Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change

This volume describes and assesses different activities, products, strategies, and tools for informing decision makers about climate change and helping them plan and execute effective, integrated responses. It discusses who is making decisions (on the local, state, and national levels), who should be providing information to make decisions, and how that information should be provided. It covers all levels of decision making, including international, state, and individual decision making.

While most existing research has focused on the physical aspect of climate change, Informing an Effective Response to Climate Change employs theory and case study to describe the efforts undertaken so far, and to guide the development of future decision-making resources.

The information presented in this book will be invaluable to the research community, especially social scientists studying climate change; practitioners of decision-making assistance, including advocacy organizations, non-profits, and government agencies; and college-level teachers and students.

Contents
Foreword: About America’s Climate Choices
Preface
SUMMARY
1 INTRODUCTION
The Challenge of Climate Change
Decision Makers, Their Information Needs, and the Challenge of Resource Allocation
Barriers to Effective Decision Making
The Scope and Purpose of This Report
Organization of This Report
2 MANY DIFFERENT DECISION MAKERS ARE MAKING CHOICES TO RESPOND TO CLIMATE CHANGE
States, Cities, and Local Governments
Business Sector
Non-governmental Organizations
Federal Government
The Law and Climate Change
Conclusions and Recommendations
3 DECISION FRAMEWORKS FOR EFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Why Responding to Climate Change Needs a Decision Framework
Other Ways of Making Decisions
Fundamental Elements of a Risk Management Framework
The Utility of Adaptive Governance in Decision Making About Climate Change
Conclusions and Recommendations
4 RESOURCES FOR EFFECTIVE CLIMATE DECISIONS
Whose Decisions? Which Resources?
Decision Support Tools: Their Characteristics and Uses
Understanding Impacts and Informing Adaptation Decisions
Understanding the Value of Information for Resource Allocation
Assessments as Tools for Climate-Related Decision Making
Conclusions and Recommendations
5 CLIMATE SERVICES: INFORMING AMERICA ABOUT CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE, IMPACTS, AND RESPONSE OPTIONS
The Need for Climate Services
Potential Functions of Climate Services
Recommendations from Prior Reports
Institutional Considerations
Goals for Climate Services Operation
Metrics for Evaluating Performance of Climate Services
Conclusions and Recommendations
6 INFORMING GREENHOUSE GAS MANAGEMENT
Greenhouse Gas Accounting Systems
Information on Emissions and Energy Use and the Public Response to Climate Change
Institutional Options for Informed Greenhouse Gas Management
Competition and Equity Considerations
Conclusions and Recommendations
7 INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION NEEDS
Economic and Market Couplings
Shared Resources and Ecological Services
Human Health
Humanitarian Reasons
National Security
Ways Forward
Conclusions and Recommendations
8 EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION
K-12, Higher Education, and Informal Science Education
The General Public
Communication and Education for Decision Makers
Conclusions and Recommendations
References
Appendixes
A Panel on Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change: Statement of Task
B The American Experience with Complex Decisions: Past Examples
C Comparison of CO2 Emissions for States Versus National, United States, in 1999 and 2000
D State Greenhouse Gas Emission Targets and Baselines
E America’s Climate Choices: Membership Lists
F Panel on Informing Effective Decisions and Actions Related to Climate Change: Biographical Sketches

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