Appendix A
Statement of Task for the Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program
The Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP or Program) provides ongoing and focused advice to the USGCRP by convening key thought leaders and decision makers at semiannual meetings, providing strategic advice, reviewing draft plans for the Program, and serving as a portal to relevant activities from across the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Committee is broadly constituted to bring expertise in all the areas addressed by the USGCRP. The Committee will, over time, organize ongoing discussions, take on specific tasks, and possibly issue reports on a variety of issues of importance to the USGCRP and its major program elements.
- In its role as a single entry point of contact to the National Academies, source of strategic input, and convener of strategic discussions with appropriate experts, the Committee to Advise the US Global Change Research Program will:
- Provide ongoing, integrated advice to the USGCRP on broad, program-wide issues and documents when requested, including reviewing draft strategic plans and updates thereof.
- Provide a forum for informal interaction between the USGCRP and the relevant scientific communities and other interested parties.
- Provide a forum for exchange of experience and insights for integrating across science communities and disciplines, and improving linkages between officials of the Program and the science communities.
- Improve the internal coordination across existing and future entities of the National Academies related to global change (including coordination across NAS, NAE, and NAM).
- Help identify issues of importance for the global change research community. This implies a proactive role that goes beyond simply responding to requests from the USGCRP.
- Interact with and provide advice to USGCRP relevant to its international activities, such as shaping the future of relevant international global environmental change programs.
- In addition to producing National Academies’ reports as tasked, the committee may help develop other work requests and promote collaboration on such efforts with appropriate units within the National Academies.
Statement of Task for the Review of the Draft USGCRP Decadal Strategic Plan
The Committee to Advise the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) will conduct an independent review of the USGCRP’s draft strategic plan concurrent with the public comment period. Per guidance to the USGCRP, the published decadal plan will be approximately 30 pages
and written for a general audience. The review will address the following questions about the draft plan:
- Is the plan consistent with the direction provided in Section 104 of the Global Change Research Act?
- Are the plan’s goals clear and appropriate? Do they reflect the Nation’s needs for information on climate and global change?
- Does the plan show a clear strategy for coordination and integration that involves multiple disciplines and multiple agencies?
- Does the plan communicate effectively with both the public and the scientific community?
- Are there any factual errors, or major content areas missing from the plan that should be present if the Program is to achieve its overall vision and mission?
