Building a Foundation for Sound Environmental Decisions (1997) / Chapter Skim
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2 Improving our Understanding of Environmental Issues
2 Improving our Understanding of Environmental Issues
Pages 13-36
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From page 13... ...
Each report was analyzed to reveal important current and emerging environmental concerns and associated research recommendations. The committee members also identified environmental issues that have stimulated their research interests and .
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Old lead-based paint Asbestos Outgassing from construction and finishing materials Toxic substances used in homes and workplaces Safe Food Supply Pesticide residues Plant uptake of contaminants Effects of pollution on crops Safe Disposal of Human Wastes Effective waste isolation/collection Sanitary waste disinfection Sludge disposal Wastewater reuse Safe Disposal of Household and Industrial Waste Waste reduction and recycling Landfill technology and use Radioactive waste storage, treatment, and disposal Incineration emissions and ash Offshore disposal Industrial wastewater treatment Infrastructure needs Habitat and Species Conservation Riparian degradation Tropical ecosystem degradation Temperate ecosystem degradation Polar ecosystem degradation Marine ecosystem degradation Wetlands degradation Endangered species Species extinction Overfishing Pollutant bioaccumulation/bioconcentration Habitat alteration, fragmentation, and destruction continued
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From page 15... ...
, which can enhance our future ability to address a wide range of environmental problems. There is no question that problem-specific research has helped to alleviate particular problems, but, as discussed in Chapter 1, the attempted solutions often underestimate the complexity of environmental systems and rarely result in systematic strategies for managing and avoiding broad classes of environmental threats.
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From page 16... ...
Two other important kinds of core research are the development of tools and collection of data required to detect and assess environmental threats, prevent or mitigate environmental harm, and determine whether environmental policies are effective. Historically, much of the nation's environmental research, including research at EPA, has been directed at solving immediate problems.
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the acquisition of systematic understanding of environmental processes, (2) the development of innovative research methods and tools, and (3)
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This component includes studies of environmental impacts on biological systems and human health; clarification of the processes that underpin technological systems designed to prevent or mitigate environmental degradation; and sociological and economic processes that influence human behavior and thus environmental protection strategies. Such research must also examine the interactions and feedback among various physical, biological, and social processes.
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From page 19... ...
That table lists a myriad of environmental issues, all of which could be better understood and addressed through greater understanding of the underlying processes presented here. Development of Innovative Tools To support improved efficiency and efficacy within the broad environmental science community, both inside and outside EPA, there must be a sustained investment in the development of innovative environmental research tools and techniques that capitalize on scientific and technological advances.
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From page 23... ...
Additional examples of environmental research tools are described in Boxes 2-6 and 2-7. Although this report endorses risk assessment in Chapter 3 as a reasonable approach for allocating resources among identified problems, current risk assessment techniques are far from perfect.
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24 BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS mat data to human risk; quantification of variability in human population responses; better exposure assessment for humans and ecosystems; and estimation of the level of risk at the reference, or "virtually safe," dose. These questions can be approached by better defining the underlying molecular, biochemical, and cellular changes that accumulate to produce a toxic response, and that should be
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From page 25... ...
Acquisition and Dissemination of Data Another element of core research involves the development and maintenance of carefully selected, accurate, long-term environmental data sets to document environmental trends, set reference points for the success or failures of management strategies, and contribute to the continuous record of information about the status of the planet and its inhabitants. (Note that environmental monitoring in this context is different from compliance monitoring, which aims to discover specific violations and force corrective action.)
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Improvements in remote sensing technologies (ground-based, airborne, and satellite platforms) and development of more effective monitoring instruments (fixed-site and mobile monitors, coupled with modern communication and computer links)
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Socioeconomic data often have been collected for purposes unrelated to the environment and are therefore not always suitable for EPA's purposes. Nevertheless, experience with the population surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that good coordination and
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Here again, the key to making these data more useful for a broad range of research endeavors is to have scientists who may use the data be involved in the planning and design of compliance monitoring programs. This dual use of data has received greater attention in other fields.
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_ a) o 350 340 335 330 325 Cal 0 320 315 310 31 l 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 Year FIGURE 2-1 Accurate, sustained monitoring efforts at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii demonstrated rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere an important piece of the climate change puzzle SOURCE: Schimel et al., 1995.
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32 BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR SOUND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS _ ~ ...._ FIGURE 2-2 Elements of a successful environmental monitoring program. monitoring programs are still inadequate for following environmental trends, evaluating management programs, and keeping records of global ecosystems.
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From page 33... ...
After broad program areas are selected, a key criterion for selecting research projects is the quality of the proposed science and the demonstrated ability of the investigators, as determined by a peer-review process. Of course, many organizations other than EPA also play a role in carrying out elements of a core environmental research agenda.
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From page 35... ...
As discussed above, problem-driven and core research are not separated by clear intellectual distinctions but rather by impetus and motivation. The former seeks to understand a single issue in depth and propose remedies, while the latter pursues the broad process knowledge, tool development, and data acquisition required to obtain a systematic and general understanding of the environment, including our effects on it and its effects on us.
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