Press Release

Statement of Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez on Today’s Release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

MEXICO CITY—Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today issued the following statement on the newly-released report from Working Group 1 (WG1) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Paris.

"I wish to thank the IPCC and its members for their report. The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is a key leader in expanding our knowledge of our changing climate and our changing world," said Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez. "I'm proud that NOAA’s world-class research, particularly our cutting-edge modeling of climate change, provided a firm foundation for the work of this international panel.

"Since the last IPCC report in 2001, U.S. research and modeling has moved to the forefront. President Bush’s leadership in providing NOAA with the necessary budgetary resources has really bolstered NOAA’s work, which is an integral part of today’s report," added Gutierrez. "I particularly wish to recognize the contributions of one of our NOAA scientists, Dr. Susan Solomon, who co-chaired the panel."

"Without the great work of our scientists, the advances in knowledge of our planet’s climate that were documented in today’s IPCC report would not have been possible. GFDL scientists created simulations for more than 5,000 years of past, future and idealized climate scenarios. Our climate-related research programs set the standard, and we will constantly strive to improve on this," Gutierrez said.

Secretary Gutierrez is in Mexico City to meet with President Calderón, senior officials, business leaders and members of civil society to discuss ways to promote opportunity, prosperity and economic growth in both countries.

Background
Dr. Susan Solomon, a senior scientist at NOAA and co-chair of WG1, was instrumental in the production of the report issued today. She is internationally renowned for her research in the Antarctic that showed that chlorofluorocarbons were responsible for the ozone hole, and she pioneered the theoretical understanding of the surface chemistry that caused it.

In all, nine lead and review authors were NOAA scientists. Many other NOAA scientists contributed to the research and review, and NOAA observations networks, computer modeling labs, and research programs have provided data and analysis.

For instance, NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory performs high level computer modeling that enhanced the projections used in the report. GFDL contributed two new climate models which couple the interactions of the atmosphere and the ocean to help understand climate phenomena on time scales of decades to centuries. The new models have improved resolution and can incorporate more sophisticated physical parameters. GFDL is one of approximately 12 international centers participating in the IPCC effort.

Some of the work conducted by the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which coordinates the planning of climate science and research across 13 Federal departments and agencies, was key to gaining greater understanding of relating observations and models. CCSP Synthesis and Assessment 1.1 reconciled lingering and long-standing difficulties that have impeded understanding of changes in atmospheric temperatures and the basic causes of these changes. It brought models and observations more closely in line, so that we have increased confidence in our ability to model and predict future changes.

The U.S. government spends more than $5 billion annually through CCSP and its companion program, the Climate Change Technology Program, and $29 billion since 2001. This level of funding demonstrates our commitment to furthering our understanding of the planet’s climate system.