of perspectives about how best to respond will be aired.
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