The National Assessment Overview and Foundation Reports were produced  by the National Assessment Synthesis Team, an advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, and were not subjected to OSTP's Information Quality Act Guidelines. The National Assessment was forwarded to the President and Congress in November 2000 for their consideration.

Five Sectors Selected for Special Analysis

Following guidance to "pick a few things and do them well," five sectors were selected to receive special analytical treatment in this National Assessment: Agriculture, Water, Health, Forests and Coastal Areas & Marine Resources. Each sectoral assessment was sponsored by a federal agency. In each case, co-chairs developed a team of experts to conduct a quantitative analysis that responded to user needs and priorities, using climate and socioeconomic scenarios to analyze a range of possible futures.

Coordination with Regions and Across Sectors

Coordination with the regional assessments was also essential. On the one hand, many of the regions  conducted finer scale analyses of these same issues that fed information into the sectors. On the other hand, the sectoral assessments often took a national perspective of these issues, looking at, for example, issues of international competitiveness, rather than at redistribution of jobs within the U.S. Coordination was also needed across sectors to assure that the National Assessment at minimum explained how different assumptions resulted in different future scenarios.

Building Information for the National Synthesis

The sectoral assessments ultimately have published volumes in a common format that could stand alone, but also joined the national series. Many of the sectors produced a range of additional publications for scientific journals, educational curriculum, etc. Like the regional assessments, the sectors provided key information and findings to the Synthesis Team, which bridged across regions and sectors to identify common themes.