[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 86 (Thursday, May 4, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22078-22079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-10933]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Reports; Availability, etc.: Climate Change; Second Assessment by
Climate Change Intergovernmental Panel
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice of the availability of draft report and request for
comment.
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SUMMARY: Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) has prepared a draft Second Assessment on Climate Change.
The IPCC Secretariat requires comments on this report from national
governments so that the Secretariat can meet its obligations to member
governments of the IPCC. The U.S. Government is expected to receive its
copy of the draft assessment for formal government comment on May 8,
1995. The U.S. Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) is
responsible for coordinating the preparation of the comments of the
United States Government. Through this notice, the SGCR is announcing
the availability of the draft Second Assessment upon its receipts from
IPCC and is requesting comments on the draft report by June 2, 1995
from experts and interested groups and individuals. These comments will
be reviewed, combined, and incorporated as appropriate, in the process
of preparing the set of official U.S. comments to the IPCC.
DATES: Written comments (hard copy and if possible on a 3.5-inch
diskette in either Microsoft Word or Word Perfect format) on the draft
Second Assessment should be received on or before June 2, 1995. The
SGCR cannot extend this deadline because the member countries of the
IPCC have established a strict timetable for the review process.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted either by mail to: IPCC WG I
Comments, Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, 300 D
Street, SW., Suite 840, Washington, DC 20024, or by E-mail in ASCII
format on Inter net to: wg1@usgcrp.gov''. A list of chapters making
up the draft Second Assessment is included with this notice. Review is
sought by those individuals and groups having specific expertise or
interest in the various aspects of the assessment. Copies of individual
chapters making up the draft Second Assessment can be obtained by: (1)
Telephone request to Mr. Earley Green at (202) 651-8240; (2) sending E-
mail to office@usgcrp.gov''; (3) faxing a request to (202) 554-6715;
or (4) sending a letter to the USGCRP Office directed to Mr. Earley
Green at the address shown above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Michael C. MacCracken, Office of
the U.S. Global Change Research Program, at 202-651-8250.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was jointly
established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the
World Meteorological Organization to conduct periodic assessments of
the state of knowledge concerning global climate change. The IPCC has
formed working groups to study various aspects of climate change.
Working Group I addresses the state of the science concerning what is
happening and is projected to happen to the climate; Working Group II
addresses the state of the science concerning (i) vulnerability to and
impacts of climate change and (ii) adaptation and mitigation
strategies; and Working Group III addresses the state of science and
understanding concerning economics and cross-cutting issues associated
with climate change. Each Working Group is charged with issuing
periodic assessments. The first Scientific Assessment of Climate
Change, for example, was prepared in 1990. Working Group I provided a
supplementary report in 1992 and a report on radiative forcing of
climate change in 1994.
Periodic assessment reports such as these provide a comprehensive
statement of the state of knowledge concerning topics such as
scientific information, environmental impacts, response strategies, and
other issues concerning climate change.
II. Public Input Process
The member countries of the IPCC have established a timetable that
includes a brief period for comments from governments so that the IPCC
Secretariat can meet its obligations for a timely completion of the
IPCC Second Assessment. The Subcommittee on Global Change Research is
responsible for coordinating preparation of the U.S. Government
response, and through this notice is seeking the views of experts and
interested groups and individuals to help in the formulation of its
response. Comments that are provided will be reviewed, integrated, and
used, as appropriate, in the preparation of the official U.S. comments.
An information sheet providing specific requests for formatting
submissions will be provided with each mailing of a chapter. In this
review process, the emphasis should be on providing detailed
recommendations on specific chapters for which the reviewer has
established expertise or interest. To be most useful, comments should
be specific in suggesting wording changes to the text of a particular
paragraph or chapter and, where appropriate, offer supporting
information and peer-reviewed references supporting the proposed
changes. Comments on the overall tone and scientific validity of the
chapter and comments expressing agreement and disagreement with
specific major points in the Executive Summary of the chapters are also
solicited. Reviewers should request for review those specific chapters
of the draft IPCC Working Group I Second Assessment for which they have
expertise or special interest. The materials available for review
include 11 chapters and a Summary for Policymakers. In addition to a
specific chapter, a copy of the draft Summary for Policymakers will be
provided for each reviewer in order to provide an opportunity for the
reviewer to consider the consistency of the chapter and the selection
and representation of its major points in the draft Summary for
Policymakers.
Chapter 1 The Climate System--An Overview
Chapter 2 Update of 1994 WG I report
2.1 CO2 and the carbon cycle
2.2 Other trace gases and atmospheric chemistry
2.3 Aerosols
2.4 Radiative forcing [[Page 22079]]
2.5 Trace gas radiative forcing indices
Chapter 3 Observed climate variability and change
Chapter 4 Climate processes
Chapter 5 Climate models--validation
Chapter 6 Climate models--projections of future climate
Chapter 7 Changes in sea-level
Chapter 8 Detection of climate change, and attribution of causes
Chapter 9 Terrestrial biotic responses to environmental change and
feedbacks to climate
Chapter 10 Marine biotic responses to environmental change and
feedbacks to climate
Chapter 11 Advancing our understanding
III. Public Availability of Comments
Subsequent to the US assembly of its comments, all comments
received will be available for public inspection in the NSF Library,
which is located on the second floor of the NSF building at 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Arlington, VA (adjacent to the Ballston Metro station).
Robert W. Corell,
Assistant Director for Geosciences, NSF, and Chair, Subcommittee on
Global Change Research.
[FR Doc. 95-10933 Filed 5-3-95; 8:45 am]
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