Open AccessPrediction in the Earth sciences and environmental policy making
Author(s) -
Pielke Roger A.,
Sarewitz Daniel,
Byerly Radford,
Jamieson Dale
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/99eo00225
Subject(s) - prioritization , incentive , environmental policy , politics , environmental economics , business , environmental planning , environmental resource management , political science , management science , economics , environmental science , law , microeconomics
The Earth sciences, backed by formidable arrays of data gathering and processing technologies, today offer the apparently credible promise of predicting the future of nature. Policy makers, under pressure as always to deliver public benefit at low cost, have strong incentives to accept this promise as a central response to environmental issues. As environmental problems become more pressing and budgets for research become tighter, the importance of effective prioritization and allocation of research funds and activities will increase, as will the need for timely and effective political decision making. Thus, there is increasing need to enhance the linkages between research in the predictive Earth sciences and the needs of environmental policy makers.