U.S. Climate Change Science Program Listening Session Community Participation in the Path Ahead

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U.S. Climate Change Science ProgramListening
SessionCommunity Participation in the Path Ahead
http//www.climatescience.gov/Library/stratoptions
/listening-sessions.php
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Listening Session

• Motivation The need to engage a variety of
  stakeholders in the strategic planning process of
  the U.S. Global Change Research Program / U.S.
  Climate Change Science Program (USGCRP/CCSP)
• Primary Objective Obtain stakeholder input on
  key topics to inform strategic planning
  activities and documents
• What CCSP does with the information
• Record comments and additional questions
• Collect stakeholder contact information
• Generate session report that identifies key
  themes and supporting comments
• Provide report to strategic planning teams and
  post on the CCSP website

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Current CCSP Goals from 2003 Strategic Plan

1. Improve knowledge of climate and environment.
2. Improve quantification of forces driving changes
   to climate.
3. Reduce uncertainty in projections of future
   climate change.
4. Understand sensitivity and adaptability of
   natural and manmade systems.
5. Explore uses and limits of managing risks and
   opportunities.

www.climatescience.gov/Library/stratplan2003/
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CCSP Activities

• Coordination and Planning
• Agency leads and EOP liaisons, Interagency
  Working Groups, Coordination Office
• Strategic Plan (2003), Revised Research Plan
  (2008), annual research prioritization
• International research cooperation and
  coordination (IPCC, International research
  programs, Support of agency activities, Formal
  and informal partnerships)
• Selected Products
• Our Changing Planet (annually)
• 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (2006
  2009)
• Scientific Assessment (2008)
• Unified Synthesis Product (in progress)

Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO)
www.gcrio.org Websites www.climatescience.gov
www.usgcrp.gov www.climatetechnology.gov
www.carboncyclescience.gov
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CCSP Strategic Planning Process

• Internal activities
• Strategic Planning Study Group
• Building Blocks (research elements,
  cross-cutting issues)
• Links to agency strategic planning processes
• External activities
• National Research Council Committee on Strategic
  Advice to the CCSP
• Stakeholder listening sessions and roundtables
• Regional
• Sector-based (e.g., water managers, public
  health)
• Current and previous reports describing
  stakeholder needs and evaluations of the CCSP
• Forums at professional and service society
  meetings

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Discussion Questions

• What major climate-related challenges or
  questions are you currently facing as a public
  health professional or researcher dealing with
  human health effects of climate change?
• What information do you need to address these
  challenges?
• What are your current sources of information?
  What do you like about these sources and what
  could be improved?
• Are there gaps in climate change research that
  you feel are critical in order to protect the
  public from health impacts related to climate
  change?
• What information is still needed?

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Discussion Questions

• How can climate change science and information
  needed to support your decisions and discussions
  be better provided?
• What data and other climate change information
  formats are most appropriate for the decisions
  you need to make or the research that you
  conduct? Are the data and information currently
  available to you in these formats?
• Are scientific assessments related to climate
  change (e.g., IPCC reports, CCSP Synthesis and
  Assessment Products) useful to you?
• What parts of these assessments do you find
  useful? What else should these reports provide?
• What other types of climate change synthesis and
  assessment documents do you use (e.g., from a
  specific business or industry, NGO groups, etc.)?

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Discussion Questions

• How can public health research practices better
  inform climate change planning and response?
  (E.g. how can behavior science theory, or
  monitoring and surveillance be used to inform
  climate change and health effects research,
  development of mitigation and adaptation options,
  or other climate change interventions)?
• Are there training needs or tools that could
  better assist you in protecting the public from
  health impacts related to climate change? Who
  should provide such resources? 

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Discussion Questions

• What are the roles and responsibilities of the
  federal government in climate science and
  information provision?
• What should be the roles and responsibilities of
  individual agencies?
• What should be the roles and responsibilities of
  a central interagency coordinating entity like
  CCSP?
• Which of these do you think are currently being
  fulfilled? Are these being done by CCSP or by
  another entity (and if so, who)?
• How might those that arent currently being
  fulfilled be implemented?
• How do these federal roles and responsibilities
  relate to those of local / state / tribal
  governments? Business, industry, and trade
  associations? Academia and extension offices?
  Grass-roots groups, community organizers, and
  individual citizens?

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You may also provide written comments
toinput_at_usgcrp.gov
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Additional Information
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CCSP Organizational Context
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CCSP Interagency Committee
Interagency Working Groups
Atm. Comp.
Water Cycle
LULCC
Carbon
Climate Var. Change
HCR
Ecosys.
Educ.
Comm.
Internat.
Obs.
Modeling
FOG
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CCSP Interagency Working Groups

• Atmospheric Composition
• Climate Variability and Change
• Modeling
• Global Water Cycle
• Land Use and Land Cover Change
• Global Carbon Cycle
• Ecosystems
• Human Contributions and Responses

• Observing and Monitoring the Climate System
• Data Management and Information
• Communications
• International Research and Cooperation
• Education

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Building Blocks
Cross-Cutting Research Elements
Program Framing Atmospheric Composition
Science to Inform Mitigation Climate Variability and Change
Science to Inform Adaptation Carbon Cycle
Observations and Data Management Ecosystems
Modeling Land Use/Land Cover Change
International Cooperation Human Contributions and Responses
Education Water Cycle
Communication and Outreach
Assessment
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NRC Review of CCSPhttp//www.nap.edu/catalog.php?
record_id11934

• Separation of leadership and budget authority
  presents a serious obstacle to progress in the
  CCSP.
• Discovery science and understanding of the
  climate system are proceeding well, but use of
  that knowledge to support decision making is
  proceeding slowly.
• Progress in understanding and predicting climate
  change has improved more at global, continental,
  and ocean basin scales than at regional and local
  scales.

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NRC Review of CCSPhttp//www.nap.edu/catalog.php?
record_id11934

• Our understanding of the impact of climate
  changes on human well-being and vulnerabilities
  is much less developed than our understanding of
  the natural climate system.
• Science quality observation systems have fueled
  advances in climate change science, and
  applications, but many existing and planned
  observing systems have been canceled, delayed, or
  degraded, which threatens future progress.
• Progress in communicating CCSP results and
  engaging stakeholders is inadequate.

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CCSP Version 2.0http//www.ucar.edu/td/transition
.pdf

• From Advice to the New Administration and
  Congress Actions to Make our Nation Resilient to
  Severe Weather and Climate Change
• The leader of this effort should report to the
  President and at a level equivalent to an
  economic or national security advisor.
• OMB/OSTP and agency leaders should be selected to
  support this critical interagency process and
  OMB/OSTP staff should be given the authority,
  resources, and time to support it.

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CCSP Version 2.0http//www.ucar.edu/td/transition
.pdf

• OMB/OSTP should implement an annual integrated
  weather and climate program and budget review and
  submit an integrated program plan and budget to
  the Congress as part of the Presidents budget.
• These programs should be considered national
  priorities and protected from internal agency
  budget cuts and tradeoffs.
• The U.S. Global Change Research Program Act of
  1990 may need to be updated to reflect a greater
  focus on adaptation and to ensure that the
  critical management approaches mentioned above
  are followed.