Our Changing Planet: The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Year 2009
"Climate plays an important role in shaping the environment, natural resources,
infrastructure, economy, and other aspects of life in all countries of the world.
Therefore, variations and changes in climate can have substantial environmental and
socioeconomic implications. The Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was
established in 2002 to empower the Nation and the global community with the sciencebased knowledge to manage risks and opportunities of change in the climate and
related environmental systems. CCSP incorporates and integrates the U.S. Global
Change Research Program (USGCRP) with the Administration’s U.S. Climate Change
Research Initiative (CCRI). The USGCRP was mandated by Congress in the Global
Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606, 104 Stat. 3096-3104) to improve
understanding of uncertainties in climate science, expand global observing systems,
develop science-based resources to support policymaking and resource management,
and communicate findings broadly among scientific and stakeholder communities."