Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) coordinates the efforts of 13 federal agencies to understand why climate is changing, to improve predictions about how it will change in the future, and to use that information to assess impacts on human systems and ecosystems and to better support decision making. Evaluating Progress of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program is the first review of the CCSP's progress since the program was established in 2002. It lays out a method for evaluating the CCSP, and uses that method to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the entire program and to identify areas where progress has not met expectations. The committee found that the program has made good progress in documenting and understanding temperature trends and related environmental changes on a global scale, as well as in understanding the influence of human activities on these observed changes. The ability to predict future climate changes also has improved, but efforts to understand the impacts of such changes on society and analyze mitigation and adaptation strategies are still relatively immature. The program also has not met expectations in supporting decision making, studying regional impacts, and communicating with a wider group of stakeholders. Table of Contents Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction Part I Methods and Results 2 Process for Evaluating Progress: Task 1a 3 Preliminary Assessment of CCSP Progress Part I References Part II Detailed Supporting Analysis 4 Progress Toward the Research Elements 5 Progress Toward the Cross-Cutting Issues Part II References Appendixes Appendix A: Status of CCSP Synthesis and Assessment Products Appendix B: Supplemental Information on Human Contributions and Responses Appendix C: Matrix to Evaluate CCSP Progress Appendix D: Workshop Participants Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members Appendix F: Acronyms and Abbreviations