February 6, 1998

Charge for the SGCR National Assessment Working Group (NAWG): The National Assessment Working Group is established under the auspices of the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR), within the purview of the Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources (CENR) and under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). Its membership is comprised of representatives of the federal government agencies. The NAWG is to have broad responsibilities for federal participation in the design and conduct of the national effort to assess the consequences of climate variability and climate change for the United States.

The NAWG will work with other SGCR Working Groups such as the Education and Communication Working Group and the Data and Information Management Working Group to ensure that the programs and capabilities of the USGCRP, where relevant, are appropriately linked and contribute to the National Assessment. Specifically, the National Assessment Working Group will perform the following tasks:

• Provide advice and counsel to the National Assessment Synthesis Team (NAST) as they develop a Draft National Assessment Plan that will: (i) outline the overall strategy, contents, methodologies (e.g., scenarios) and implementation plans for the National Assessment (ii) detail the structure of and methodology (e.g., regional and sectoral assessment templates) for incorporating regional, sectoral, and national perspectives and concerns, (iii) establish the overall schedule and time table for the total assessment, and (iv) describe the review process for the Assessment to assure scientific excellence, openness, and broad participation. The draft of the National Assessment Plan and all National Assessment products (e.g., Synthesis Report, Sectoral Assessments, Regional Assessments) will be reviewed by the NAWG prior to its submission to the SGCR, CENR, and NSTC;

• Coordinate federal participation to implement the National Assessment Plan;

• Facilitate implementation of regional assessments, as defined in the National Assessment Plan, to ensure adherence to the guiding principles of the assessment process; the adoption and use of methodologies (e.g., templates and scenarios); and compliance with the process, schedule and time table for delivery of regional assessment products;

• Annually prepare a comprehensive plan for funding the activities associated with the conduct of the National Assessment including funding required by NAST, NACO, regional and sectoral assessment teams, and other bodies required to fulfill the above Terms of Reference and this Charge. The annual National Assessment Funding Plan will be submitted to the SGCR for final approval;

• Identify federal R&D and monitoring programs that are required for or contribute to assessments of the consequences of global change in order to facilitate planning, coordination, and communication, among federal partners engaged in assessment activities and to annually identify and recommend R&D and monitoring priorities that are considered essential to the conduct of assessments of the consequences of global change and submit these recommendations to the SGCR for consideration by agencies when preparing their agency budgets.