Abstract

The ability for people from all walks of life to access and use knowledge and information about the climate and how it is changing is critical to enabling effective climate action. That capability is provided through what are called climate services, or “scientifically-based, usable information and products that enhance knowledge and understanding about the impacts of climate change on potential decisions and actions.” Climate services vary widely and can include information about future climate change, drivers of those changes, impacts on humans and nature, as well as options for responding.

The Federal Government has been a credible source of climate information for decades, but the speed, scale, and types of impacts of climate change have accelerated faster than the current delivery of useful services. Federal agencies provide a range of climate services for the entire Nation and tailored products for stakeholders in specific regions or sectors. The need for a more coherent strategy for climate services has long been recognized but is becoming more urgent as demand for more useful climate services increases substantially.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order 14008 (Section 211d), Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, called for expansion and improvement of the Nation’s climate forecast capabilities and information products for the public. In response to this directive, the Federal Government developed a report entitled Opportunities for Expanding and Improving Climate Information and Services for the Public that articulated a vision and recommended actions for the future direction of federal climate services. Central to that vision is the ambition to provide every American, every community, and every business with access to useful and usable climate services. To translate recommendations of the Section 211d report into federal actions, the National Science and Technology Council established an interagency Fast Track Action Committee (FTAC) on Climate Services.

The work of the FTAC consisted of deliberations among agencies regarding the scope, challenges, and opportunities associated with building a more cohesive and strategic federal climate services enterprise. 

This report is the result of the deliberations of the FTAC. First and foremost, it emphasizes the key role of individual agencies in continuing to develop and deliver climate services to meet their own needs and the needs of their stakeholders. At the same time, it recognizes the urgent need to enhance the collective effectiveness of federal climate services, and it presents a whole-of-government framework and action plan to advance that goal. The report recommends initial steps to enhance interagency coordination and strategic planning to boost the effectiveness of the climate services enterprise, strengthen governance and leadership, build consistency across the Federal Government, and increase investment. This will result in a more seamless and useful experience for users of climate services, which, in turn, generates positive outcomes for the Nation, such as the protection of nature, more sustainable economic prosperity, infrastructure that is climate-resilient, enhanced homeland security, and more just and equitable communities.

To set in motion a process to achieve these outcomes, the FTAC’s overarching recommendation is for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) to expand its research coordination role to provide national leadership in coordination and strategic planning of climate services.

Affiliated Organizations

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Congress established the Office of Science and Technology Policy in 1976 with a broad mandate to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The 1976 Act also authorizes OSTP to lead interagency efforts to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets, and to work with the private sector, state and local governments, the science and higher education communities, and other nations toward this end.

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