42-43 Appendix C Statement of Task, pp. 44-44 Appendix D Letter to Thomas Karl, pp. 48-50 Appendix F Acronyms, pp. 51-51 Page 9 sector, as well as individual citizens, need assessments of probable future climate change based on data provided by the international climate observing system. The implications of longer-term climate change on society are so extensive that a scientifically sound approach is essential to assess the impacts of such change.
Decision makers can then devise mitigation strategies and exploit the potential benefits.
Early detection of accelerated climate change, and its attribution to natural or anthropogenic causes, could lead to more effective societal responses. It should also be noted that early, high-confidence detection of climate change could lead to the conclusion that the impacts would be less than previously estimated. Whether the impacts of climate change turn out to be large or small, negative or positive, accurate knowledge of climate variability is particularly important for policy decisions which may have multi-decadal implications. It is essential, in this situation, that the U.S. government has accurate information on which to base decisions. This report will focus primarily on U.S. systems.