A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials

A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-05-09

Total Pages: 230

ISBN-13: 0309253314

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The nanotechnology sector, which generated about $225 billion in product sales in 2009, is predicted to expand rapidly over the next decade with the development of new technologies that have new capabilities. The increasing production and use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) may lead to greater exposures of workers, consumers, and the environment, and the unique scale-specific and novel properties of the materials raise questions about their potential effects on human health and the environment. Over the last decade, government agencies, academic institutions, industry, and others have conducted many assessments of the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of nanotechnology. The results of those efforts have helped to direct research on the EHS aspects of ENMs. However, despite the progress in assessing research needs and despite the research that has been funded and conducted, developers, regulators, and consumers of nanotechnology-enabled products remain uncertain about the types and quantities of nanomaterials in commerce or in development, their possible applications, and their associated risks. A Research Strategy for Environmental, Health, and Safety Aspects of Engineered Nanomaterials presents a strategic approach for developing the science and research infrastructure needed to address uncertainties regarding the potential EHS risks of ENMs. The report summarizes the current state of the science and high-priority data gaps on the potential EHS risks posed by ENMs and describes the fundamental tools and approaches needed to pursue an EHS risk research strategy. The report also presents a proposed research agenda, short-term and long-term research priorities, and estimates of needed resources and concludes by focusing on implementation of the research strategy and evaluation of its progress, elements that the committee considered integral to its charge.


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

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

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-02-13

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 0309252377

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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.


Strategic Environmental Assessment and Urban Planning

Strategic Environmental Assessment and Urban Planning

Author: Giovanni Campeol

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2020-07-06

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 3030461807

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This volume gathers a selection of research contributions on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), including theoretical and methodological studies and real-world case studies. It sheds new light on the respective steps in the procedure defined in the SEA Directive from theoretical and operational standpoints, intended to enhance the sustainability of plans and programmes adopted by local, regional and national authorities. Improving the legitimacy and transparency of decision-making in the field of environmental management was one of the goals that led the European Commission (EU) to adopt Directive 2001/42/EC on the assessment of environmental programmes’ effects. This book provides a multidisciplinary approach to SEA, and addresses the demand for policies and strategies to strengthen resilience through concrete measures to reduce energy consumption, mitigate pollution, promote social inclusion and create urban identity.


Implementing Climate and Global Change Research

Implementing Climate and Global Change Research

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-09-16

Total Pages: 109

ISBN-13: 0309088658

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The report reviews a draft strategic plan from the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, a program formed in 2002 to coordinate and direct U.S. efforts in climate change and global change research. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program incorporates the decade-old Global Change Research Program and adds a new component -the Climate Change Research Initiative-whose primary goal is to "measurably improve the integration of scientific knowledge, including measures of uncertainty, into effective decision support systems and resources."


Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Update to the Strategic Plan Document

Review of the U.S. Global Change Research Program's Update to the Strategic Plan Document

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-05-24

Total Pages: 93

ISBN-13: 0309437490

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The Update to the Strategic Plan (USP) is a supplement to the Ten-Year Strategic Plan of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) completed in 2012. The Strategic Plan sets out a research program guiding thirteen federal agencies in accord with the Global Change Research Act of 1990. This report reviews whether USGCRP's efforts to achieve its goals and objectives, as documented in the USP, are adequate and responsive to the Nation's needs, whether the priorities for continued or increased emphasis are appropriate, and if the written document communicates effectively, all within a context of the history and trajectory of the Program.


Revised Research Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

Revised Research Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

Author: Climate Change Science Program

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2014-08-01

Total Pages: 86

ISBN-13: 9781500480950

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The U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) released its Strategic Plan in 2003. This Revised Research Plan in compliance with Section 104(a) of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, is an update to the 2003 Strategic Plan. It reflects both scientific advances since the publication of the 2003 Strategic Plan and the evolving needs of society. The update focuses on near-term (1-3 year) planning needs, and specifically addresses research plans for the period 2008 to 2010. The Revised Research Plan also represents one of the first steps in the longer-term development of the next Strategic Plan. CCSP is currently developing a process for gathering input from a wide range of stakeholder and scientific communities to inform the development of that new Strategic Plan, which will describe approaches for addressing the Nation's needs for climate change information beyond the 2010 timeframe and into the next decade. The Revised Research Plan contains an updated statement of capabilities and objectives consistent with CCSP's current Strategic Plan but reflecting both scientific progress and the Nation's evolving societal and environmental needs. It also contains examples of research progress and a discussion of the program's emerging priorities. Using the program's five strategic goals as an organizing framework, the Revised Research Plan provides a goal-by-goal overview of emerging research questions and themes, key research topics, and illustrative research plans for the years 2008 to 2010. CCSP's vision is a Nation and the global community empowered with the science-based knowledge to manage the risks and opportunities of change in the climate and related environmental systems. Its mission is to facilitate the creation and application of knowledge of the Earth's global environment through research, observations, decision support, and communication. This mission arises from the recognition that climate variability and change will continue to influence society directly and indirectly, and that in order to make informed decisions, society requires knowledge as to 1) what is changing and how; 2) what forces are causing those changes; 3) how the Earth system may change in the future and affect societies and ecosystems; 4) what parts of the Earth system are most sensitive to global change and how adaptable those parts are; and 5) how scientific knowledge can be effectively applied to manage the risks and opportunities. These are the essence of CCSP's strategic goals.


Strategic Plan for the U.s. Climate Change Science Program

Strategic Plan for the U.s. Climate Change Science Program

Author: United States Climate Change Science Program

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-02-04

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13: 9781507847664

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In February 2002, President George W. Bush announced the formation of a new management structure, the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), to coordinate and direct the U.S. research efforts in the areas of climate and global change. These research efforts include the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) authorized by the Global Change Research Act of 1990, and the Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI), launched by the President in June 2001 to reduce significant uncertainties in climate science, improve global observing systems, develop science-based information resources to support policymaking and resource management, and communicate findings broadly among the international scientific and user communities. This “Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program” describes a strategy for developing knowledge of variability and change in climate and related environmental and human systems, and for encouraging the application of this knowledge. The strategy seeks to optimize the benefits of research that is conducted, sponsored, or applied by 13 agencies and departments of the U.S. government. These agencies coordinate their research through the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), which incorporates the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI). Scientists and research program managers from the 13 participating agencies and the Climate Change Science Program Office drafted the Strategic Plan. It reflects a commitment by its authors to high-quality science, which requires openness to review and criticism by the wider scientific community. The process by which the plan was drafted proceeded with the transparency essential for scientific credibility.