Preview of Our Changing Planet:
The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2008

A Report by the Climate Change Science Program and The Subcommittee on Global Change Research
A Supplement to the President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2008

Synthesis and Assessment Products

As noted previously, CCSP is generating synthesis and assessment products that integrate research results focused on key issues and related questions frequently raised by decisionmakers. Current evaluations of the science can be used for informing public debate, policy development, and adaptive management decisions and for defining and setting the future direction and priorities of the program. The synthesis and assessment products constitute an important new form of topic-driven integration of U.S. global change assessment efforts. These CCSP products will be U.S. Government disseminations, subject to the provisions of the Information Quality Act (Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2001) and the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 1997 (PUB. L. 105-153, SEC. 2(A), (B), DEC. 17, 1997, 111 STAT. 2689).

The synthesis and assessment products are generated by researchers in a process that involves review by experts, public comment from stakeholders and the general public, and final approval by the departments/agencies involved in CCSP. Formal endorsement of the products by the Federal Government will enhance their value for decisionmakers and the public at large. The program has prepared guidelines that describe steps to be followed in each of three phases of the preparation process: developing the prospectus, drafting and revising, and final approval and publication. This methodology for product development facilitates involvement of the research community and user groups in ensuring that the products are focused in a useful fashion and meet the highest standards of scientific excellence. The guidelines also encourage transparency by ensuring that public information about the status of the products will be provided through the Federal Register, on the CCSP website, and other means throughout the review and clearance process. If further clarification of specific issues is required, the NRC will provide advice on an as-needed basis to the lead agency responsible for the preparation of each product.

The first product (1.1) has been completed and several others are nearing completion. Up-to-date information on the status of all Synthesis and Assessment products can be obtained online, including information on opportunities for public comment on draft products. A listing of each of the 21 Synthesis and Assessment products by CCSP Goal is provided as Appendix B.

“Lessons Learned” in Decision Support and Assessment

To build on the experiences of earlier assessment activities, CCSP requested that the National Research Council carry out an analysis of global change assessments that have addressed topics broadly similar to those encompassed by CCSP. The study, which was released in early 2007, included a comparative analysis of past assessments that address issues directly related to the science and technical issues of CCSP. The committee concluded that global change assessments are critical for informing decisionmakers. In identifying essential properties of a successful assessment it stressed that future assessment processes must communicate relevant information to the user, address the technical quality of the information, and demonstrate fairness and impartiality in the assessment process. The report identifies a number of essential elements that increase the probability that an assessment will effectively inform decisionmakers and other target audiences. CCSP will take into account the findings of the NRC in its future assessment activities.