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Climate Change Science Program
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"A nation and the global community empowered with the science-based knowledge to manage the risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems."
– Climate Change Science Program Guiding Vision
The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is one of the largest components of the U.S. climate program. CCSP is a multi-agency effort focused on improving our understanding of the science of climate change and its potential impacts.
The CCSP integrates federal research on climate and global change, as sponsored by thirteen federal agencies and overseen by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Council on Environmental Quality, the National Economic Council and the Office of Management and Budget.
Climate Change Science Program Vision
Research and observations can play unique roles in helping society to deal with key climate change issues. These unique roles give rise to the guiding vision of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.
Five principal goals have been adopted to guide the CCSP:
- Improve knowledge of the Earth's past and present climate and environment, including its natural variability, and improve understanding of the causes of observed variability and change.
- Improve quantification of the forces bringing about changes in the Earth's climate and related systems.
- Reduce uncertainty in projections of how the Earth's climate and related systems may change in the future.
- Understand the sensitivity and adaptability of different natural and managed ecosystems and human systems to climate and related global changes.
- Explore the uses and identify the limits of evolving knowledge to manage risks and opportunities related to climate variability and change.
Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan for CCSP describes a strategy for developing knowledge of variability and change in climate and related environmental and human systems, and for encouraging the application of this knowledge. By 2008, CCSP will produce twenty-one synthesis and assessment reports that focus on a variety of science and policy issues important for public discussion and decision-making. EPA, a key CCSP participant, is a lead or co-lead agency on four of these reports and a contributor to most of the others. For information about EPA’s participation in the CCSP, see the EPA Climate Change Science Research page.
Global Earth Observing System of Systems
One of the five core approaches of the CCSP is to enhance observations and data management systems to generate a comprehensive set of variables needed for climate-related research. The Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) is a related U.S. government and international effort to advance our ability to gather Earth observation data from a variety of sources and make it compatible in order to supply data and information to users at no cost. With a great deal of experience in measuring, monitoring and modeling, EPA is in a position to bring knowledge and leadership to the on-going GEOSS development process, ensuring that the results can be used to support environmental decision-making.