Today (May 6, 2014), a 60-person federal advisory committee (the “National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee”) will consider the final draft of the Third National Climate Assessment (NCA).  If the report is approved as expected today, the NCADAC  will submit the Assessment to the federal government for use in establishing ”federal science priorities” and creating “more sustainable and environmentally sound plans for the nation’s future.”      

The NCA is conducted under the Global Change Research Act of 1990 and issued every 4 years after peer-review and public comment.  This year’s 1300-page Assessment  is comprised of 28 chapters and 2 appendices, covering a wide range of topics, including Adaptation, Mitigation, and Commonly Asked Questions.  It also contains a region-by-region analysis of the risks of climate change, which include rising seas, increased temperatures, and diminishing  water supplies. The Assessment was drafted  by more than 240 authors from diverse backgrounds in academia, government, and the private and non- profit sectors.  

The link to the 3d  NCA is  http://www.globalchange.gov/what-we-do/assessment.html