In the last two years, federal agencies with research programs on climate and global change have worked with members of the research community on two interagency strategic planning exercises. In the first, from June 2000 to June 2001, the USGCRP prepared a draft strategic plan to meet the requirements of the Global Change Research Act of 1990. From June to August 2001, an interagency group planned the CCRI, as directed by President Bush, with leadership from the Department of Commerce. The Administration has asked that the two planning processes, together with perspectives from related IPCC and NRC reports, be merged, taking account of scientific developments and the President's request for short term (2 to 5 years) scientific reporting focused on information to support public debate and decision making about climate change issues.

In response to the President's directives, the integrated USGCRP-CCRI program will include a special focus on climate change over the next 2-5 years. Over the longer term, the program will focus on the full range of global change issues-including alterations in climate, land productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric chemistry, and ecological systems that may alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life-as directed by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The program will include new approaches for supporting both national and international policy making and resource management by private and public sector actors at many geographic scales. The integrated plan will highlight research objectives necessary to build the science base to support decision making, and will also address other needs such as observations/monitoring, modeling capacity, and data and information system requirements. Finally, the plan will describe management approaches for integrating information and providing better coordinated implementation.