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Updated 20 August 2008

OUR CHANGING PLANET
The U.S. Climate Change Science Program
for Fiscal Year 2009

A Report by the Climate Change Science Program and
The Subcommittee on Global Change Research
A Supplement to the President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget

 

 

Earth

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The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for FY 2009

Climate plays an important role in shaping the environment, natural resources, infrastructure, economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world. Therefore, variations and changes in climate can have substantial environmental and socioeconomic implications. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was established in 2002 to empower the Nation and the global community with the science-based knowledge to manage risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. CCSP incorporates and integrates the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the Administration’s U.S. Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI). The USGCRP was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606, 104 Stat. 3096-3104) to improve understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems, develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management, and communicate findings broadly among scientific and stakeholder communities.

CCSP Guiding Vision

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.

Snow Cover

Climate research conducted over the past several years indicates that most of the global warming experienced in the past few decades is very likely due to the observed increase in greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities. Research also indicates that the human influence on the climate system is expected to increase.1 It is therefore essential for society to be equipped with the best possible knowledge of climate variability and change so that it may exercise responsible stewardship for the environment, lessen the potential for negative climate impacts, and take advantage of positive opportunities where they exist. The importance of these issues and the unique role that science can play in informing society’s responses give rise to CCSP’s guiding vision.

CCSP Mission

Facilitate the creation and application of knowledge of the Earth's global environment through research, observations, decision support, and communication.

CCSP carries out its mission through four core approaches: scientific research, observations, decision support, and communication. These approaches build upon scientific advances of the last few decades and are deepening understanding of the interplay of natural and human-caused forces, their implications, and response options. CCSP is developing information to facilitate comparative analysis of different approaches for adapting to and mitigating climate change. CCSP also promotes capacity development among scientists and information users—both in the developed and the developing world—to address the interactions between climate change, society, and the environment.

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