Developing the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA6): Key Principles and Priorities

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is a congressionally mandated report led by the U.S. Global Change Research Program that evaluates the current state of the science of global change and analyzes its current and future impacts on regions and sectors of the United States. Development of the Sixth National Climate Assessment (NCA6) is underway and will build on the successes of NCA5, released in November of 2023, to meet the current moment. NCA6 development is occurring in the context of more frequent and damaging extreme events with compounding and cascading impacts, which increase the urgency for evidence-based and equitable adaptation and mitigation responses. In this talk, the NCA6 Director will outline the key principles and priorities of the Assessment, highlighting how the Assessment will strive to meet pressing demands for trusted and usable climate information with relevance across diverse communities. Additionally, this talk will discuss how the NCA6 will: engage with a rapidly evolving landscape of climate services; integrate diverse fields of study (and incorporate a variety of ways of knowing, like Indigenous Knowledge); include new understandings of complex systems; and address response planning and actions. Finally, this presentation will provide an update on the development process to date and opportunities for engagement now and across the timeline of NCA6.