Communications
USGCRP Cross-cutting Activity

Communications

Overview

Recent Accomplishments

Near-Term Plans

CCSP / USGCRP Communications Working Group Members

For long term plans, see Communications chapter of the Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program (2003) posted on CCSP web site.

In its Strategic Plan, CCSP identified communications as one of four core approaches for achieving its five overarching scientific goals. CCSP is committed to communicating with interested partners in the United States and throughout the world, and to learning from these partners on a continuing basis. As an essential part of its mission, CCSP stresses openness and transparency in its findings and reports.

The Communications Interagency Working Group (CIWG), established during FY 2004, develops and executes an implementation plan each year that focuses on disseminating the results of CCSP activities credibly and effectively and making CCSP science findings and products easily available to a diverse set of audiences. Elements of the implementation plan for calendar year 2008 include:

• Media Relations –When requested by the CCSP Director, assist in communicating on matters relating to climate science.
• Public Outreach – Develop materials and methods for public outreach on issues related to climate science and the activities and products of CCSP.
• Web Sites – Develop and advance a strategy for improving, integrating, and promoting the content of web sites operated or supported by CCSP and its participating agencies, recognizing that the sites are essential communication and outreach tools.

  The elements and strategies described above are exercised in the launch of the CCSP Synthesis and Assessment Products (SAPs) listed on page 29 of this report. When the final products are released, the teams associated with each SAP may request the CIWG’s assistance in generating outreach products or activities via the lead agency and the lead agency’s representative to the CIWG. These products and activities may include:

• Constituent briefings
• Web links posted on participating agency and CCSP home pages
• Press releases
• Public comments package posted on web sites
• Fact sheets
• Scientific posters.

Agencies represented on the CIWG incorporate the results of SAPs into their outreach and education materials. For example, EPA includes key summary information from SAP 1.1 on its climate change web site (see here).

The Climate Change Science Program Office (CCSPO), funded and supervised by the agencies and departments participating in CCSP, supports the program’s communications goals, along with members of the CIWG. CCSPO assists CIWG, coordinates preparation of the annual Our Changing Planet report to Congress as well as other reports, and is responsible for managing the program’s interagency web sites.