| Previous Assessments |
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 First National Climate Assessment (2000)The first National Climate Assessment, entitled Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, was published in 2000 and was a major landmark in the ongoing effort to understand what climate change meant for the United States. This First National Climate Assessment began a national process of research, analysis, and dialogue about the coming changes in climate, their impacts, and what Americans can do to adapt to an uncertain and continuously changing climate.
Second National Climate Assessment (2009) The second National Climate Assessment, entitled Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, was published in 2009 and summarizes the science of climate change and the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. The Assessment’s purpose is to synthesize, evaluate, and report on what we presently know about the potential consequences of climate variability and change for the US in the 21st century. It has sought to identify key climatic vulnerabilities of particular regions and sectors, in the context of other changes in the nation’s environment, resources, and economy. It has also sought to identify potential measures to adapt to climate variability and change. Finally, because present knowledge is limited, the Assessment has sought to identify the highest priority uncertainties about which we must know more to understand climate impacts, vulnerabilities, and our ability to adapt.
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