Climate Change Science Program. The CCSP integrates Federal research on climate and global change, as sponsored by 13 Federal departments and agencies20 (including NASA) and overseen by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Council on Environmental Quality, the National Economic Council, and the Office of Management and Budget.21 The most recent CCSP Strategic Plan22 was completed in July 2003. The 20 National Science Foundation, Department of Commerce, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of State, Agency for International Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, and Smithsonian Institution. 21 About the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, xxxx://xxx.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx/about/default.htm. Accessed July 6, 2005. Strategic Plan’s vision is “a Nation and the global community empowered with the science-based knowledge to manage the risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems” (Executive Summary). The mission is to develop a framework for acquiring and applying knowledge of the Earth’s global environment through four core approaches: scientific research, observations, decision support, and communication. These approaches are applied across the following five CCSP goals, each of which is tied to numerous, evolving, interdisciplinary research elements:23 ▪ Goal 1: Extend knowledge of the Earth’s past and present climate and environment, including its natural variability, and improve understanding of the causes of observed changes ▪ Goal 2: Improve understanding of the forces bringing about changes in the Earth’s climate and related systems ▪ Goal 3: Reduce uncertainty in projections of how the Earth’s climate and environmental systems may change in the future ▪ Goal 4: Understand the sensitivity and adaptability of different natural and managed systems to climate and associated global changes ▪ Goal 5: Explore the uses and identify the limits of evolving knowledge to manage risks and opportunities related to climate variability and change. While energy management issues are relevant to each of the five goals, the Strategic Plan specifically mentions energy-related activities and adaptation/mitigation options with respect to Goals 2 and 5:
