§2931 Findings and Purpose

Summary

Create and run a coordinated U.S. research program to help the country and the world learn about, forecast, and deal with global environmental change caused by people and by nature. Congress finds that human activities and population growth are changing Earth’s systems and could reshape the planet within a few human generations. These changes, along with natural ups and downs, may cause major warming, changed climate patterns, and higher sea levels over the next century, harming food and fish supplies, coasts, biodiversity, health, and the economy. Releases of chlorofluorocarbons and other ozone‑depleting chemicals are weakening the ozone layer and raising harmful ultraviolet radiation. Better science, new observing tools, and stronger coordination among federal agencies and with state, private, and international researchers are needed to tell human-caused change from natural change and to make useful predictions.