Concept information
Preferred term
EPA GCRP
Definition
- EPA's Global Change Research Program is an assessment-oriented program with primary emphasis on understanding the potential consequences of climate variability and change on human health, ecosystems, and socioeconomic systems in the United States. This entails: (1) improving the scientific basis for evaluating effects of global change in the context of other stressors and human dimensions (as humans are catalysts of and respond to global change); (2) conducting assessments of the risks and opportunities presented by global change; and (3) assessing adaptation options to improve society's ability to effectively respond to the risks and opportunities presented by global change as they emerge. The program has made a major commitment to the National Assessment activities organized through the USGCRP. The Global Change Research Act of 1990 mandates that the USGCRP conduct periodic assessments of the potential consequences of global change for the United States. (These periodic assessments are to be conducted not less than every four years.) As a member of the USGCRP, EPA's Global Program will continue to make significant contributions to the ongoing U.S. National Assessment Process. The EPA-sponsored assessments will continue to be conducted through public-private partnerships that actively engage researchers from the academic community, decision makers, resource managers, and other affected stakeholders in the assessment process. EPA's intramural assessment program has four areas of emphasis: (1) human health; (2) air quality; (3) water quality; and (4) ecosystem health. These four focus areas are consistent with EPA's mission and the strengths of EPA's research program. The first focus area is Human Health. Since health is affected by a variety of social, economic, political, environmental, and technological factors, assessing the health impacts of global change is a complex challenge. As a result, health assessments in EPA's Global Program go beyond basic epidemiological research to develop integrated health assessment frameworks that consider the effects of multiple stresses, their interactions, and human adaptive responses. Along with health sector assessments conducted in conjunction with the USGCRP National Assessment process, there are research and assessment activities focused on the consequences of global change on weather-related morbidity and vector- and water-borne diseases. In addition, the results from the Global Program's air quality assessments will be used to evaluate health consequences. The second focus area is Ecosystems. The EPA's mission is not only to protect human health but also to safeguard the natural environment. EPA has pledged to provide environmental protection that "contributes to making communities and ecosystems diverse, sustainable, and economically productive." Consistent with this goal, EPA's Global Program is considering comprehensive ecosystem issues related to global change. Three research and assessment activities are planned that evaluate the effects of global change on 1) aquatic ecosystems (which may include lakes, rivers, and streams; wetlands; and estuaries and coastal ecosystems); 2) invasive non-indigenous species; and 3) ecosystem services. The assessment of aquatic ecosystems will contribute to water quality assessments of pollutants and pathogens and of biocriteria. The ecosystem services assessment will draw on work from the other ecosystem assessments. The third focus area is Air Quality. Few studies have investigated the effect of global change on air quality. Given EPA's legal mandates with respect to air pollution and substantial capability and expertise in modeling air quality and evaluating integrated response actions, examining the effects of global change on air quality is a logical focus of the Global Program. Assessments are planned that will examine the potential consequences of global change on tropospheric ozone and particulate matter. Each of these assessments is paired with a related human health assessment. The fourth focus area is Water Quality. Water quality is affected by changes in runoff following changes in precipitation and evapotranspiration and/or changes in land use. The program plans two assessments of the possible impacts of global change (climate and land use change) on water quality. Both water quality assessments will either contribute to or benefit from human health and ecosystems assessments. In addition, results from the assessment of pollutants and microbial pathogens will be used in the assessment of biocriteria. For more information, link to "http://www.epa.gov/globalresearch/" (en)
Broader concept
- D - F (en)
URI
https://gcmd.earthdata.nasa.gov/kms/concept/f9342137-1ec2-441f-b2b3-3a51e4fde384
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