Every four years, a National Climate Assessment is released that summarizes and communicates the current and future impacts of a changing climate. Right now, the fifth National Climate Assessment is underway!
This time around, I am part of that process, serving as an author on the Coastal Effects chapter so I thought I would share a bit about what it is we are doing, why we do it and how you can get involved to make sure this assessment is working for you!
The National Climate Assessments began in 1990 when the U.S. Global Change Research Program was established and required by Congress to develop and coordinate “a comprehensive and integrated United States research program which will assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change.”
In other words – since the early 1990s, the United States has been working to make sure that as our climate changes, we understand what is coming and how we can both mitigate the changes and adapt to them to secure our economies, cultures and habitats.
Assessments are a major undertaking
The Global Change Research Program has several requirements from Congress, the largest of which is that every four years they must produce a National Climate Assessment. The assessment needs to provide information on the latest science around climate change, including the uncertainties and the effects of the changing climate on a variety of sectors, including agriculture, energy production, coasts, human health in each region of the country.
This report is different from other international reports you may have previously heard about like the ones produced by the International Panel on Climate Change. Unlike the international reports, the National Climate Assessment is focused on the U.S. – describing the changes here, impacts here and solutions for here.
The National Climate Assessment is a massive undertaking! Over 300 experts nationally and internationally are convened to write the assessment. The experts to not write this document in a vacuum – there are multiple phases in which different federal agencies and members of the public can weigh in on the content and scope of the assessment.
You can make comments on the assessment
In the figure below, you can see the timeline of not only developing the upcoming fifth National Climate Assessment, but when you can get involved – and one of those times is RIGHT NOW!
In early January, we released our outlines for each chapter of the National Climate Assessment for public commentary. You can go to the Global Change Research Program’s website and provide your thoughts on the plan. A note: you will have to create an account to log in and see the content, but it is very quick!
Remember two things:
- We want to hear from EVERYONE! Do not feel like you should be an expert or a scientist to comment. We want this to be responsive to the public’s questions and needs.
- If you make a comment or leave a question on that website, we are required by law to respond! This means that you will get an answer to your question or have your comment addressed. What a great way to make sure your voice is heard!
Visit these websites to learn more about the history of the National Climate Assessment and the Global Change Research Program, the assessment that is currently underway and the fourth National Climate Assessment.
As always, if you have any questions, you can reach out to me at r.collini@placeslr.org or learn more about what else we are doing at the Program for Local Adaptation To Climate Effects: Sea Level Rise (PLACE:SLR) by going to our website.