Download or read book Incorporating and Communicating Climate Change Uncertainties in Environmental Assessments written by Julian Scott Yeomans and published by . This book was released on 2004-10 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is a major environmental concern of regional, national, and international scope, but its inherent uncertainties have often been cited as the main reason for delaying any actions to mitigate its potential impacts. Recent reviews of environmental impact assessments have shown that impacts from climate change have been inadequately addressed and that the corresponding uncertainties have been addressed even more poorly within them. However, this inaction runs completely contrary to the principles of sound risk management, since a proper consideration of the impact from uncertainty increases, rather than decreases, the rationale for preventative action. Irrespective of climate uncertainties, decisions have to be made today and it proves a better course of action to adopt the precautionary principle when making these decisions by recognizing the uncertainties rather than by ignoring them completely. Recognizing these shortcomings, Incorporating and Communicating Climate Change Uncertainties in Environmental Assessments demonstrates methods for addressing, incorporating, and communicating the inherent uncertainties surrounding climate change in environmental impact assessments. Clearly, potential impacts from climate change require immediate attention because of the uncertainties, not in spite of them.
Download or read book Incorporating and Communicating Climate Change Uncertainties in Environmental Assessments microform written by Julian Scott Yeomans and published by National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada. This book was released on 2004 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A changing climate produces significant implications for projects that affect the environment and consequently must be addressed in their Environmental Assessments (EAs). However, recent studies indicate that climate change impacts have been inadequately considered in project EAs and the corresponding uncertainties have been addressed even more poorly. Recognizing these deficiencies, this study investigates how the various uncertainties from climate change can be identified, analyzed, incorporated, and communicated within project EAs. The three fundamental analytical approaches considered are: scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis, and probabilistic analysis. Various concepts arising from the use of these methods will be illustrated and articulated via a significant set of examples based upon a proposed hydroelectric project. Furthermore, once the uncertainties have been addressed, it is essential for them to be clearly communicated to the disparate stakeholders of an EA. Several recommendations for effectively incorporating, analyzing, and communicating the uncertainties of climate change within EAs are provided.
Download or read book Review of the U S Climate Change Science Program s Synthesis and Assessment Product 5 2 Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-03-23 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report reviews the U.S. Climate Change Science Program's new draft assessment product on characterizing and communicating uncertainty information for climate change decision making, one of 21 climate change assessment products that the program is developing to meet the requirements of the 1990 Global Change Research Act. Although the draft assessment is effective in discussing methods of characterizing uncertainty, it falls short in several ways. It is written for researchers involved in assessment efforts and will likely be of use to them, but does not address other key audiences, particularly policymakers, decision-makers, and members of the media and general public. In addition, it does not assess the full range of "best practice approaches" for characterizing, incorporating, and communicating uncertainty. These weaknesses were due in part to a change in the prospectus after the process had begun to include new target audiences and a different scope of work. It will take a substantial revision of the current draft or production of a companion document, both requiring additional authors, to address these issues.
Download or read book Addressing and Communicating Climate Change and Its Uncertainties in Project Environmental Impact Assessments written by Julian Scott Yeomans and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While climate change has become an important concern at both regional and global levels, its inherent uncertainties have often been cited as the main reason for delaying many actions to mitigate its potential impacts. Reviews of environmental assessments (EAs) have shown that impacts from climate change have been inadequately addressed within them and that the corresponding uncertainties have been addressed even more poorly. This paper describes several basic approaches for addressing and analysing climate change within the EAs of individual projects with a focus on its uncertainties. Subsequently, the paper describes how the results from this analysis can be effectively and comprehensively communicated to the EA's disparate set of technical and non-technical decision-makers and stakeholders. Based upon this overall approach, the paper proposes a general set of guidelines that enables proponents to incorporate climate change and its uncertainties into project EAs.
Download or read book Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making Synthesis and Assessment Product 5 2 Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making written by M. Granger Morgan and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report is one of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program as part of an effort to integrate fed. research on climate change and to facilitate a nat. understanding of the critical elements of climate change. Most of these reports are focused on specific substantive issues in climate science, impacts and related topics. In contrast, the focus of this report is methodological. This report provides a tutorial to the climate analysis and decision-making communities on current best practice in describing and analyzing uncertainty in climate-related problems. While the language is semi-technical, much of it should also be accessible to non-expert readers who are comfortable with the treatment of technical topics. Illus.
Download or read book Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making SAP 5 2 written by U. S. Climate Program and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2015-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Product is one of 21 synthesis and assessment products (SAPs) commissioned by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) as part of an interagency effort to integrate federal research on climate change and to facilitate a national understanding of the critical elements of climate change. Most of these products are focused on specific substantive issues in climate science, impacts, and related topics. In contrast, the focus of this Product is methodological. Uncertainty is ubiquitous. Of course, the presence of uncertainty does not mean that people cannot act. As this Product notes, in our private lives, we decide where to go to college, what job to take, whom to marry, what home to buy, when and whether to have children, and countless other important choices, all in the face of large, and often, irreducible uncertainty. The same is true of decisions made by companies and by governments. Recent years have seen considerable progress in the development of improved methods to describe and deal with uncertainty. Progress in applying these methods has been uneven, although the field of climate science and impact assessment has done somewhat better than many others. The primary objective of this Product is to provide a tutorial for the climate analysis and decision-making communities on current best practice in describing and analyzing uncertainty in climate-related problems. While the language is largely semi-technical, much of it should also be accessible to non-expert readers who are comfortable with the treatment of technical topics at the level of journals such as Scientific American. Because the issue of how uncertainty is characterized and dealt with is of broad importance for public policy, we have also prepared a "Non-Technical Summary". Readers who lack the time or background to read the detailed Product may prefer to start there, and then sample from the main Product as they find topics they would like to learn about in greater depth.
