[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: ``[email protected]''. 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 ``[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: 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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