From: By Suzanne Goldenberg
Published March 16, 2009 09:11 AM
America Unprepared for Climate Change, Say Policy Advisers
National Research Council claims US agencies and political leaders not
getting the right information or guidance
The Department of Water and Power San Fernando Valley
Generating Station in Sun Valley, California. America is woefully unprepared
for climate change, and the government agencies charged with delivering the
latest science to decision makers are not up to the task, a new report said
today. (AFP/Getty Images/File/David Mcnew)
America is woefully unprepared for climate change, and the government
agencies charged with delivering the latest science to decision makers are
not up to the task, a new report said today.
The National Research Council, a policy advice centre that is part of the US
National Academy of Sciences, said that government agencies and political
leaders, concerned more than ever about climate change, were not getting the
information or the guidance they needed.
"Many decision makers are experiencing or anticipating a new climate
regime and are asking questions about climate change and potential responses
to it that federal agencies are unprepared to answer," the council said in
its report, Restructuring Federal Climate Research to Meet the Challenges of
Climate Change.
"Robust and effective responses to climate change demand a vastly improved
body of scientific knowledge."
The report called for an expansion of federal government research into
global warming, as well as a "transformational change" in how scientific
research is conducted and incorporated into public policy.
It said government scientists, such as those at the Environmental Protection
Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, needed to
pay greater attention to the human dimension of climate change - its effects
on food supply, public health and the environment.
Government researchers also needed to forge strong connections across
different scientific disciplines and linking the worlds of natural and
social science, said the non-profit institution which aims to improve
government decision making and public policy.
The committee that produced the report called for the creation of a
national climate service, and for further research to determine which parts
of the country would be most vulnerable to global warming.
It drew on New York City as an extreme example of the decisions facing
government leaders. Greening New York "will take literally thousands of
individual decisions in order to upgrade existing municipal buildings,
including firehouses, police precincts, sanitation garages, offices and
courthouses," the report said.
But although government is increasingly focused on dealing with climate
change, it appears that the US public is not.
A record number of Americans - some 41% - now believe the danger of climate
change has been exaggerated in the mainstream media, a new Gallup poll
found. In contrast, only 28% thought the media had downplayed the dangers of
global warming.
The rise of climate change doubters was among Republican and non-affiliated
voters - but not Democrats - and was confined to those above the age of 30.
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
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