By Paul Dresler, Chair, National Assessment Working Group

It was not the Global Change Research Act of 1990, but Thomas Jefferson in 1800 who first called for a national assessment of global change. He was adamant in his interest in climate effects on the people of the United States and the effects of people on the climate. Inspired by Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson advised his correspondents to keep weather diaries. He wrote that one day it would be established that "clearing and culture" could change the climate, and he believed that climate and longevity were intimately linked.

Now, less than 200 years later, the national assessment is in full swing. Whether this is slow progress or rapid progress depends, I suppose, on your perspective. Geologists tend to be most sympathetic, pointing out that it was 600 million years ago that insects and plants first appeared and 200 million years ago that dinosaurs ruled during the Jurassic Period. It's becoming difficult to even remember the Cretaceous Period, which began only 143 million years ago. On the other hand, social scientists may tell us that Jefferson and his colleagues were socially and intellectually ahead of their time, and that ideas are implemented when society is ready.

But within less than two years of launching our national assessment, we have made indisputable progress - in part because it was an idea whose time had come. We have mobilized people and institutions at a speed that is astonishing - although to us who have been involved on a day to day basis the pace has sometimes seemed much less awe-inspiring. We are Carl Lewis running the 100, although we have felt more like Babe Ruth trying to beat out a bunt.

Most astonishing is that we have transformed thinking about the nature of assessment and the interaction between scientists and users. Many who in the summer of 1997 were skeptical about stakeholder involvement today could not imagine proceeding in any other way.

What makes this assessment so worthy of the investment is its ability to infuse and refine the federal research agenda with questions relevant to those who ultimately use the information; to build communities of informed individuals across the country; to partner research programs so that there is a more effective leveraging of resources; and ultimately to inform decisionmaking - not by offering answers, but by conveying our best understanding of the risks and opportunities faced by society.

How appropriate that Jefferson believed that educating the people of the United States would lead them to the best possible decisions, even if we cannot ever say or know that decisions are the right ones, at least they will be informed ones. It is my pleasure to introduce this second edition of our newsletter, which again demonstrates the extraordinary commitment to this effort. The theme of this edition is partnership and progress, which is demonstrated throughout in the updates, case studies, articles, and plans for future work. We have indeed come a long way.