Since 1989, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has submitted annual reports to Congress called Our Changing Planet. The reports describe the status of USGCRP research activities, provide progress updates, and document recent accomplishments. In particular, Our Changing Planet highlights progress and accomplishments in interagency activities. These highlights represent the broad spectrum of USGCRP activities that extend from Earth system observations, modeling, and fundamental research through synthesis and assessment, decision support, and public engagement. Highlights describe the state of science at the time of publication of each yearly report, and may not reflect more recent advances in understanding. The date of publication of the source report is noted on each highlight page.
In support of its international mandate, USGCRP currently helps provide core budget support to three international science organizations: Future Earth , which builds interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral partnerships to advance global sustainability science; the SysTem for Analysis, Research, and Training ( START ) , which provides opportunities for research, education, and training to scientists, policymakers, and practitioners in developing countries; and the World Climate Research Programme ( WCRP ) , which is the primary international coordination mechanism for climate system research. In...