[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 8, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12785-12786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5670]



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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (95-022)]


Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group II

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of the availability of draft report and request for 
comment.

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SUMMARY: Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 
Change (IPCC) has prepared a draft 1995 Assessment of Impacts, 
Adaptation, and Mitigation. The IPCC Secretariat requires comments on 
this report from national governments by April 28, 1995, 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 this assessment 
for formal government comment on March 6, 1995. Dr. Robert Harriss, 
Director, Science Division, Office of Mission to Planet Earth, on 
behalf of 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 1995 Assessment and requesting comments 
on this report from experts and interested groups and individual. 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 WordPerfect format) on the draft 
1995 Assessment should be submitted on or before March 31, 1995. the 
USGCRP does not anticipate extending this deadline because the member 
countries of the IPCC have established a timetable that requires input 
by April 28, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted either by mailing to: IPCC WG 
II 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 Internet to: [email protected]''.
    A list of chapters making up the draft 1995 Assessment is included 
with this notice, Review is sought by those having specific expertise 
or interest in the various aspects of the assessment. Copies of 
individual chapters making up the draft 1995 Assessment can be obtained 
by: (1) Telephone request to Mr. Earley Green at (202) 651-8240; (2) 
sending E-mail to ``[email protected]''; (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: Desiree Martinez, Science Division, 
Office of Mission to Planet Earth, at (202) 358-2102.

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. Periodic assessment reports 
such as this 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. The draft 1995 Assessment represents the result of 
Working Group II efforts since its inception to address the 
consequences and impacts of climate change and response strategies 
focusing on mitigation and adoption.

II. Public Input Process

    The member countries of the IPCC established a timetable that 
requires comments from governments be received by April 28, 1995, so 
that the IPCC Secretariat can meet its obligations for a timely 
completion of the 1995 IPCC 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.
    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 chapter and, where appropriate, offer supporting 
[[Page 12786]] 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 
IPCC Working Group II Second Assessment Report for which they have 
expertise or special interest. The material available for review 
includes 25 chapters (with introductory materials and two appendices, 
as outlined below. A copy of the draft Summary for Policymakers will 
also 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.

A. Chapters Relating to Assessment of Impacts and Adaptation Option for 
Ecological, Climatic, or Physiographic Systems

1. Forests
2. Grasslands and Rangelands
3. Desert Regions
4. Land Degradation, including Desertification
5. Mountain Regions
6. Non-Coastal Wetlands
7. The Cryosphere
8. Oceans and Large Lakes
9. Coastal Zones and Small Islands
10. Freshwater Systems and Hydrology

B. Chapter Relating to Assessment of Impacts and Adaptation Options for 
Socio-Economic Systems

11. Energy, Industry, and Transportation
12. Human Settlement
13. Agriculture
14. Freshwater Supply and Quality
15. Forestry
16. Fisheries
17. Insurance
18. Human Health

C. Chapters Relating to Assessment of Mitigation Options

19. Energy Supply
20. Industry
21. Transportation
22. Human Settlements
23. Agriculture
24. Forests
25. Cross-Sectoral Options

D. Appendices Relating to Methodologies and Inventories

26. Assessments of Impacts and Adaptation Options (Not available for 
review, having been previously reviewed and approved by IPCC).
27. Assessments of Mitigation Options
28. Inventory of Technologies, Methods, and Practices

III. Request for Submission of Public Comments

    Interested persons and scientific experts are invited to submit 
comments on the draft 1995 Assessment. An information sheet providing 
specific requests for formatting submissions will be provided with each 
mailing of a chapter. Comments should be submitted to the address shown 
in the ADDRESSES section, and must be received by the date indicated in 
the DATES section of this notice. Submission should be made by mail 
(preferably providing a computer diskette in addition to paper copy), 
by fax (for short submissions, only, please) or by E-mail on Internet; 
comments submitted orally will not be accepted. All comments received 
will be available for public inspection in the NASA Library, which is 
located in Room 1J20, of the NASA Office Building, 300 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20546.
Charles F. Kennel,
Associate Administrator, Office of Mission to Planet Earth.
[FR Doc. 95-5670 Filed 3-7-95; 8:45 am]
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