Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309185815
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-03-25 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is one of the most important global environmental problems facing the world today. Policy decisions are already being made to limit or adapt to climate change and its impacts, but there is a need for greater integration between science and decision making. This book proposes six priorities for restructuring the United States' climate change research program to develop a more robust knowledge base and support informed responses: Reorganize the Program Around Integrated Scientific-Societal Issues Establish a U.S. Climate Observing System Support a New Generation of Coupled Earth System Models Strengthen Research on Adaptation, Mitigation, and Vulnerability Initiate a National Assessment of the Risks and Costs of Climate Change Impacts and Options to Respond Coordinate Federal Efforts to Provide Climate Information, Tools, and Forecasts Routinely to Decision Makers

Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309131731
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-04-25 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is one of the most important global environmental problems facing the world today. Policy decisions are already being made to limit or adapt to climate change and its impacts, but there is a need for greater integration between science and decision making. This book proposes six priorities for restructuring the United States' climate change research program to develop a more robust knowledge base and support informed responses: Reorganize the Program Around Integrated Scientific-Societal Issues Establish a U.S. Climate Observing System Support a New Generation of Coupled Earth System Models Strengthen Research on Adaptation, Mitigation, and Vulnerability Initiate a National Assessment of the Risks and Costs of Climate Change Impacts and Options to Respond Coordinate Federal Efforts to Provide Climate Information, Tools, and Forecasts Routinely to Decision Makers

Advancing the Science of Climate Change

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309145880
Total Pages : 526 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Advancing the Science of Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Advancing the Science of Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-01-10 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309476550
Total Pages : 125 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century by : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Download or read book Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2019-03-08 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.

Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309256224
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta by : National Research Council

Download or read book Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extensively modified over the last century and a half, California's San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary remains biologically diverse and functions as a central element in California's water supply system. Uncertainties about the future, actions taken under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and companion California statues, and lawsuits have led to conflict concerning the timing and amount of water that can be diverted from the Delta for agriculture, municipal, and industrial purposes and concerning how much water is needed to protect the Delta ecosystem and its component species. Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta focuses on scientific questions, assumptions, and conclusions underlying water-management alternatives and reviews the initial public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan in terms of adequacy of its use of science and adaptive management. In addition, this report identifies the factors that may be contributing to the decline of federally listed species, recommend future water-supple and delivery options that reflect proper consideration of climate change and compatibility with objectives of maintaining a sustainable Bay-Delta ecosystem, advises what degree of restoration of the Delta system is likely to be attainable, and provides metrics that can be used by resource managers to measure progress toward restoration goals.

Facilitating Climate Change Responses

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309160324
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Facilitating Climate Change Responses by : National Research Council

Download or read book Facilitating Climate Change Responses written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-11-27 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, understanding the need for policy makers at the national level to entrain the behavioral and social sciences in addressing the challenges of global climate change, called on the National Research Council to organize two workshops to showcase some of the decision-relevant contributions that these sciences have already made and can advance with future efforts. The workshops focused on two broad areas: (1) mitigation (behavioral elements of a strategy to reduce the net future human influence on climate) and (2) adaptation (behavioral and social determinants of societal capacity to minimize the damage from climate changes that are not avoided). Facilitating Climate Change Responses documents the information presented in the workshop presentations and discussions. This material illustrates some of the ways the behavioral and social sciences can contribute to the new era of climate research.

A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309259789
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling by : Committee on a National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling

Download or read book A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling written by Committee on a National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-01-07 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As climate change has pushed climate patterns outside of historic norms, the need for detailed projections is growing across all sectors, including agriculture, insurance, and emergency preparedness planning. A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling emphasizes the needs for climate models to evolve substantially in order to deliver climate projections at the scale and level of detail desired by decision makers, this report finds. Despite much recent progress in developing reliable climate models, there are still efficiencies to be gained across the large and diverse U.S. climate modeling community. Evolving to a more unified climate modeling enterprise-in particular by developing a common software infrastructure shared by all climate researchers and holding an annual climate modeling forum-could help speed progress. Throughout this report, several recommendations and guidelines are outlined to accelerate progress in climate modeling. The U.S. supports several climate models, each conceptually similar but with components assembled with slightly different software and data output standards. If all U.S. climate models employed a single software system, it could simplify testing and migration to new computing hardware, and allow scientists to compare and interchange climate model components, such as land surface or ocean models. A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling recommends an annual U.S. climate modeling forum be held to help bring the nation's diverse modeling communities together with the users of climate data. This would provide climate model data users with an opportunity to learn more about the strengths and limitations of models and provide input to modelers on their needs and provide a venue for discussions of priorities for the national modeling enterprise, and bring disparate climate science communities together to design common modeling experiments. In addition, A National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling explains that U.S. climate modelers will need to address an expanding breadth of scientific problems while striving to make predictions and projections more accurate. Progress toward this goal can be made through a combination of increasing model resolution, advances in observations, improved model physics, and more complete representations of the Earth system. To address the computing needs of the climate modeling community, the report suggests a two-pronged approach that involves the continued use and upgrading of existing climate-dedicated computing resources at modeling centers, together with research on how to effectively exploit the more complex computer hardware systems expected over the next 10 to 20 years.

