Request for Information: Public Input on the Sustained Assessment Process of the U.S. National Climate Assessment

The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has a legal mandate to conduct a National Climate Assessment (NCA) not less frequently than every four years. Under its current decadal strategic plan (http://go.usa.gov/3qGU4), USGCRP is building sustained assessment capacity to support the Nation's ability to understand, anticipate, and respond to global change impacts and vulnerabilities. The recent Third NCA process and resulting 2014 Report (http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/) provide a foundation for subsequent activities and reports under the sustained assessment process. More broadly, climate assessments increasingly involve participation and leadership by state, local, and tribal governments as well as the private sector. Noting these developments in the climate assessment landscape, USGCRP seeks ideas about (1) what scientific information on climate change, impacts, and responses would be of most value to inform future assessment activities; (2) how to effectively communicate climate change assessment information; and (3) what mechanisms could be used to more effectively connect to other assessment-related efforts. Public responses to these questions will be evaluated and, if appropriate, used to inform the structure and content of USGCRP's sustained National Climate Assessment process. Updates on the sustained assessment will be posted on the NCA Web site (http:// assessment.globalchange.gov) as they are available.