U.S. Climate-change Program Assessed

The first assessment of the U.S. climate- change science program finds that the program has done well in improving the understanding of atmospheric warming and the influence of human activities but has not devoted enough resources to understanding the impact on political systems and the economy or on greenhouse gas mitigation. It recommends that the program make greater effort to build a dialogue among state and local officials, nongovernmental organizations, industry, and the scientific community because this is important for confronting climate change at the local level. The report, prepared by the National Research Council, is called a preliminary assessment and looks at the overall strengths and weaknesses of the entire program. A second, more in-depth study will diagnose the reasons for those weaknesses and identify strategies for improving the program.