FACT SHEET ON U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM

October 22, 1997

Background: The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is a National Research Program conducted under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. The NSTC is a cabinet-level council established by President Clinton in November 1993 to coordinate Federal science and technology efforts. The program' s fundamental purpose is to increase understanding of the Earth system, and of human and naturally induced changes in the Earth' s environment, and thus provide a sound scientific basis for decision making on global change issues. The USGCRP began as a Presidential Initiative, and was codified by the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The overall FY 1997 USGCRP budget was $1.81 billion.

The core program of the USGCRP is focused on four key scientific areas:

• Seasonal to Interannual Climate Variability: The development and refinement of forecasts of seasonal and interannual climate variability, including study and prediction of the El Niņo phenomena.

• Climate Change Over Decades to Centuries: Analysis and projection of the effects of long-term climate change on natural resources, public health, and socio-economic sectors.

• Changes in Ozone, UV Radiation, and Atmospheric Chemistry: Research on the causes, rate, magnitude, and human health and ecological consequences of changes in stratospheric ozone, UV radiation, and atmospheric chemistry.

• Changes in Land Cover and Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems: Research on the causes and consequences of land-cover changes, and on basic processes governing the functions and structure of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems.

New Research Directions: Global change research is providing the information about the changing Earth system, and in particular, about climate change, that is needed to achieve a sustainable future. New research efforts include:

• A National Assessment of Climate Change Impacts to aggregate information across regions and sectors, analyze national-scale consequences, and support development of mitigation and adaptation strategies.

• Improved Regional-scale Analyses, including regional estimates of the rate and magnitude of climate change, analyses of the environmental and socio-economic consequences of climate change in the context of other stresses, and integrated assessments of the implications for society and the environment of climate change.

• Regional Workshops to examine the vulnerabilities of various regions of the United States to climate change.