Recorded presentation5.2A
U.S. science policy for climate change adaptation: A preliminary evaluation
Lisa Dilling, Center for Science and Technology Policy Research/Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO
To date, the most evident U.S. policies to address climate change have consisted of (primarily) basic research on the science of climate change (the U.S. Global Change Research Program and Climate Change Science Program) and applied research on technological options focused on mitigation (the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program). It is clear, however, from current scientific understanding, that even if greenhouse gas concentrations were stabilized, “warming and sea level rise would continue for centuries” (IPCC 2007). Thus we can expect impacts from climate change to continue for the foreseeable near-term future, regardless of emissions trajectories (although of course these impacts will be moderated depending on the level of emissions and concentrations in the atmosphere). Adaptation is therefore an essential strategy as a companion to current and future mitigation efforts. The need for society to begin adaptation planning, however, has only very recently been recognized. The question posed by this paper is: Are current science policies for climate change adequate for supporting knowledge needs for adaptation? This paper will review recent reports, scholarship and workshop findings to summarize what has been recommended in the way of adaptation research needs and evaluate existing policies (primarily the CCSP and CCTP) in light of these identified needs. Institutional relationships, programmatic processes, and topic areas will be examined. Preliminary conclusions will be made about the readiness and suitability of existing U.S. science policy to respond to knowledge needs for climate change adaptation.
Session 5, Socio—Economic Research Methods and Their Applications
Wednesday, 14 January 2009, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM, Room 121A
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