— Ch. 1 · Legislative Origins And Mandate —
Fourth National Climate Assessment.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 5
President George H.W. Bush signed the Global Change Research Act of 1990 into law on the 16th of November 1990. This legislation established the United States Global Change Research Program with a clear mandate to understand and respond to global change. The act required reports to be submitted to Congress every four years starting from that date. The program aimed to promote discussions toward international protocols in global change research. It also sought to address the cumulative effects of human activities and natural processes on the environment. Only four reports have been released since the act was enacted despite the four-year requirement. The Fourth National Climate Assessment marked the first report produced under the Trump administration.
Scientific Methodology And Authors
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration served as the administrative lead agency for the NCA4 preparation. Thirteen federal agencies comprised the USGCRP team including NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Energy. Over 1,000 people assisted in producing the report during its two-year development period. Roughly half of these contributors were scientists working outside the government. Three hundred leading scientists participated alongside federal employees who formed the Federal Science Steering Committee. Representatives from NOAA, NASA, and DOE sat on this committee along with three Coordinating Lead Authors. All members of the Federal Science Steering Committee held federal employee status throughout the report's creation phase. The Obama administration released a review draft of the Climate Science Special Report with a public comment period running from the 15th of December 2016 through the 3rd of February 2017.