Strategic Plan for the
Climate Change
Science Program
Final Report, July 2003

Final Report also is available as single PDF file (8.8 Mb)

See also:

Executive Summary (PDF)
 

Vision for the Program and Highlights of the Scientific Strategic Plan

Acronyms, Abbreviations,
and Units

In February 2002 President George W. Bush announced the formation of a new management structure, the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), to coordinate and direct the US research efforts in the areas of climate and global change. These research efforts include the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) authorized by the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and the Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI), launched by the President in June 2001 to reduce significant uncertainties in climate science, improve global observing systems, develop science-based information resources to support policymaking and resource management, and communicate findings broadly among the international scientific and user communities. The CCSP aims to balance the near-term (2- to 4-year) focus of the CCRI with the breadth of the USGCRP.

This strategic plan has been prepared by the thirteen federal agencies participating in the CCSP, with coordination by the CCSP staff under the leadership of Dr. Richard H. Moss. The development of this plan has benefited from the contributions of an extraordinarily large number of climate scientists and users of climate information. More than 250 federal government scientists participated in drafting both the Discussion Draft Strategic Plan published by CCSP in November 2002 and the revised plan presented in this document. The CCSP Climate Science Workshop, held in Washington, DC in December 2002, provided critique and suggestions from 1,300 climate scientists and information users from throughout the United States and 35 other nations. In January 2003 CCSP received 270 sets of comments from participants in the workshop and other interested specialists. At the request of CCSP, the National Academy of Sciences -- National Research Council (NRC) convened an expert committee to review the Discussion Draft Strategic Plan and the workshop discussions. The NRC committee provided extensive advice in its review published in February 2003.

We thank all of those individuals and groups who have contributed substantially to the completion of this strategic plan, and we hope that the plan will provide useful guidance for the continued national investment in climate change science. While acknowledging the useful contributions of many specialists, the CCSP interagency team takes responsibility for the plan, and invites continued correspondence regarding improvements that should be considered over the months and years ahead. A prominent web link for receiving and displaying comments will be maintained on the web site www.climatescience.gov. In view of the evolving nature of science, and in view of the continuing emergence of key climate change issues, we expect that periodic updates of selected elements of the strategic plan will be published when warranted.

James R. Mahoney, Ph.D.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and
Director, Climate Change Science Program

July 2003