New Directions in Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation Assessment

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 030917869X
Total Pages : 44 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis New Directions in Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation Assessment by : National Research Council

Download or read book New Directions in Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation Assessment written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-02-17 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With effective climate change mitigation policies still under development, and with even the most aggressive proposals unable to halt climate change immediately, many decision makers are focusing unprecedented attention on the need for strategies to adapt to climate changes that are now unavoidable. The effects of climate change will touch every corner of the world's economies and societies; adaptation is inevitable. The remaining question is to what extent humans will anticipate and reduce undesired consequences of climate change, or postpone response until after climate change impacts have altered ecological and socioeconomic systems so significantly that opportunities for adaptation become limited. This book summarizes a National Research Council workshop at which presentations and discussion identified specific needs associated with this gap between the demand and supply of scientific information about climate change adaptation.

Fiscal Year 2011 Research and Development Budget Proposals at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 100 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)

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Book Synopsis Fiscal Year 2011 Research and Development Budget Proposals at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by : United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology (2007)

Download or read book Fiscal Year 2011 Research and Development Budget Proposals at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Science and Technology (2007) and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Climate Services

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 52 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Climate Services by : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Download or read book Climate Services written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Earth Science and Applications from Space

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309257026
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Earth Science and Applications from Space by : National Research Council

Download or read book Earth Science and Applications from Space written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-09-03 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment and their implications requires a foundation of integrated observations of land, sea, air and space, on which to build credible information products, forecast models, and other tools for making informed decisions. The 2007 National Research Council report on decadal survey called for a renewal of the national commitment to a program of Earth observations in which attention to securing practical benefits for humankind plays an equal role with the quest to acquire new knowledge about the Earth system. NASA responded favorably and aggressively to this survey, embracing its overall recommendations for Earth observations, missions, technology investments, and priorities for the underlying science. As a result, the science and applications communities have made significant progress over the past 5 years. However, the Committee on Assessment of NASA's Earth Science Program found that the survey vision is being realized at a far slower pace than was recommended, principally because the required budget was not achieved. Exacerbating the budget shortfalls, NASA Earth science programs experienced launch failures and delays and the cost of implementing missions increased substantially as a result of changes in mission scope, increases in launch vehicle costs and/or the lack of availability of a medium-class launch vehicle, under-estimation of costs by the decadal survey, and unfunded programmatic changes that were required by Congress and the Office of Management and Budget. In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has made significant reductions in scope to its future Earth environmental observing satellites as it contends with budget shortfalls. Earth Science and Applications from Space: A Midterm Assessment of NASA's Implementation of the Decadal Survey recommends a number of steps to better manage existing programs and to implement future programs that will be recommended by the next decadal survey. The report also highlights the urgent need for the Executive Branch to develop and implement an overarching multiagency national strategy for Earth observations from space, a key recommendation of the 2007 decadal survey that remains unfulfilled.

The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309217989
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring by : National Research Council

Download or read book The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-02-25 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Modernization and Associated Restructuring (MAR) of the National Weather Service (NWS) was a large and complex re-engineering of a federal agency. The process lasted a decade and cost an estimated $4.5 billion. The result was greater integration of science into weather service activities and improved outreach and coordination with users of weather information. The MAR created a new, modernized NWS, and, significantly, it created a framework that will allow the NWS to keep up with technological changes in a more evolutionary manner. The MAR was both necessary and generally well executed. However, it required revolutionary, often difficult, changes. The procurement of large, complex technical systems presented challenges in and of itself. The MAR also affected the career paths and personal lives of a large portion of the field office workforce. The MAR created a new, modernized NWS, and, significantly, it created a framework that will allow the NWS to keep up with technological changes in a more evolutionary manner. The National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring presents the first comprehensive assessment of the execution of the MAR and its impact on the provision of weather services in the United States. This report provides an assessment that addresses the past modernization as well as lessons learned to support future improvements to NWS capabilities.

