MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

"Advancing climate science to improve understanding of Earth’s changing climate and changes that pose the greatest risk to society. This includes: facilitating public access to climate-related information that will assist Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments in climate planning and resilience activities, coupled with capacity building and training to increase access to and support the use of data, information, and climate services; research to advance understanding of the societal and economic impacts of climate change (e.g., human and ecosystem health, wildlife and fisheries); improving observational networks to create carbon inventories and baselines; improving modeling capabilities for local-scale, regional climate and related extreme weather events; and disaster attribution science, including in potential tipping points in physical, natural, and human systems....

For example, open science and other participatory modes of research, such as community-based datahubs that give citizens access to information and data, as well as community-engaged research that respectfully provides opportunities for the participation in science and technology of those historically excluded from the scientific enterprise. Public participation in science is critical for the health of the nation and leads to more innovative research of all kinds, including research that addresses the needs of diverse communities.... 

Relevant agencies should develop data infrastructure that facilitates identification of inequities across sectors at scale, especially in underserved rural and urban communities, including through data linkage across Federal agencies, creation of interoperable data systems, and efforts to make data more available to the public, while preserving privacy and upholding ethical principles. This includes a focus on the underutilized, inaccessible, or missing data needed to measure and promote equity. Finally, agencies should also take steps to improve diversity and equity in the research workforce.... 

To build a trustworthy and engaged U.S. science and technology (S&T) enterprise, agencies should prioritize making Federally funded R&D: open to the public in a findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable way; more rigorous, reproducible, and transparent; safe and secure; grounded in assessment of ethical, legal, and societal implications; and free from improper political interference—all while minimizing administrative burden...."