National Global Change Research Plan, 2012-2021. A Strategic Plan for the U.S. Global Change Research Program

摘要

The United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) advances the collective efforts of 13 U.S. Government agencies that collaboratively help the Nation better understand global change and its impacts. The rate of global change todayincluding increased human-induced emissions of heat-trapping gases, disruptions of natural ecological and geochemical cycles, changing patterns of land use and associated changes in climate, oceans, and the distribution of species over the planetfar exceeds anything observed and documented in human history. Decision makers across the Nation and around the world are asking scientists for clear and reliable information on how these changes will affect individuals, communities, and economies, and how best to respond to those likely impacts. While global change poses a number of serious challenges, a failure to anticipate and manage those challenges can only amplify the threat to prosperity and security in the United States and around the world. By contrast, the development and implementation of effective responses can not only prevent some of the worst potential impacts of global change but also create new opportunities for economic growth and societal well-being. This Strategic Plan describes a Program that creates new scientific knowledge and makes this knowledge more readily available and usable in decision making. The Program will build on member agencies strengths in scientific measurement and modeling; incorporate new knowledge about decision making under conditions of uncertainty; and apply improved methods for iterative, risk-based planning. The Strategic Plan emphasizes greater coordination across the breadth of USGCRP activities, including more effective collaboration among researchers in the natural and social sciences, increased interagency cooperation to sustain ongoing assessments of global change impacts, and robust dialogues with diverse audiences to enhance communication of scientific knowledge.