Framework for EPA's
Air, Climate, and Energy
Research Program
ir Climate
February 14,2011
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, DC
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Executive Summary
American communities face serious health and environmental challenges from air
pollution and the growing effects of climate change, both of which are intricately linked with
current and future energy options. Improving air quality, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, and developing adaptation strategies to address climate change are central to the
Agency's mission to protect public health and the environment. As EPA moves forward it is
necessary to more fully understand the interplay between air, climate change, and the changing
energy landscape to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to improving air quality and
addressing climate change. To accomplish this goal, EPA's Office of Research and Development
(ORD) is designing a new, integrated research program for Air, Climate and Energy (ACE)
that will build upon the highly successful, policy relevant research the Agency has conducted in
the areas of air pollution and climate change.
Over the past decades, air quality in the
U.S. has improved significantly. During this
time period ORD research has played a central
role in demonstrating that exposure to air
pollution remains a major health concern, as it
can lead to damage to the cardiovascular,
respiratory, immune, nervous and reproductive
systems, as well as, cancer and death. These
findings have provided the scientific basis of
the statutory requirements of the Clean Air Act
(CAA) and directly contributed to the Office of
Management and Budget's (OMB) estimates
that the benefits of air pollution regulations far
exceed their costs. Despite this progress in
improving air quality, millions of people still
live in counties that do not meet air quality
standards for one or more pollutants.
Global GHG emissions continue to rise
and have been shown to lead to a range of
major and potentially adverse effects on the
environment and public welfare. In response to the 2009 Endangerment and Cause or Contribute
Findings for GHGs, ORD has the responsibility to produce the scientific information needed to
respond to the Agency's efforts to meet its legal, statutory, and policy requirements in a
changing climate, including informing climate mitigation and adaptation choices towards
sustainable, resilient solutions.
The impacts of air quality and climate change are heavily influenced by the energy
choices of the U.S. and the world. As the demand for energy increases, along with shifts to clean
energy alternatives, it is necessary to understand the interaction between air quality and climate
ACE Problem Statement. Protecting human
health and the environment from the effects
of air pollution and climate change, while
sustainably meeting the demands of a
growing population and economy is critical
to the well-being of the Nation and the world.
As we explore solutions to prevent and
reduce emissions, we are challenged by
uncertainties surrounding the complex
interplay between air quality, a changing
climate, and a changing energy landscape,
and the subsequent human health and
ecological effects attributed to exposure to an
evolving array of pollutants in the
atmosphere.
ACE Vision. To provide cutting-edge
scientific information and tools to support
EPA's strategic goals to take action on
climate change and improve air quality.
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change in this changing energy landscape, and the potential impacts on human and
environmental health.
With active participation from EPA partners and stakeholders the major problems faced
by EPA decision makers that span air, climate, and energy were identified. These discussions
brought to the forefront the need for research that supports policy priorities and subsequently
examines: the multipollutant nature of air pollution in order to develop effective air quality
strategies; the impacts of climate change and the interactions between adaptation and mitigation;
the human health and environmental impacts of current and future energy options; the
populations most susceptible to poor air quality and the populations and ecosystems most
vulnerable to climate change; the expanding and contracting scales of environmental problems
that range from global to local; and the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence
the effectiveness of air quality and climate policies. The policy-relevant research needed by EPA
partners will provide the science to:
• Assess Impacts - Assess human and ecosystem exposures and effects associated
with air pollutants and climate change at individual, community, regional, and
global scales (Research Theme 1);
• Prevent and Reduce Emissions - Provide data and tools to develop and evaluate
approaches to prevent and reduce emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere,
particularly environmentally sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative
multipollutant and sector-based approaches (Research Theme 2); and,
• Respond to Changes in Climate and Air Quality - Provide human exposure and
environmental modeling, monitoring, metrics and information needed by
individuals, communities, and governmental agencies to adapt to the impacts of
climate change and make public health decisions regarding air quality. (Research
Theme 3)
EPA is designing the ACE research program to address the increasingly complex
environmental issues we face in the 21st century. To effectively address these issues, it is
necessary to move towards more integrated, transdisciplinary research, and away from strategies
that focus on a single pollutant and its impact on a single human organ or species in an
ecosystem. This requires interaction and active discussions with the other ORD research
programs, EPA partners, other federal agencies, and external stakeholders to facilitate a seamless
research program that clearly identifies crosscutting issues that can be integrated within and
across research areas to support the goals of the Agency.
