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 ContentsFront MatterSummary1 IntroductionPart I Methods and Results2 Process for Evaluating Progress: Task 1a3 Preliminary Assessment of CCSP ProgressPart I ReferencesPart II Detailed Supporting Analysis4 Progress Toward the Research Elements5 Progress Toward the Cross-Cutting IssuesPart II ReferencesAppendixesAppendix A: Status of CCSP Synthesis and Assessment ProductsAppendix B: Supplemental Information on Human Contributions and ResponsesAppendix C: Matrix to Evaluate CCSP ProgressAppendix D: Workshop ParticipantsAppendix E: Biographical Sketches of Committee MembersAppendix F: Acronyms and Abbreviations