Gulf Coast assessment overview/charge to the workshop

There are several reasons that the U. S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) has initiated the U.S. National Assessment: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. The reasons all revolve around answering questions posed in Washington by members of Congress on behalf of their constituents as to why climate change concerns them. This workshop is part of the process for getting better answers to these questions. This paper briefly reviews the science of climate change and the human influence on climate change, discusses future climate change, and considers national and international perspectives on global change. It discusses the potential for mitigation of climate change and the need to cope with climate change. The author explains the U.S. National Assessment.