What's New: To receive these updates and announcements by email, manage your subscription, or review the mailing list archive, go to the NCSE List User Form. Global Change Budget Faces Zero Growth in FY 2004 Federal funding for the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) would remain nearly unchanged at $1.75 billion under the President's budget request for FY 2004 (Table 1).  The Climate Change Science Program, which involves collaboration among 13 federal agencies, was created by President Bush in February 2002 to coordinate and direct U.S. research efforts in the areas of climate and global change.  It is charged with overseeing the $1.7 billion U.S. Global Climate Research Program (USGCRP) and the $40 million Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI). Under the FY 2004 budget request, the Climate Change Research Initiative would grow by 355 percent from $40 million in FY 2003 to $182 million in FY 2004.  The $142 increase in the budget request for the CCRI would be nearly offset by a corresponding decrease in the budget request for the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which would decline to approximately $1.6 billion.  The net increase in the budget request for the CCSP is $2 million or 0.1 percent relative to the FY 2003 budget request.   The USGCRP was established under the U.S. Global Change Research Act of 1990 for the purpose of understanding the effects of human activities and natural processes on Earth systems in order to make sound research and policy decisions on global change.  Since its establishment, the program has invested $20 billion in climate change and global change research.   The Climate Change Research Initiative was announced by President Bush in June 2001 with the purpose of focusing resources and attention on the areas of USGCRP that address "significant remaining uncertainty and enhanc[e] the global climate observation system to reduce those uncertainties" (see the December 2002 issue of the Science, Environment and Policy Report).  In December 2002, the Bush Administration convened a major workshop to solicit public input on a discussion draft of its Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (see the December 2002 issue of the Science, Environment and Policy Report).  The National Research Council (NRC) was also asked to review the draft plan.  The NRC report, Planning Climate and Global Change Research, praised the plan's basis on the well-established USGCRP but criticized its lack of a "guiding vision, clear goals, and explicit priorities."  The National Research Council recommended "that the draft plan be substantially revised to: (1) clarify the vision and goals of the CCSP and the CCRI, (2) improve its treatment of program management, (3) fill key information needs, (4) enhance efforts to support decision making, and (5) set the stage for implementation."  CCSP is scheduled to release the final plan on June 25, 2003.   Table 1.  Climate Change Science Program R&D Budget by Agency (budget authority in millions of dollars)                             Budget Authority ($ Millions)     Change FY03 Enacted to FY04 Request  Agency  FY 2002 FY 2003 FY 2004   Amount Percent   Actual Request1  Request   ($ Millions) (%)               National Science Foundation  189 203 213   10 4.9% Department of Energy  117 129 133   4 3.1% Department of Commerce: NOAA  100 118 136   18 15.3% Department of Agriculture  55 66 73   7 10.6% Department of Interior  26 26 26   0 0.0% Environmental Protection Agency  21 22 22   0 0.0% Dept. Health & Human Services:  Nat'l Institutes of Health 56 59 61   2 3.4% National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  1,090 1,112 1,068   -44 -4.0% All Others2 12 12 17   5 41.7%                   Total CCSP 1,666 1,747 1,749   2 0.1%               Source: AAAS table from OMB supporting data for FY 2004 Budget.  Includes USGCRP and CCRI 1 FY 2003 figures (except for DOD) are based on the President's FY 2003 request and have not been revised with final FY 2003 appropriations. 2 Smithsonian Institution, Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, Department of State, and the Agency for International Development Climate Change Technology Program.  The Climate Change Technology Program (CCTP) parallels the CCSP.  It is composed of a climate change technology R&D program and the National Climate Change Technology Initiative, which was announced by the President in early 2002.  The R&D program endeavors to "strengthen Federal leadership of climate change-related technology R&D by improving coordination of R&D investments across Federal agencies."   The National Climate Change Technology Initiative examines the federal portfolio of R&D to increase its focus on achieving the President's near- and long-term climate change goals.  The President included about $40 million for this initiative in the FY 2003 budget request, but only $20.0 million were appropriated.  In FY 2004, the President is again requesting $40.0 million for the National Climate Change Technology Initiative.  According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the $40 million budget for the NCCTI Competitive Solicitation program is an innovative approach for funding technology research and development to reduce, avoid or sequester greenhouse gases.

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