Three reports from the National Academies of Science on May 19 are giving climate-change legislation advocates new ammunition in their battle to have Congress enact a bill.
The information is not as dramatic a wake-up call as President Obama and others have branded the gulf oil spill, but the reports still matter.
"These reports show that the state of climate change science is strong," explained NAS Pres. Ralph J. Cicerone. "But the nation also needs the scientific community to expand upon its understanding of why climate change is happening, and focus also on when and where the most severe impacts will occur and what we can do to respond."
The first report, "Advancing the Science of Climate Change," affirmed that climate change based in large part on human activities is occurring, and that it is based on a strong, credible body of evidence.
While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never "closed," the report emphasized that the core phenomenon, scientific questions, and hypotheses have been examined thoroughly and have withstood serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations.
'Use-inspired' research
It called for an emphasis on "fundamental, use-inspired" research to not only improve understanding of climate change's causes and consequences but also to be useful to policymakers.
A second report, "Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change," said reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require prompt and sustained efforts to promote major technological and behavioral changes.
It suggests that an inclusive national policy framework is needed to ensure that all levels of government, the private sector, and millions of households are contributing. One component might be a GHG emissions "budget" that limits total domestic emissions over a set period and provides a clear measurable goal.
However, the report warned, the longer the nation waits to begin reducing emissions, the harder and more expensive it will likely be to reach any given emissions target.
The third report, "Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change," said policymakers should not wait to increase US capacity to respond to rising sea levels, melting sea ice, and more frequent and intense weather.
'Insurance policy'
Boosting US adaptive capacity now can be viewed as "an insurance policy against an uncertain future."
Identifying climate change impact vulnerabilities and ways to reduce them would be a first step. Adaptation efforts would need to be analyzed and monitored for successes, problems, and unintended consequences, this report said.
Adaptation efforts should not be considered a substitute for trying to limit impacts. The two approaches should be seen as partners since society's capacity to handle impacts would decrease as climate change grew more severe, it said.
Strategies also should be flexible, the reports said.
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