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Paula J.
Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs: "Therefore it is
our intention to implement policies that will foster these
technology-based solutions -- that is the way we will address the
challenge of global climate change. Significantly, we also believe that
climate change should not be pursued in isolation, but should be handled
as an integral part of a broad strategic paradigm of sustainable
development, which features a balanced mix of environmentally sound,
pro-economic growth policies. At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg and at the COP-8 meeting last year in New
Delhi, we found strong and growing support for this position among
developing countries." (64KB PDF file)
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Aquatic
ecosystems are a key component of the Earth's biosphere. A large number of
studies document substantial impact of solar UV radiation on individual
species, yet considerable uncertainty remains with respect to assessing
impacts on ecosystems. Several studies indicate that the impact of
increased UV radiation appears relatively low when considering overall
ecosystem response, while, in contrast, effects on individual species show
considerable responses. Ecosystem response to climate variability
incorporates both synergistic and antagonistic processes with respect to
UV-related effects, significantly complicating understanding and
prediction at the ecosystem level. The impact of climate variability on
UV-related e.ects often becomes manifest via indirect effects such as
reduction in sea ice, changes in water column bio-optical characteristics,
changes in cloud cover and shifts in oceanographic biogeochemical
provinces. (237KB PDF file)
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The Arctic
Ocean Sciences Board (AOSB) was established in May, 1984 to fill a
recognized need to coordinate the priorities and programs of countries and
institutions engaged in research in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas.
The long-term mission of the AOSB is to facilitate Arctic Ocean research
by the support of multinational and multidisciplinary natural science and
engineering programs.
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The Australian
Greenhouse Office (AGO) is the world's first government agency dedicated
to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. It was established in 1998 as a
separate agency within the environment portfolio to provide a whole of
government approach to greenhouse matters.
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no description
available
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This website
provides an overview of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Carbon
Sequestration Program . A summary of the program areas, links to the
various sequestration centers and online DOE Carbon Sequestration project
data sheets can be found on this site.
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The project's
overall objective is to support Caribbean countries in preparing to cope
with the adverse effects of global climate change (GCC), particularly sea
level rise, in coastal and marine areas through vulnerability assessment,
adaptation planning, and capacity building linked to adaptation planning.
The Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF),
implemented by the World Bank and executed by the Organisation of American
States. The project is coordinated in the Caribbean through the Regional
Project Implementation Unit (RPIU), which was established by the UWI
Centre for Environment and Development (UWICED). A Policy Advisory
Committee chaired by CARICOM, provides overall guidance for implementation
of activities.
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Since
publication of the 1998 UNEP Assessment, there has been continued rapid
expansion of the literature on UV-B radiation. Many measurements have
demonstrated the inverse relationship between column ozone amount and UV
radiation, and in a few cases long-term increases due to ozone decreases
have been identi.ed. The quantity, quality and availability of
ground-based UV measurements relevant to assessing the environmental
impacts of ozone changes continue to improve. Recent studies have
contributed to delineating regional and temporal differences due to
aerosols, clouds, and ozone. Improvements in radiative transfer modelling
capability now enable more accurate characterization of clouds,
snow-cover, and topographical effects. (510KB PDFD file)
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Increased UV-B
through stratospheric ozone depletion leads to an increased chemical
activity in the lower atmosphere (the troposphere). The effect of
stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric ozone is small (though
significant) compared to the ozone generated anthropogenically in areas
already experiencing air pollution. Modeling and experimental studies
suggest that the impacts of stratospheric ozone depletion on tropospheric
ozone are different at different altitudes and for different chemical
regimes. As a result the increase in ozone due to stratospheric ozone
depletion may be greater in polluted regions. Attributable effects on
concentrations are expected only in regions where local emissions make
minor contributions. The vertical distribution of NOX (NO + NO2), the
emission of volatile organic compounds and the abundance of water vapor,
are important influencing factors. The long-term nature of stratospheric
ozone depletion means that even a small increase in tropospheric ozone
concentration can have a significant impact on human health and the
environment. (209 KB PDF file)
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The Committee
on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) is an interdisciplinary
Scientific Committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU) who's
mission is to help foster and advance science and technology through
developing and sharing knowledge about data and the activities that work
with data. These activities include: (1) improving the quality and
accessibility of data, as well as the methods by which data are acquired,
managed, analyzed and evaluated, (2) facilitating international
cooperation among those collecting, organizing and using data, (3)
promoting an increased awareness in the scientific and technical community
of the importance of these activities, and (4) data access and
intellectual property issues.
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This program
has been terminated, however, there will be a next climate change program
in the Netherlands, and the website still contains newsletters,
publications, descriptions of individual research projects and results,
etc.
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The outdoor
service life of common plastic materials is limited by their
susceptibility to solar ultraviolet radiation. Of the solar wavelengths
the UV-B component is particularly efficient in bringing about photodamage
in synthetic and naturally occurring materials. This is particularly true
of plastics, rubber and wood used in the building and agricultural
industries. Any depletion in the stratospheric ozone layer and resulting
increase in the UV-B component of terrestrial sunlight will therefore tend
to decrease the service life of these materials.
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This set of
questions refers mainly to the environmental effects of ozone depletion.
The report of the Scientific Assessment Panel (http://www.gcrio.org/OnLnDoc/pdf/unepSciQandA.pdf)
contains questions and answers related to the other scientific issues
addressed by that Panel.
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Environment
Australia advises the Commonwealth Government on policies and programs for
the protection and conservation of the environment, including both natural
and cultural heritage places. It also manages a number of major programs,
the most significant of which come under the umbrella of the Natural
Heritage Trust. These programs include Bushcare, Coasts and Clean Seas,
the Endangered Species Program and Waterwatch. Environment Australia also
administers environmental laws, including the Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and a range of other Acts. It is also
responsible for Australia's participation in a number of international
environmental agreements.
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The EEA aims
to support sustainable development and to help achieve significant and
measurable improvement in Europe's environment through the provision of
timely, targeted, relevant and reliable information to policy making
agents and the public.
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Finnish Global
Change Research Programme FIGARE is a three-year programme (1999-2002)
supporting and encouraging high-quality research in the natural sciences,
the social sciences, economics and technology with the objective to
analyze and understand the changes taking place in the global system.
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Set up by the
Federal Government as an independent advisory body, the Council submits a
report to the Federal Government containing recommendations for research
and further action to combat global problems in the field of environment
and development.
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The potential
health effects of elevated levels of ambient UV-B radiation are diverse,
and it is difficult to quantify the risks, especially as they are likely
to be considerably modified by human behaviour. Nevertheless
epidemiological and experimental studies have confirmed that UV radiation
is a definite risk factor for certain types of cataract, with peak
efficacy in the UV-B waveband. The causal link between squamous cell
carcinoma and cumulative solar UV exposure has been well established. New
findings regarding the genetic basis of skin cancer, including studies on
genetically modified mice, have confirmed the epidemiological evidence
that UV radiation contributes to the formation of basal cell carcinomas
and cutaneous melanomas. For the latter, animal models have demonstrated
that UV exposure at a very young age is more detrimental than exposure in
adulthood. Although suppression of certain immune responses has been
recognised following UV exposure, the impact of this suppression on the
control of infectious and autoimmune diseases is largely unknown. However,
studies on several microbial infections have indicated significant
consequences in terms of symptoms or reactivation of disease. The
possibility that the immune response to vaccination could be depressed by
UV-B exposure is of considerable concern. Newly emerging possibilities
regarding interactions between ozone depletion and global climate change
further complicate the risk assessments for human health but might result
in an increased incidence of cataracts and skin cancer, plus alterations
in the patterns of certain categories of infectious and other diseases.
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The effects of
ozone depletion on global biogeochemical cycles, via increased UV-B
radiation at the Earth¿s surface, have continued to be documented over the
past 4 years. In this report we also document various effects of UV-B that
interact with global climate change because the detailed interactions
between ozone depletion and climate change are central to the prediction
and evaluation of future Earth environmental conditions.
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The work of
the IOC, over the three decades since its inception, has focused on
promoting marine scientific investigations and related ocean services,
with a view to learning more about the nature and resources of the oceans.
Current program areas include: IOC Harmful Algal Bloom Programme, Ocean
Ecosystems and Marine Environmental Protection, Science for Integrated
Coastal Management (ICAM), Oceans and Climate, Data and Information
Exchange Programmes, and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS).
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The IPCC was
established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Its role is to assess the
scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the
understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. It does not
carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other
relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and
published scientific/technical literature.
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IARC research
focuses on global climate change and arctic phenomena, addressing
questions such as whether climate change as occurring as predicted by
global climate models, and whether or not such changes are due to natural
or manmade causes.
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IGBP's
scientific objective is to describe and understand the interactive
physical, chemical and biological processes that regulate the total Earth
System, the unique environment that it provides for life, the changes that
are occurring in this system, and the manner in which they are influenced
by human actions. They work in close collaboration with the International
Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), the
World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and DIVERSITAS, an international
programme of biodiversity science.
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IHDP is an
international, interdisciplinary and non-governmental research program,
who's aim is to describe, analyze and understand the human dimensions of
global environmental change. The program is designed around the objectives
of research, capacity building and networking.
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The ninth
Conference of the Parties (COP-9) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the nineteenth sessions of the
COP's Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and
Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) were held at the Fiera Milan
Congress Center in Milan, Italy, from 1-12 December 2003. (388KB PDF file)
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ProClim is the
Swiss forum for climate and global change issues. it seeks to facilitate
both integrated research activities and the necessary linkages among
scientists, policy-makers and the public at home and abroad.
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Based on
research to date, we can state some expectations about terrestrial
ecosystem response as several elements of global climate change develop in
coming decades. Higher plant species will vary considerably in their
response to elevated UV-B radiation, but the most common general e.ects
are reductions in height of plants, decreased shoot mass if ozone
reduction is severe, increased quantities of some phenolics in plant
tissues and, perhaps, reductions in foliage area. In some cases, the
common growth responses may be lessened by increasing CO2 concentrations.
However, changes in chemistry of plant tissues will generally not be
reversed by elevated CO2. Among other things, changes in plant tissue
chemistry induced by enhanced UV-B may reduce consumption of plant tissues
by insects and other herbivores, although occasionally consumption may be
increased. Pathogen attack on plants may be increased or decreased as a
consequence of elevated UV-B, in combination with other climatic changes.
This may be a.ected both by alterations in plant chemistry and direct
damage to some pathogens. Water limitation may decrease the sensitivity of
some agricultural plants to UV-B, but for vegetation in other habitats,
this may not apply. With global warming, the repair of some types of UV
damage may be improved, but several other interactions between warming and
enhanced UV-B may occur. For example, even though warming may lead to
fewer killing frosts, with enhanced UV-B and elevated CO2 levels, some
plant species may have increased sensitivity to frost damage. (230KB PDF
file)
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Through the
U.S. Country Studies Program, the U.S. Government has been providing
technical and financial support to 56 developing countries and countries
with economies in transition to assist them in conducting climate change
studies. The studies have enabled these countries to develop inventories
of their anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases, assess their
vulnerabilities to climate change, and evaluate response strategies for
mitigating and adapting to climate change. The program was announced by
the President prior to the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit, in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, in 1992.
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U.S. Energy
Secretary Spencer Abraham says the United States is moving ahead in an
unprecedented international effort to make clean energy the cornerstone of
economic growth, improved health and closer ties among nations. (47KB PDF
file)
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UNEP works to
encourage sustainable development through sound environmental practices
everywhere. Its activities cover a wide range of issues, from atmosphere
and terrestrial ecosystems, the promotion of environmental science and
information, to an early warning and emergency response capacity to deal
with environmental disasters and emergencies.
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A new model
for partnership between developed and developing countries worldwide is
evolving to address climate change concerns. The US-India Technology
Cooperation on Global Climate Change side event on October 31st at the
UNFCCC COP-8 provides an important forum to highlight US-India
collaboration on protecting the global environment. (181KB PDF file)
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The objectives
of the WCRP program are to develop the fundamental scientific
understanding of the physical climate system and climate processes needed
to determine to what extent climate can be predicted and the extent of
human influence on climate.
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Links
