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APPENDIX C
Additional Information
Regarding the Content of the
ACC Panel Reports
Advancing the Science of Climate Change (NRC, 2010a) provides an overview of
current scientific understanding of climate change across a range of different areas of
interest to decision makers, and recommends steps to advance current understanding.
The report focuses on scientific research needed to continue improving understand-
ing of the causes and consequences of climate change as well as the improving and
expanding the options available to respond to climate change. It also discusses key at-
tributes and themes for an effective climate change research enterprise, including the
research programs, observations, models, human resources, and other activities and
tools that are needed. Some report tables of particular relevance include examples of
science/research needs related to the following areas:
Table 4.1 Improving fundamental understanding of climate forcings, feed-
backs, responses, and thresholds in the earth system
Table 4.2 Human behavior, institutions, and interactions with the climate
system
Table 4.3 Vulnerability and adaptation
Table 4.4 Limiting the magnitude of climate change
Table 4.5 Decision support in the context of climate change
Table 4.6 Observations and observing systems
Table 4.7 Improving projections, analyses, and assessments of climate change
Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change (NRC, 2010b) examines how the
U.S. can best contribute to global efforts to limit the magnitude of future climate
change—primarily through limiting emissions (and enhancing sinks) of GHGs. The
report discusses the process of setting goals for U.S. emission reductions; the range
of opportunities for limiting emissions from different sources and sectors; the policies
needed to assure effective pursuit of “high-leverage” emission reduction opportuni-
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APPENDIX C
ties; the resources and policies needed to accelerate technological innovation; the
intersection of climate change limiting policies with other issues of major public
interest; strategies for integrating federal climate change limiting polices with actions
at the local, state, and international levels; and the challenges of developing policies
that are both durable over time and flexible enough to be adapted in response to new
knowledge. Some report tables of particular relevance include the following.
Table 4.1 Specific policy instruments that can be used (in addition to, or in the
absence of, a carbon pricing system) to drive CO2 emission reductions
Table 3.1 Emission reduction options for non-CO2 greenhouse gases
Table 5.1 Policy options to influence technology innovation
Table 5.6 Examples of policy impediments to expanding the use of clean en-
ergy technologies
Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change (NRC, 2010c) describes, analyzes, and
assesses actions and strategies to reduce vulnerability, increase adaptive capacity, im-
prove resiliency, and promote successful adaptation to climate change. The report dis-
cusses the complementary roles of federal adaptation efforts with grassroots-based,
bottom-up actions and identifies the key research and information needs for promot-
ing successful adaptation across a variety of sectors and covering a range of temporal
and spatial scales. Some report tables of particular relevance include examples of
specific options for facilitating adaptation (and identification of entities best poised to
implement each option) for the following sectors:
Table 3.2 Ecosystems
Table 3.3 Agriculture and forestry
Table 3.4 Water
Table 3.5 Health
Table 3.6 Transportation
Table 3.7 Energy
Table 3.8 Oceans and coasts
Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change (NRC, 2010d) identifies the
range of actors that are making decisions affecting our nation’s response to climate
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Appendix C
change and reviews the different types of decision support tools that are available, or
could be developed, to aid those decision makers, including assessments, databases,
GHG accounting systems, and “climate services” institutions. It also reviews the dif-
ferent types of decision frameworks that could be used to craft responses to climate
change and discusses ways to improve climate change communication through
educational systems, the media, and direct engagement with the public. Some report
tables of particular relevance include the following.
Table 2.5 Examples of federal departments and agencies that are affected by
or involved in decisions about climate change
Table 5.1. Information needs provided by climate services
Table 6.2 Examples of existing GHG emission registries and informing
principles
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