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

Integrated Program Analysis

In a highly distributed program such as CCSP, it is often a challenge to develop and maintain a cohesive perspective, ensuring that key components or interactions of the integrated Earth system are not overlooked. To help address this challenge, the program has often sought guidance from the National Academies. CCSP is funding a National Research Council (NRC) committee to provide high-level, independent, integrated advice on the strategy and evolution of the program. Specific topics the committee will address in its first two reports are outlined below:

• The first committee report will include findings and recommendations on the process for evaluating progress toward the five CCSP goals and a preliminary assessment of progress to date.
  
  
• The second report will identify priorities to guide the future evolution of the program in the context of established scientific and societal objectives.

CCSP will continue to rely on other mechanisms for scientific guidance and advice, including other NRC committees that focus on particular components of the climate system (e.g., the Climate Research Committee and the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change). CCSP will also continue to utilize scientific advisory groups that support individual agencies, scientific steering groups organized to coordinate different CCSP research elements, and open dialogue with the domestic and international scientific and user communities interested in global change issues.