vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Sustainability Research Strategy
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
-------
Chapter 1. Introduction and Purpose
We make decisions on a daily basis that affect the quality of our own lives as well as the lives of future generations. These
decisions determine how sustainable our future will be. To assist governments, businesses, communities, and individuals
in making sustainable choices, our Sustainable Research Strategy aims to develop an understanding of the earth as a
natural system and craft models and tools to support sustainable decision making. Our strategy incorporates both-core
research that advances fundamental understanding of key biological, chemical, and physical processes underlying
environmental systems, and problem-driven research that targets specific environmental problems or customer needs.
The research strategy draws on and integrates across the many research programs within the Office of Research and
Development and focuses this research to support sustainable decision making.
Chapter 2. Rationale for the Strategy
A combination offerees—including unprecedented growth in population, economy, urbanization, and energy use—are
imposing new stresses on the earth's resources and society's ability to maintain or improve environmental quality. In
order to improve environmental protection, human health, and living standards, our generation must move to mitigate or
prevent the negative consequences of growing population and economy. The increasing stresses require new approaches
to environmental protection that go beyond end-of-pipe control strategies concerned principally with pollutant emissions.
Based on our understanding that environmental problems are rarely contained within a single resource or geographic
area, we must develop and implement integrated and systems-based approaches to meet society's needs today and
ensure a more sustainable future.
Chapter 3. Definition and Scope
The concept of sustainable development marries two important insights: environmental protection does not preclude
economic development; and economic development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run. Sustainable
development, which requires an integration of economic, social, and environmental polices, cannot be achieved by
any single federal agency, because it relies on policy coherence across government agencies. EPA's contribution to
sustainability is to protect human health and the environment for both this and future generations. Our Sustainability
Research Strategy rests on the recognition that sustainable environmental outcomes must be achieved in a systems-
based and multimedia context that focuses on the environment without neglecting the roles of economic patterns and
human behavior. This recognition begets a fundamental change in research design. In a systems-based approach, the
traditional goals of achieving clean air or water or protecting ecosystems and human health can be fully understood
only through a multimedia approach. EPA and its partners will develop integrating decision support tools {models,
methodologies, and technologies) and supporting data and analysis that will guide decision makers toward environmental
sustainability and sustainable development.
-------
Chapter 4. Six Research Themes
Emphasizing an integrated and systems-based approach to achieving sustainability,
we focus on six broad research themes.
1. Renewable Resource Systems. The sustainability of natural systems is critical to protecting human health, supporting
our economy, and maintaining our quality of life. Sustainability demands that we determine how best to obtain the
benefits that renewable resources provide, while considering the system-wide effects their use has on the regenerative
capacity of the entire system. Three of our research strategy aims are especially relevant to renewable resources: (1)
defining clear measures of sustainable renewable systems, (2) improving understanding of ecosystem processes and
services, and (3) developing and applying advanced systems models and tools for decision making.
2. Non-Renewable Resource Systems. The extraction, processing, and use of fossil fuels, minerals, and other materials
are critical elements of our economic life. Sustainability calls for greater conservation and efficient use of these non-
renewable resources, as well as greater reliance on renewable energy, development of substitutes for toxic and
dangerous materials, and an emphasis on management of materials rather than disposal of waste products. Our strategy
seeks to promote sustainable management of non-renewable resource operations and to support the shift to renewable
resources. The research will include life cycle assessment and material flow analysis; application of models to assess the
regional impacts of various energy sources on emissions and air quality; and development of alternative chemicals and
new industrial methods. Climate change research and assessment, a major global sustainability issue, will continue to be
a collaborative effort of many programs at EPA and other agencies.
3. Long-Term Chemical and Biological Impacts. The intergenerational dimension of sustainability means that society must be
mindful of the long-term threat posed by chemical and biological impacts on the environment. Improving our use of materials,
shifting to environmentally preferable materials, and protecting human health all rely on assessing and eliminating the long-
term impacts posed by harmful chemical and biological materials. Our research will aim to develop alternate chemicals and
new industrial processes, as well as decision support tools for evaluating the environmental dimensions of the new chemicals
and processes. It will also employ life cycle assessment and material flow analysis to evaluate environmental releases from
industrial systems and nanomaterials.