This framework will be used during this process to evaluate the relevance and alignment
of current research activities within the context of the ACE research program. Ultimately these
activities will lead to the development of the Research Action Plan (RAP) in October 2011,
which will provide the rationale, approach, and product delivery timelines for research activities
within the ACE research program. Prior to completion, the RAP will be rigorously reviewed by
ORD, EPA partners, external stakeholders including other federal agencies, and the Science
Advisory Board (SAB).
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"There is a sense of urgency... If
we don't move to address energy
and climate as two sides of the
same coin we will lose out. "
Administrator
I. Introduction
This framework for ORD's Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE) research provides the
rationale for developing this new research program and broadly defines major research issues
related to air pollution, climate change, and the environmental impacts of energy option, which
have been informed by the policy-relevant scientific needs of EPA partners and stakeholders.
This document will guide the development of a Research Action Plan (RAP) for the ACE
program, which will define in more detail the research that ORD will conduct over the next five
years.
a. Program Purpose
Since its inception, EPA's success in protecting
public and environmental health has relied strongly upon
understanding and providing the scientific basis to
support policies that reduce the adverse effects of air
pollution. Today, protecting the air quality of the Nation
is still at the forefront of EPA's mission, but growing
,.,,,, - Lisa Jackson, EPA
concerns over climate change have also become a top
priority. These priorities are reflected in Goal 1 of EPA's
Strategic Plan, which is "Taking Action on Climate
Change and Improving Air Quality."1 This goal
recognizes that there are inherent relationships between air quality and the changing climate.
Further, the human and environmental health impacts of both air quality and climate change are
heavily influenced by the energy choices of the U.S. and the world. As a result, achieving the
goal of protecting human health and the environment by taking action on climate change and
improving air quality is not possible without also understanding the Nation's evolving energy
landscape. It is through the ACE research program that the Office of Research and Development
(ORD) will conduct research to support the development of sustainable solutions that prevent
and reduce all forms of air pollution to protect the public and environmental health of the U.S.
i. Air Pollution and Climate Change Pose Risks to Human Health and
the Environment
Ambient air pollution can have significant adverse consequences on human health and
the environment. Research conducted and supported by ORD has demonstrated that exposure to
air pollution can lead to a range of health effects including, but not limited to, respiratory and
cardiovascular effects and mortality. Great advances in understanding the human and
environmental health impacts of air pollution along with the development of technologies, tools
and models to prevent and reduce air pollution have led to greatly improved air quality over the
last 40 years. Even so, millions of people in the U.S. still live in counties that do not meet air
quality standards for one or more pollutants.
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Air pollution defined:
"Any air pollution agent or
combination of such agents,
including any physical, chemical,
biological, radioactive (including
source material, special nuclear
material, and byproduct material)
substance or matter which is
emitted into or otherwise enters
the ambient air."
- CAA Section 302[g]
Global climate change can have a range of major and potentially adverse effects on water
resources, agriculture, wildlife, ecosystems, as well as the built environment (i.e., energy,
r\
infrastructure, and settlements). Additionally, changes in the climate can lead to higher
concentrations of harmful air pollutants, and the presence of some air pollutants in the
atmosphere can also accelerate climate change. With
global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) increasing
and projected to continue to increase unless action is
taken to reduce these emissions, there is compelling
evidence that the public health and welfare of current
and future generations are at risk.2
Energy, to produce and transport goods, move
people, and support the productive and growing society
of the U.S. is central to the issues of air quality and
climate change. Energy production and use has major
impacts on both air quality and climate with
conventional energy options generally representing a
major source of air pollution emissions including GHGs.
As demand for goods and services grows in concert with
an expanding population, current energy technologies
will place further pressure on climate and air quality.3 In
light of these facts, the President has proposed a goal to produce 80 percent of the electricity in
the U.S. from clean energy sources by 2035.4 Although it remains unclear what future energy
options will emerge, it is evident that the U.S. and the world face a rapidly changing energy
landscape with associated changes in impacts on human health and the environment.
ii. Regulatory and Policy Context for EPA Air, Climate, and Energy
Research
Under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA is required to set air quality standards to protect
the public health and environmental welfare of the Nation. For six common air pollutants (i.e.,
PM, Os, SC>2, NC>2, CO, and Pb) that are widely distributed across the country, EPA establishes
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Although regulated individually,
collectively PM and Os account for the majority of adverse health effects due to air pollution.5 In
addition to the NAAQS pollutants, the CAA requires EPA to regulate emissions of hazardous air
pollutants (HAPs), or air toxics. These pollutants are those that are known or suspected to cause
cancer or other serious health or environmental effects. The ACE research program will conduct
research to support EPA's programs mandated by the CAA, and will foster innovative
approaches to ensure clean air in the context of a changing climate and evolving communities
and technologies.
