SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the “International Cooperation in Global Change Research Act of 1990”.

SEC. 202. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS—The Congress makes the following findings:

1. Pooling of international resources and scientific capabilities will be essential to a successful international global change program.

2. While international scientific planning is already underway, there is currently no comprehensive intergovernmental mechanism for planning, coordinating, or implementing research to understand global change and to mitigate possible adverse effects.

3. An international global change research program will be important in building future consensus on methods for reducing global environmental degradation.

4. The United States, as a world leader in environmental and Earth sciences, should help provide leadership in developing and implementing an international global change research program.

(b) PURPOSES—The purposes of this title are to—

1. Promote international, intergovernmental cooperation on global change research;

2. involve scientists and policymakers from developing nations in such cooperative global change research programs; and

3. promote international efforts to provide technical and other assistance to developing nations which will facilitate improvements in their domestic standard of living while minimizing damage to the global or regional environment.

SEC. 203. INTERNATIONAL DISCUSSIONS.

(a) GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH.—The President should direct the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Committee, to initiate discussions with other nations leading toward international protocols and other agreements to coordinate global change research activities. Such discussions should include the following issues:

1. Allocation of costs in global change research programs, especially with respect to major capital projects.

2. Coordination of global change research plans with those developed by international organizations such as the International Council on Scientific Unions, the World Meteorological Organization, and the United Nations Environment Program.

3. Establishment of global change research centers and training programs for scientists, especially those from developing nations.

4. Development of innovative methods for management of international global change research, including—

   1. use of new or existing intergovernmental organizations for the coordination or funding of global change research; and

   2. creation of a limited foundation for global change research.

5. The prompt establishment of international projects to—

   1. create globally accessible formats for data collected by various international sources; and

   2. combine and interpret data from various sources to produce information readily usable by policymakers attempting to formulate effective strategies for preventing, mitigating, and adapting to possible adverse effects of global change.

6. Establishment of international offices to disseminate information useful in identifying, preventing, mitigating, or adapting to the possible effects of global change.

Front Matter (R1-R12)

Executive Summary (1-4)

1. Overall Assessment of the Strategic Plan (5-10)

2. Science Focus and Scope (11-20)

3. Implementing and Managing the Program (21-28)

4. Strategic Planning (29-32)

References (33-34)

Appendix A: Excerpts from Planning Climate and Global Change Research: A Review of the Draft U.S. Climate Science Program Strategic Plan (35-77)

Appendix B: Statement of Task (78-80)

Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographies (81-86)

Appendix D: Global Change Research Act of 1990 (87-94)

Appendix E: Letter from James R. Mahoney (95-96)