On November 15-17, the NCA held a workshop on Planning Regional and Sectoral Assessments, hosted by the United States Geological Survey at their headquarters in Reston, VA.  The approximately 140 participants represented a broad spectrum of regional and sectoral users and producers of assessments, including federal scientists and program managers, academics, and representatives from NGOs, state and local governments, utilities, and resource management agencies. The first day of the workshop featured plenary talks about previous Assessment efforts, the new vision for a sustained assessment process, the role of the NCA within USGCRP, and the approach to developing scenarios of the future that integrate climate, socioeconomic and environmental conditions.  Presentations on Canadian, Australian, and United Kingdom assessments and possible approaches to state and tribal assessment efforts helped frame future discussions on international and indigenous connections.  Participants also discussed ways to build capacity and enhance the ability to conduct vulnerability assessments and plan for and implement adaptation within regions and sectors. Days 2 and 3 featured 12 breakout sessions during which individuals discussed and provided input on how to structure and define the regional, sectoral and cross-cutting aspects of the report, how to engage with various audiences and users of the Assessment, and how to define and structure the long-term assessment process.

Several themes emerged from the workshop.  First, the participants expressed a lot of interest in a “flexible” approach to setting regional boundaries. This approach would acknowledge the intersection of sectors within regions and could also help deal with sectors and issues that cross regional boundaries.  However, there was also considerable interest in having a standard approach for handling regions and sectors to promote a consistent information base for the Assessment.  Finally, the need to include cross-cutting topics, such as water-energy-land; ecosystems-agriculture-carbon/nitrogen cycles; coastal ecosystems and development; urban infrastructure and health; environmental justice, national security, and food security also received a lot of attention.

The workshop was a major success; it provided the NCA team with a great deal of valuable input on the outline of the 2013 report and the long-term process. A full summary of the meeting results will be compiled in a report that will be posted on the NCA webpage.  The report is expected to be completed in January 2011.