In 2007, the Supreme Court determined that GHGs are air pollutants as defined by the
CAA. The Court held that the EPA Administrator must therefore determine whether or not
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emissions of GHGs from new motor vehicles cause or contribute to air pollution which may
reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare, or whether the science is too
uncertain to make a reasoned decision. In 2009, after months of reviewing the full weight of
scientific evidence and the thousands of public comments received, the Administrator issued the
Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for GHGs under Section 202(a) of the CAA.2
This Finding concludes that GHGs endanger public health and welfare, including but not limited
to impacts on air quality, heat events, water resources, ecosystems, sea level rise and coastal
areas, energy, infrastructure, and settlements. Such climate change impacts may also have
important implications for programs developed under other statutes such as the Clean Water Act
and Safe Drinking Water Act. To provide the scientific foundation for EPA's efforts to meet its
legal, statutory, and policy requirements in a changing climate, the ACE research program will
inform climate mitigation and adaptation choices towards sustainable, resilient solutions with
maximum benefits for the Nation's people and environments.
The American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA) of 2009 requires research to
evaluate the impact of energy development and production on water resources, as well as, the
emissions attributed to alternative transportation fuels.6 This requirement builds upon the
mandates of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007,7 which requires EPA to
(1) develop and implement the Renewable Fuel Standard to substantially increase the volume of
renewable fuels (primarily biofuels) into the national transportation fuel system and (2) produce
a triennial report to Congress summarizing the environmental impacts of the production and use
of these greater volumes of biofuels. The ACE program must develop the knowledge to enable
EPA's responses to the changing energy landscape and the resulting environmental implications.
The issues of air pollution, climate change, and energy are closely connected, and have
been recognized by a variety of scientists including the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).8'9 These issues cut across a broad
range of human, industrial, and natural systems such that narrowly defined approaches to
reducing air pollutant and GHG emissions may have unintended consequences, today and into
the future. It is imperative, therefore, for the ACE research program to conduct research that is
systems based to account for interactions across human, industrial and environmental domains.
The formation of the ACE research program is designed to more closely integrate ORD's
research in these areas, both to effectively address the science questions and to leverage expertise
and capabilities across ORD, to support the development of effective, sustainable policies.
Figure 1 shows a simplified illustration of the relationships between air, climate, and energy,
identifies the major earth and human systems impacted by air pollution and climate change, and
portrays the responses and social factors that have major influences on the relationships between
each area.
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Earth Systems
Ambient Air Quality
PollutantDeposillon
Exposures to and Effects on:
Climate
Changes in:
Temperature • Extremes
Precipitation * Sea Level
Ecosystems - Watersheds
Human Systems
Figure 1. Integration of Air, Climate, and Energy."
iii. Recent Accomplishments and Future Challenges of EPA Research on
Air, Climate, and Energy
To date, the Clean Air, Global Change, and Biofuels research programs have supported
and conducted research that has improved the human and environmental health of the U.S. These
research programs individually have directly supported: the promulgation of the NAAQS; the
development of the Endangerment Finding; and the implementation of the Renewable Fuel
Standard. Additionally, each of these programs have produced cutting edge science leading to
significant advances, including a more thorough understanding of the source to health effect
continuum of PM,11 the development of complex multipollutant atmospheric models such as
Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ), and a detailed evaluation of the impacts of climate
1 9
change through a series of Synthesis and Assessment reports.
Research conducted under the Clean Air component of ACE - the longest-running part of
the ACE portfolio - has been a fundamental part of EPA's success in improving the Nation's air
quality. Although the broad scope of the benefits realized from these research programs is in part
unquantifiable, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has estimated that
the NAAQS has accounted for approximately 94-97% of estimated benefits from all EPA
' Adapted from IPCC, 2007.
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regulations and approximately 60-87% of estimated benefits across all federal agencies. These
benefits include reductions in the number of hospital admissions and emergency department
visits, fewer lost work and school days, and lower numbers of premature deaths. Additional
research has indicated that improvements in air quality have led to an increase in life expectancy.
200%
150% -
tOO% -
50% -
0%
-50% -
^^^ Gross Domestic Product
70 80 90 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05
Figure 2. The changing economic, population, and environmental status of the U.S., 1970-
2005.