A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Draft Strategic Plan

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309252377
Total Pages : 72 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Draft Strategic Plan by : National Research Council

Download or read book A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Draft Strategic Plan written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-02-13 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. government supports a large, diverse suite of activities that can be broadly characterized as "global change research." Such research offers a wide array of benefits to the nation, in terms of protecting public health and safety, enhancing economic strength and competitiveness, and protecting the natural systems upon which life depends. The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which coordinates the efforts of numerous agencies and departments across the federal government, was officially established in 1990 through the U.S. Global Change Research Act (GCRA). In the subsequent years, the scope, structure, and priorities of the Program have evolved, (for example, it was referred to as the Climate Change Science Program [CCSP] for the years 2002-2008), but throughout, the Program has played an important role in shaping and coordinating our nation's global change research enterprise. This research enterprise, in turn, has played a crucial role in advancing understanding of our changing global environment and the countless ways in which human society affects and is affected by such changes. In mid-2011, a new NRC Committee to Advise the USGCRP was formed and charged to provide a centralized source of ongoing whole-program advice to the USGCRP. The first major task of this committee was to provide a review of the USGCRP draft Strategic Plan 2012-2021 (referred to herein as "the Plan"), which was made available for public comment on September 30, 2011. A Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Strategic Plan addresses an array of suggestions for improving the Plan, ranging from relatively small edits to large questions about the Program's scope, goals, and capacity to meet those goals. The draft Plan proposes a significant broadening of the Program's scope from the form it took as the CCSP. Outlined in this report, issues of key importance are the need to identify initial steps the Program will take to actually achieve the proposed broadening of its scope, to develop critical science capacity that is now lacking, and to link the production of knowledge to its use; and the need to establish an overall governance structure that will allow the Program to move in the planned new directions.

Successful Adaptation to Climate Change

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135071292
Total Pages : 365 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Successful Adaptation to Climate Change by : Susanne C. Moser

Download or read book Successful Adaptation to Climate Change written by Susanne C. Moser and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does successful adaptation look like? This is a question we are frequently asked by planners, policy makers and other professionals charged with the task of developing and implementing adaptation strategies. While adaptation is increasingly recognized as an important climate risk management strategy, and on-the-ground adaptation planning activity is becoming more common-place, there is no clear guidance as to what success would look like, what to aim for and how to judge progress. This edited volume makes significant progress toward unpacking the question of successful adaptation, offering both scientifically informed and practice-relevant answers from various sectors and regions of the world. It brings together 18 chapters from leading experts within the field to present careful analyses of different cases and situations, questioning throughout commonly avowed truisms and unspoken assumptions that have pervaded climate adaptation science and practice to date. This book offers not one answer but demonstrates how the question of success in important ways is normative and context specific. It identifies the various dimensions of success, such as economic, political, institutional, ecological, and social, explores the tensions between them, and compiles encouraging evidence that resolutions can be found. The book appraises how climatic and non-climatic stressors play a role, what role science does and can play in adaptation decision making, and how trade-offs and other concerns and priorities shape adaptation planning and implementation on the ground. This is timely interdisciplinary text sheds light on key issues that arise in on-the-ground adaptation to climate change. It bridges the gap between science and practical application of successful adaptation strategies and will be of interest to both students, academics and practitioners.

The Regional Impacts of Climate Change

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521634557
Total Pages : 532 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (345 download)

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Book Synopsis The Regional Impacts of Climate Change by : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group II.

Download or read book The Regional Impacts of Climate Change written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group II. and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change

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Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309145945
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change by : National Research Council

Download or read book Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-01-07 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global climate change is one of America's most significant long-term policy challenges. Human activity-especially the use of fossil fuels, industrial processes, livestock production, waste disposal, and land use change-is affecting global average temperatures, snow and ice cover, sea-level, ocean acidity, growing seasons and precipitation patterns, ecosystems, and human health. Climate-related decisions are being carried out by almost every agency of the federal government, as well as many state and local government leaders and agencies, businesses and individual citizens. Decision makers must contend with the availability and quality of information, the efficacy of proposed solutions, the unanticipated consequences resulting from decisions, the challenge of implementing chosen actions, and must consider how to sustain the action over time and respond to new information. Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change, a volume in the America's Climate Choices series, describes and assesses different activities, products, strategies, and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses. It discusses who is making decisions (on the local, state, and national levels), who should be providing information to make decisions, and how that information should be provided. It covers all levels of decision making, including international, state, and individual decision making. While most existing research has focused on the physical aspect of climate change, Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change employs theory and case study to describe the efforts undertaken so far, and to guide the development of future decision-making resources. Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change offers much-needed guidance to those creating public policy and assists in implementing that policy. The information presented in this book will be invaluable to the research community, especially social scientists studying climate change; practitioners of decision-making assistance, including advocacy organizations, non-profits, and government agencies; and college-level teachers and students.

The Anthropocene Project

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Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0198746717
Total Pages : 222 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (987 download)

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Book Synopsis The Anthropocene Project by : Byron Williston

Download or read book The Anthropocene Project written by Byron Williston and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC contains a detailed analysis of the threats climate change poses to human security. The IPCC chairman stated recently that the new report shows how our persistent inaction on climate change presents a grave threat to 'the very social stability of human systems'. This book attempts to make philosophical sense of this. We are now in 'the human age' - the Anthropocene - but it argues that this is no mere geological marker. It is instead best viewed as the latest permutation of an already existing moral and political project rooted in Enlightenment values.