FROM page iv:
"Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources."

From pg. ii

Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources
National Science and Technology Council

George Gray
Environmental Protection Agency

Conrad Lautenbacher
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration

Sharon Hays
Office of Science and Technology Policy

Michael H. Freilich
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration

James Connaughton
Council on Environmental Quality

Robert E. Foster
Department of Defense

Mark Myers
U.S. Geological Survey

Leonard P. Hirsch
Smithsonian Institution

Bridgette K. Ellis
Tennessee Valley Authority

Gale Buchanan
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Linda Lawson
Department of Transportation

Kathie L. Olsen
National Science Foundation

Samuel H. Wilson
Department of Health & Human Services

James Bates
Office of Management and Budget

Bruce Davis
Department of Homeland Security

Claudia McMurray
Department of State

Samuel P. Williamson
Office of the Federal Coordinator for
Meteorology

Raymond L. Orbach
Department of Energy

Joel Kupersmith
Veterans Health Administration

Description of Expert Review

This scientific assessment was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their breadth of perspective and technical expertise. The purpose of the independent review was to provide candid and critical comments that helped ensure the scientific soundness of the published report. The review comments remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. The following individuals are thanked for their review of this report:

Eric Barron, University of Texas, Austin
Sally Benson, Stanford University
Leon Clarke, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Randall Crane, University of California, Los Angeles
Andrew Dessler, Texas A&M University
William Emanuel, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Marvin Geller, Stony Brook University
Jennifer Hayes, U.S. Forest Service
Gabrielle Hegerl, University of Edinburgh
Jeremy Hess, Emory University
Katherine Jacobs, Arizona Water Institute
Ashby Johnson, Houston-Galveston Area Council
Jay Lawrimore, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Thomas Lovejoy, Heinz Center
Robert Webb, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Warren Wiscombe, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
This report was prepared in accordance with Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-554) and the Information
Quality Act guidelines issued by the Department of Commerce and NOAA pursuant to Section 515. For purposes of compliance with Section 515, this report is an “interpreted product” as that term is used in NOAA guidelines and is classified as “highly influential.” This document does
not express any regulatory policies of the United States or any of its agencies or provide recommendations for regulatory action.

The climate is changing, and these changes are affecting the world around us. In order to deal with the changes that are taking place now and to prepare for those that are likely to happen in the future, decisionmakers need information about global change and its effects on the Nation and the world we live in.

This national scientific assessment integrates, evaluates, and interprets the findings of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) and draws from and synthesizes findings from previous assessments of the science, including reports and products by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It analyzes current trends in global change, both natural and human-induced, and it projects major trends for the future. It analyzes the effects of these changes on the natural environment, agriculture, water resources, social systems, energy production and use, transportation, and human health. It is intended to help inform discussion of the relevant issues by decisionmakers, stakeholders, and the public. As such, this report addresses the requirements for assessment in the Global Change Research Act of 1990.1