Impacts of Climate and Environmental Change, Adaptation, and Feedbacks on the Climate System

Characterizing the impacts of climate and environmental change in terms relevant to the general public and to decision makers at varying levels — from local and regional resource managers to national policymakers and international negotiators, who must decide how aggressively to mitigate greenhouse gases — is one of the most difficult challenges faced by the research community. The Joint Program seeks to provide an integrated analysis of how climate and environmental change affects natural and managed systems, the economic consequences of those effects, the role of adaptation, and the resulting feedbacks on emissions and mitigation.

Key accomplishments and publications in this area of inquiry

Ongoing Projects and Funding

1. Integrated Assessment Multiple Greenhouse Gases, Climate Impacts, and Pollution (EPA)
2. Global Effects of Human and Terrestrial Interactions (NSF)
3. Quantifying Climate Feedbacks from Abrupt Changes in High-Latitude Trace-Gas Emissions (DOE)
4. Shifts in Extreme Precipitation Events Based on Resolved Atmospheric Changes (NASA)
5. The NASA Energy and Water-Cycle Study (NASA)
6. Waternet: The NASA Water Solutions Network (NASA)
7. Land use-Ecosystem-Climate Interactions in Monsoon Asia (NASA)
8. An Integrated Framework for Climate Change Analysis (DOE)
9. Developing an Improved Framework for Analysis of Global Warming (EPRI)