America's Climate Choices

Convened by the National Research Council in response to a request from Congress, America's Climate Choices is a suite of five coordinated activities designed to study the serious and sweeping issues associated with global climate change, including the science and technology challenges involved, and provide advice on the most effective steps and the most promising strategies that can be taken to respond. A Summit on America's Climate Choices was convened on March 30-31, 2009, to help frame the study, provide an opportunity for high-level participation and input on key issues, and hear about relevant work carried out by others. The Panel on Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change was charged to describe, analyze, and access strategies for reducing the net future human influence on climate, including both technology and policy options. The Panel on Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change was charged to describe, analyze, and assess actions and strategies to reduce vulnerability, increase adaptive capacity, improve resilience, and promote successful adaptation to climate change in different regions, sectors, systems, and populations. The Panel on Advancing the Science of Climate Change was charged to provide a concise overview of current understanding of past, present, and future climate change, including its cause and its impact, then recommend steps to advance our current understanding, including new observations, research programs, next-generation models, and the physical and human assets needed to support these and other activities. The Panel on Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change was charged to describe and assess different activities, products, strategies, and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses.

Accompanied by one CD-ROM.

Accompanying CD-ROM includes the four panel reports along with "Reports in Brief" and promotional videos.

1. The context for America's climate choices -- Greenhouse gas emission trends -- The current context -- 2. Causes and consequences of climate change -- Observed climate change -- Future climate change -- 3. The unique challenges of climate change -- 4. A framework for making America's climate choices -- An iterative risk management approach to climate change -- Decision criteria in an iterative risk management framework -- 5. Key elements of America's climate choices -- Limiting the magnitude of climate change -- Reducing vulnerability to climate change impacts -- Investing to expand options and improve choices -- International engagement -- Toward an integrated national response.