Climate Change Research: Governmental Sources

NSDL (National Science Digital Library) Classic Articles in Context. Issue 1, April 2008.

2001 report of the National Academy of Sciences (National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council).

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report released July 17, 2008.

Calls for individual, legally-binding targets to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Protracted negotiations delayed ratification; entered into force Feb. 2005. U.S. hasn't signed.

Commonly called the Brundtland Report, the commission was convened by the U.N. in 1983 in recognition of the global nature of sustainability issues.

A report of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, working under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), a U.S. Cabinet-level Council responsible for coordinating science and technology policy.

One of three treaties adopted at the 1992 "Rio" Earth Summit. This convention was later strengthened by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Official government site provides comprehensive information on the issue of climate change and global warming including climate change science and U.S. climate policies.

This federal government database contains the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register and legislative histories of federal laws.

Overviews of evidence, causes and effects with related references. Key websites, videos and images.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
"World's largest collection of climatic data." Free data includes comparative climatic data, wind data and storm data as well as downloadable monthly climate statistics. Some fee-based information, such as climate maps.

Library of Congress review of literature and vetted online resources on the topic of climate change.

Provides access to a number of government-sponsored research into climate change and its effects.

The USGCRP coordinates and integrates federal research on changes in the global environment and their implications for society. It began in 1989 and was mandated by Congress in the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-606). Thirteen departments and agencies participate in the USGCRP, which was known as the U.S. Climate Change Science Program from 2002 through 2008.

U.S. Department of Agriculture's climate change site includes links to its full reports on the effects of climate change on agriculture, biodiversity and land and water resources, as well as report updates on specific topics.

The EEA is an agency of the European Union. Their task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. Good information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. Currently, the EEA has 32 member countries.

Established by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in 1988. It assesses a range of information on human-caused climate change. Nobel Peace-Prize winner, IPCC includes a number of reports.

Includes an introduction to global issues, impacts on basic needs, impacts on vulnerable populations, impacts on national security, and regional impacts.

U.N. agency focuses on "Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with oceans, the climate it produces, and resulting distribution of water resources."