Download or read book Environmental Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-05-20 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one of several federal agencies responsible for protecting Americans against significant risks to human health and the environment. As part of that mission, EPA estimates the nature, magnitude, and likelihood of risks to human health and the environment; identifies the potential regulatory actions that will mitigate those risks and protect public health1 and the environment; and uses that information to decide on appropriate regulatory action. Uncertainties, both qualitative and quantitative, in the data and analyses on which these decisions are based enter into the process at each step. As a result, the informed identification and use of the uncertainties inherent in the process is an essential feature of environmental decision making. EPA requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convene a committee to provide guidance to its decision makers and their partners in states and localities on approaches to managing risk in different contexts when uncertainty is present. It also sought guidance on how information on uncertainty should be presented to help risk managers make sound decisions and to increase transparency in its communications with the public about those decisions. Given that its charge is not limited to human health risk assessment and includes broad questions about managing risks and decision making, in this report the committee examines the analysis of uncertainty in those other areas in addition to human health risks. Environmental Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty explains the statement of task and summarizes the findings of the committee.
Download or read book Best Practicing Approaching for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making written by Climate Change Science Program and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-07-10 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The primary objective of this report is to provide a tutorial to the climate analysis and decision-making communities on current best practice in describing and analyzing uncertainty in climate-related problems. The report discusses a number of formulations of uncertainty and the various ways in which uncertainty can arise. It introduces several alternative perspectives on uncertainty including both the classical or frequentist view of probability, which defines probability as the property of a large number of repeated trials of some process such as the toss of a coin, and the subjectivist view, in which probability is an indication of degree of belief informed by all available evidence. A distinction is drawn between uncertainty about the value of specific quantities and uncertainty about the underlying functional relationships among key variables. Finally the report addresses a number of issues that arise in communicating about uncertainty. The report includes lessons from both the mitigation and adaptation domain. Reference: Granger Morgan, M., Dowlatabadi, H., Henrion, M., Keith, D., Lempert, R., McBride, S., Small, M. and Wilbanks, T. (Eds.) (2009) Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing, Communicating, and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Decisionmaking, A Report by the Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC, US.
Download or read book Best Practice Approaches for Characterizing Communicating and Incorporating Scientific Uncertainty in Climate Decision Making written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Characterizing Risk in Climate Change Assessments written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) was established in 1990 to "assist the Nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural processes of global change."1 A key responsibility for the program is to conduct National Climate Assessments (NCAs) every 4 years.2 These assessments are intended to inform the nation about "observed changes in climate, the current status of the climate, and anticipated trends for the future." The USGCRP hopes that government entities from federal agencies to small municipalities, citizens, communities, and businesses will rely on these assessments of climate- related risks for planning and decision-making. The third NCA (NCA3) was published in 2014 and work on the fourth is beginning. The USGCRP asked the Board on Environmental Change and Society of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a workshop to explore ways to frame the NCA4 and subsequent NCA reports in terms of risks to society. The workshop was intended to collect experienced views on how to characterize and communicate information about climate-related hazards, risks, and opportunities that will support decision makers in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce vulnerability to likely changes in climate, and increase resilience to those changes. Characterizing Risk in Climate Change Assessments summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Download or read book Incorporating Climate Change Considerations in Environmental Assessment written by Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Assessment (Canada) and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Adapting to an Uncertain Climate written by Tiago Capela Lourenço and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-04-14 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change highlights the challenges for long-term policy making in the face of persistent and irreducible levels of uncertainties. It calls for the development of flexible approaches, innovative governance and other elements that contribute to effective and adaptive decision-making. Exploring these new approaches is also a challenge for those involved in climate research and development of adaptation policy. The book provides a dozen real-life examples of adaptation decision making in the form of case studies: · Water supply management in Portugal, England and Wales and Hungary · Flooding, including flood risk in Ireland, coastal flooding and erosion in Southwest France, and flood management in Australia’s Hutt River region · Transport and utilities, including the Austrian Federal railway system, public transit in Dresden, and Québec hydro-electric power · Report examining communication of large numbers of climate scenarios in Dutch climate adaptation workshops.
Download or read book America s Climate Choices written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-06-11 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is occurring. It is very likely caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems. And these emissions continue to increase, which will result in further change and greater risks. America's Climate Choices makes the case that the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks posed by climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action now to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare for adapting to its impacts. Although there is some uncertainty about future risk, acting now will reduce the risks posed by climate change and the pressure to make larger, more rapid, and potentially more expensive reductions later. Most actions taken to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts are common sense investments that will offer protection against natural climate variations and extreme events. In addition, crucial investment decisions made now about equipment and infrastructure can "lock in" commitments to greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come. Finally, while it may be possible to scale back or reverse many responses to climate change, it is difficult or impossible to "undo" climate change, once manifested. Current efforts of local, state, and private-sector actors are important, but not likely to yield progress comparable to what could be achieved with the addition of strong federal policies that establish coherent national goals and incentives, and that promote strong U.S. engagement in international-level response efforts. The inherent complexities and uncertainties of climate change are best met by applying an iterative risk management framework and making efforts to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; prepare for adapting to impacts; invest in scientific research, technology development, and information systems; and facilitate engagement between scientific and technical experts and the many types of stakeholders making America's climate choices.
Download or read book Assessing and Communicating Climate Change Uncertainties written by Saskia C. VanPelt and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
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.
Download or read book Decision Making Under Uncertainties for Adapting to Climate Change in Project Environmental Assessments written by P. H. Byer and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