4. Human-Built Systems and Land Use. The growth of urbanized areas over the past century has shown that human-
built systems can significantly harm ecosystems and undermine their ability to provide critical services. This strategy will
include research on topics such as sustainable building design and efficiency, management of urban systems, life cycle
assessment for building design and land use, and decision support tools for urban land development and revitalization.
ORD scientists and engineers will work directly with key customers and stakeholders who can most benefit from our
research capabilities in these areas—such as those at state and local levels responsible for myriad decisions on urban
development, land use, and provision of public services.
-------
5. Economics and Human Behavior. Since the sustainable management of natural and man-made systems depends on
human behavior and choice, our research strategy is closely linked with research in economics and behavioral science,
such as developing ecosystem valuation methods and analyzing the role of incentives in decision making and the causes
of market failures. Research in this area is led by ORD's Economics and Decision Science Research Program. Activities
in the Sustainability Research Strategy will be closely coordinated with this program.
6. Information and Decision Making. The establishment of an information infrastructure of sustainability metrics and
environmental monitoring is a necessary component of any strategy advancing sustainability. EPA's Draft Report on
the Environment (RoE) provides snapshots of the existing environmental state. Metrics are defined in relation to clearly
stated questions such as, "What are the conditions and current trends of surface waters?" and, "What are the trends in
the ecological processes that sustain the nation's ecological systems?" As EPA moves toward identifying a set of clearly
articulated questions related to sustainable outcomes—such as, "How sustainable are the nation's water supplies?"—
research can focus on identifying appropriate indicators and ensuring their quality. Our strategy is also closely linked with
the Global Earth Observation Systems of Systems (GEOSS) program. GEOSS will effectively take the pulse of the planet by
compiling a system of all relevant databases (or systems), thus revolutionizing our understanding of how the earth works.
Over time, GEOSS will contribute greatly to sustainability by providing important scientific information for sound policy
and decision making in every sector of society.
Chapter 5. Research Objectives
The five principle research objectives of our research strategy represent areas of strong ORD competence. Our research
aims first to advance systems understanding—to better comprehend the interconnections, resilience, and vulnerabilities
over time of natural systems, industrial systems, the built environment, and human society. Second, our research aims
to further develop decision support tools to assist decision makers. A third key element of our strategy is to develop and
apply new technologies to address inherently benign and less resource-intensive materials, energy sources, processes,
and products. Fourth, our research is committed to collaborative decision making. We aim to develop an understanding
of motivations for decision making and to craft approaches to collaborative problem solving. Fifth and finally, our research
strategy emphasizes developing metrics and indicators to measure and track progress toward sustainability goals, to send
early warning of potential problems to decision makers, and to highlight opportunities for improvement
-------
Chapter 6. Roadmap for implementation
Our Sustainability Research Strategy builds on ORD's traditional focus on risk assessment and risk management and
dovetails with EPA's commitment to stewardship and sustainable outcomes. The strategy supports shifts by program
offices toward developing sustainable water infrastructure, managing materials rather than waste, managing ecosystems
and ecoservices, and emphasizing green chemistry and urban sustainability (including green building design and low-
impact development). To implement this research strategy we will take the following steps:
• Demonstrate the value of sustainability research by identifying key national issues where application of sustainability
approaches can be most effective in promoting sound and sustainable economic growth.
• Advance core sustainability research and development of new tools and methodologies by transitioning the current
Pollution Prevention and New Technologies Research Program into the Science and Technology for Sustainability
Research Program.
« Leverage all ORD resources by coordinating and integrating research across ORD that builds a critical knowledge
base for sustainability, such as identifying synergies, gaps to be filled, and high-priority emerging areas among
existing research strategies.
• Leverage all EPA resources by coordinating and strengthening collaborations and partnerships—with EPA program
and regional offices, other federal agencies, state and local governments, communities, industry, nonprofit
organizations, universities, and international partners—that address critical sustainability issues and stimulate
broader progress toward sustainability in both research and implementation.
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
PRESORTED STANDARD
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT NO. G-35
Office of Research and Development (8101R)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
.
------- |