Climate Change: Federal Research and Technology and Related Programs

Publication Date: November 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Environment

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Abstract:

For over 20 years there have been federal programs directly or indirectly related to climate change. Direct programs have focused largely on scientific research to improve the capability to understand climate systems and/or predict climatic change and variability. Energy use has been a major focus of efforts related to possible climate change because carbon dioxide, the major "greenhouse gas," is added to the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. Those efforts, which sought to reduce oil imports, manage electricity needs, and address environmental concerns including climate change, involve many parts of the government. Similarly, climate science efforts in various agencies have sought to expand scientific understanding of the dynamics of climate and its societal consequences as a basis for policy decisions that rely on improved predictions of future climate conditions and climate impact assessments. Coordinating these efforts has been challenging. This report identifies and discusses only the direct climate scientific and research programs of the federal government, and does not focus on the wide array of programs on energy that, though relevant indirectly to climate change, do not include climate as a specific goal.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program in the first Bush Administration, and subsequently in the Clinton Administration, funded studies to improve scientific understanding of the processes that influence Earth's climate, including trends on global and regional scales. The Climate Change Technology Initiative (CCTI) was the Clinton Administration's package of research and development (R&D) to develop renewable energy sources and more efficient technologies, targeted tax credits (to encourage purchase and deployment of more efficient technologies), and voluntary information programs (so businesses and schools might be better informed when making purchasing and operating decisions involving energy use and emissions).

The CCTI was followed by the current Bush Administration's Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI) and National Climate Change Technology Initiative (NCCTI), both parts of a cabinet-level Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology Integration. The CCRI and the extant U.S. Global Change Research Program were combined into the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) in the FY2004 budget. Various major activities of the CCTI appear to continue at different funding levels through the Bush Administration, while using a different name. The Final Report of the Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program was released in July 2003.

The FY2004 budget requests $1.7 billion to sponsor scientific research directly managed by the CCSP, and $1.2 billion for technology R&D in the NCCTI. An interagency review process is underway to identify specific research areas.

With various details about the Bush Administration's climate change efforts still in development, some critics highlight the need for clearer goals for climate change R&D, while some proponents note that further R&D is needed if certain climate change management strategies are to be put in place. This report will be updated as events warrant.