About the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program

Planning Context

As a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC ), the United States share with many other countries the UNFCCC's ultimate objective: the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in Earth's atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous interference with the climate system... within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner."

CCTP Vision

To attain on a global scale, in partnership with others, a technological capability that can provide abundant, clean, secure and affordable energy and other services needed to encourage and sustain economic growth, while simultaneously achieving substantial reductions in emissions of GHGs and mitigating the potential risks of climate change and increasing GHG concentrations.

CCTP Mission

To stimulate and strengthen the scientific and technological enterprise of the United States, through improved coordination and prioritization of multi-agency Federal climate change technology R&D programs and investments, and to provide global leadership, in partnership with others, aimed at accelerating development and facilitating adoption of technologies that can attain the CCTP vision.

CCTP Strategic Goals

CCTP has six strategic goals:

1. Reduce emissions from energy end-use and infrastructure;

2. Reduce emissions from energy supply;

3. Capture, store and/or sequester carbon dioxide;

4. Reduce emissions of non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases;

5. Improve capabilities to measure and monitor GHG emissions; and

6. Bolster basic science contributions to technology development.
To the extent that agency missions, resources, and other priorities allow, each participating CCTP agency will align the relevant components of its R&D portfolio in ways that are consistent with and supportive of one or more of these goals. For a current picture of the CCTP portfolio and related investments, see the CCTP cross-cut from the President's budget submission. FY 2009 [PDF]

These six CCTP strategic goals focus primarily on mitigating GHG emissions to make progress toward stabilizing atmospheric GHG concentrations. They are not intended to encompass the broad array of technical challenges and opportunities that may arise from climate change. These may include such research areas as mitigating vulnerabilities and adaptation of natural and human systems to climate change; addressing effects of acidification of the oceans; geoengineering to reduce radiative forcing through modification of the Earth's surface albedo or stratospheric sunlight scattering; and others. Such topics are important, but are beyond CCTP's current scope.

CCTP Vision, Mission, and Strategic Goals

Planning Context

CCTP Vision

CCTP Mission

CCTP Strategic Goals