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

Introduction, CCSP Vision, and Mission

The purpose of this document is to provide a timely and brief preview of plans for FY 2008 as well as a summary of recent accomplishments. A more comprehensive reporting of accomplishments, plans, and budgets will be published later in 2007 as the full Our Changing Planet – Annual Report.

Climate plays an important role in shaping the environment, natural resources, infrastructure, economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world. Therefore, variations and changes in climate can have substantial environmental and socioeconomic implications. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was established in 2002 to empower the Nation and the global community with thescience-based knowledge to manage risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. CCSP incorporates and integrates the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the Administration’s U.S. Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI). The USGCRP was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606, 104 Stat. 3096-3104) to improve understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems, develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management, and communicate findings broadly among scientific and stakeholder communities. Thirteen departments and agencies of the U.S. Government participate in CCSP. These departments and agencies are listed in Appendix A of this report.

Climate research conducted over the past several years indicates that most of the global warming experienced in the past few decades is very likely due to the observed increase in greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities. Research also indicates that the human influence on the climate system is expected to increase.1 It is therefore essential for society to be equipped with the best possible knowledge of climate variability and change so that we may exercise responsible stewardship for the environment, lessen the potential for negative climate impacts, and take advantage of positive opportunities where they exist. The importance of these issues and the unique role that science can play in informing society’s responses give rise to CCSP’s guiding vision.

CCSP carries out its mission through four core approaches: scientific research, observations, decision support, and communication. These approaches build upon scientific advances of the last few decades and are deepening our understanding of the interplay of natural and human-caused forces, their implications, and response options. CCSP is developing information to facilitate comparative analysis of different approaches for adapting to and mitigating climate change. CCSP also promotes capacity development among scientists and information users—both in the developed and the developing world—to address the interactions between climate change, society, and the environment.