WASHINGTON,July 22,
2010 - A comprehensive national response to climate change
should be informed by reliable data coordinated through climate
services and a greenhouse gas monitoring and management system to
provide timely information tailored to decision makers at all
levels, says a report by the National Research
Council.
The report
recommends several mechanisms for improving communication about
climate science and responses and calls for a systematic framework
for making and evaluating decisions about how to effectively manage
the risks posed by climate
change.
"Global
climate change is a long-term challenge that will require all of us
to make many decisions about how to respond," said Diana Liverman,
co-chair of the panel that wrote the report, co-director of the
Institute of Environment at the University of Arizona, Tucson, and
a senior research fellow at Oxford
University.
"To make choices that
are based on the best available science, government agencies, the
private sector, and individuals need clear, accessible information
about what is happening to the climate and to
emissions. We also need information on the
implications of different options -- especially to assess whether
policies are effective."
The federal
government needs to establish information and reporting systems --
such as climate services and a greenhouse-gas
accounting system --that provide a range of
information on climate change and variability, observed changes and
causes, potential impacts, and strategies for limiting emissions or
adapting to impacts.
Although
the report does not specify a particular agency to lead federal
efforts, it emphasizes the importance of coordination across the
federal government and with state, local and private sector
decision makers. Leadership might come through
executive orders, existing units such as the Office of Science and
Technology Policy, an expanded U.S. Global Climate Change Research
Program, or new entities, the report suggests.
The new
national system for providing climate services should inform
decision makers and assist them in managing climate-related risks,
the report says. It would coordinate data among
several agencies and incorporate regional
expertise. Information should be timely,
authoritative, and based on rigorous natural and social science
research and tailored to government- and private-sector users at
the national, regional, and local levels, the report
says.
For
example, agricultural producers trying to decide which crops to
grow need timely seasonal forecasts, data on likely outbreaks of
diseases or pests, and advice about long-term strategies for
adapting to climate impacts; and forest and park managers need
information to control fires and plan for longer-term ecosystem
management.
The report
identifies several key functions that should be included in climate
services, such as enhanced observations and vulnerability analyses
on a regional scale, sustained interaction with stakeholders and
research to understand their needs, an international information
component that provides data on global climate observations and
impacts, and a central accessible web portal that encourages
sharing of information. These functions might be
overlooked if the services are based only on existing federal
capabilities, the report says.
The
proposed comprehensive greenhouse gas management system for
monitoring, reporting, and verifying emissions should include a
unified accounting protocol and a registry to track emissions at a
detailed level. Monitoring is essential for
developing effective emissions policies and verifying claims that
emissions have been reduced, the report says.
Such a system could build on the existing expertise of agencies
such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy.
These
systems should also be designed to evaluate and assess state and
local government and private-sector responses, many of which
already are occurring. For example, more than
half of Americans live in states, counties, and cities that have
enacted a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and many private
companies are taking significant steps to reduce their carbon
footprints. Federal policies should not
unnecessarily supersede measures already being taken regionally or
locally, the report says.
To
effectively manage the serious risks posed by climate change,
decision makers need to account for many uncertainties about the
severity of impacts and options for responding to them and be able
to modify their choices based on new information and
experience. Therefore, decision makers in the
public and private sectors need to implement an iterative risk
management strategy that adapts to new information, conditions, or
technologies that could affect climate change policies, the report
says.
To that
end, the government could also review and revise programs such as
federal crop and flood insurance in the light of the risks of
climate change. The study panel endorsed steps
already taken by federal financial and insurance regulators such as
the Securities and Exchange Commission to require disclosure
requirements for climate change risks.
Although
public beliefs and attitudes about climate often shift from year to
year, recent opinion polls indicate that many Americans are
concerned about climate change and want more information about the
causes, consequences, and potential solutions, the report
says.
It
identifies several barriers to communication about climate change
and recommends some strategies for overcoming them, such as urging
federal agencies to support training for researchers on how to
communicate complex climate change information and uncertainties to
different audiences.
In addition, a national task force of
educators, government leaders, policymakers, and business
executives should be established to improve climate change
communication and education.
Consumers
can play an important role in responding to climate change by
choosing to reduce their energy use and selecting more
energy-efficient products with lower emissions.
The federal government should review and promote credible product
standards and labels for consumers that provide information about
energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, the report
says. The government should also consider
establishing an advisory service on these issues targeted at the
public and small businesses.
The report
is part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as
America's Climate Choices, which also includes three other recently
released reports. An overarching report to be
released later this year will build on all four reports and other
materials to offer a scientific framework for shaping the policy
choices underlying the nation's efforts to confront climate
change. For more information, visit
http://americasclimatechoices.org.
See Full Report