Publisher's Synopsis
Global change alters the capacity of the Earth to sustain life. It encompasses global climate change and processes that interact with climate to affect Earth systems. The impacts of global change are being felt now, both around the world and here in the United States. America and the world are getting warmer, global sea level is rising, and some types of extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe. In some regions of the country, prolonged heat and drought are contributing to larger wildfires and longer fire seasons. For coastal communities, sea level rise, combined with coastal storms, has increased the risk of erosion, flooding, and damage to property and infrastructure. Climate impacts on agriculture and water supplies have been increasing and are projected to become more severe. Extreme heat, sea level rise, and heavy rains are threatening infrastructure like roads, airports, port facilities, energy systems, and military bases. Climate change affects human health through more extreme weather events, decreased air quality, and changing ranges of diseases transmitted by food, water, and insects. These and other aspects of climate and related global change are having increasingly significant effects on the American economy and quality of life. The Nation needs reliable scientific information about current and future changes, their impacts, and effective response options. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is at the center of the Federal Government's efforts to fulfill this critical need. In June 2013, President Obama launched a comprehensive Climate Action Plan2 to reduce carbon pollution, prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to address climate change as a global challenge. The Plan invokes the key role of USGCRP in developing sound science to support the management of climate change and its impacts now and in the future. Since its establishment by Presidential initiative in 1989 and the Global Change Research Act (GCRA) of 1990, USGCRP has been advancing Earth system science and expanding the knowledge base needed to respond to a changing climate and a transforming world. This report provides an overview of the USGCRP enterprise; examples of recent accomplishments and investments in advancing, disseminating, and leveraging global change research to support scientific progress and societal needs; an outlook on research priorities for Fiscal Year (FY) 2015; and supporting budgetary information.