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These improvements in air quality and public health resulting from EPA's Clean Air
programs are illustrated in Figure 2, which demonstrates the substantial reductions in PMio, NOX,
VOC, CO, and 862 since 1970, even as the gross domestic product (GDP) and vehicle miles
traveled have nearly doubled. The work of ORD was instrumental in providing the scientific and
technical foundation for these achievements. Yet the full benefits of EPA's achievements have
not been shared by all nor have they been guaranteed for the future. Even with the economic and
public and environmental health improvements that have occurred over the last 40 years:
• Approximately 127 million Americans lived in counties that did not meet the air
quality standard for at least one pollutant in 2008;l
• GHG emissions continue to increase in parallel with population growth and energy
consumption, threatening public and environmental health; and
• The landscape of energy sources and technologies is changing, leading to uncertainty
as to the impacts of future energy choices on human and environmental health.
With past accomplishments forming the foundation for meeting future challenges, the vision of
the ACE research program is:
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To provide the cutting-edge scientific information and tools needed to support EPA 's
strategic goals to take action on climate change and improve air quality.
The ACE research program will build upon its record of highly relevant and exceptionally
valuable science to continue to support the Agency's development of policies that create
enormous benefits for public health, our environment, and the national economy.
b. EPA and ORD Research Context
EPA research has provided effective solutions to high-priority environmental problems
for the past 40 years. These solutions were necessarily achieved using 20th century approaches.
For example, assessing risk or developing controls
to emissions has usually focused on a single
"Twenty-first century
environmental problems require
21st century solutions; we cannot
effectively address such challenges
with 20th century approaches. "
- Paul Anastas, ORD
Assistant Administrator
pollutant and its impact on a single target organ or
species. However, such single-pollutant, source-
specific, and end-of-pipe approaches are limited in
their ability to address the increasing complexity of
21st century environmental challenges with
solutions that are effective, efficient, and
sustainable - solutions that meet current needs
without compromising the future. EPA is
transforming its research capability to more fully
understand these complex interactions and the implications of policy choices to develop more
sustainable solutions.
To accomplish this shift in philosophy, EPA is strengthening its planning and delivery of
science by implementing an integrated transdisciplinary research (ITR) approach. By looking at
problems systematically and holistically instead of in isolation, an ITR approach will take
advantage of synergies that yield benefits beyond those possible from narrowly targeted
approaches that focus on single chemicals, disciplines, or environmental media. A focus on
developing sustainable solutions means that ORD will work with its partners within the Agency
and other stakeholders to plan, develop, and conduct research that accounts for the immediate as
well as longer-term impacts to environmental, economic, and social systems. This approach
requires that ORD's research plans incorporate input from external stakeholders such as federal,
state and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry, and
communities affected by environmental problems.
To that end, ORD is realigning its current 12 research areas into four better integrated
research programs:
• Air, Climate, and Energy (ACE)
• Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR)
• Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC)
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• Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS)
The ORD research portfolio will be rounded out by the existing programs of Human Health Risk
Assessment (HHRA) and Homeland Security (HS), which integrate findings from the four new
transdisciplinary programs in response to specific legislative or policy mandates.
Figure 3 represents the four realigned ORD research programs and how they are
interrelated and fit within larger EPA and stakeholder contexts. To provide scientific information
and tools that sustainably advance environmental protection, the four national program areas
must contribute to and reinforce one another, and work jointly with decision makers both inside
and outside EPA. To fully address all of the issues that fall within the ACE research program,
ORD recognizes that, where appropriate, research related to air, climate, and energy must be
integrated with other ORD research programs.
ORD Integrated Research Informs, and is Informed By, EPA and Non-EPA Partner and Stakeholder
Assessment and Decision Contexts
J»——
EPA Decisions
ORD Assessment (HHRA, Homeland
Security) EPA Program & Regional
Assessment
Sustainable Communities
(Built & Natural Environments)
Safe and
Sustainable Water
Resources
Air, Climate,
Energy
Chemical Safety
for Sustainability
Non-EPA Assessment (e.g., States, Localities,
Private Sector, Won -governmental
Organizations)
Non-EPA Decisions
Figure 3. Integrated ORD Research Programs Within EPA and Non-EPA Partner and
Stakeholder Contexts
The ACE research program is focused on the EPA priority, Taking Action on Climate
Change and Improving Air Quality1 Applying transdisciplinary research within the ACE
research program ensures that the realigned research program provides innovative science,
engages end users of its research from problem formulation through product application, and
most importantly, yields results that enable EPA to accomplish its goal.
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II. Problem Formulation
To adequately address the current and future problems that encompass the nexus of air,
climate, and energy requires input from those who will use the research products produced by the
ACE program. Interactions with internal EPA partners (i.e., program and regional offices) and
external stakeholders are crucial to the identification and development of the major problems
faced by EPA decision makers that span air, climate, and energy. These discussions brought to
the forefront the need for research that supports policy priorities and subsequently examines:
• the multipollutant nature of air pollution, to create more sustainable air quality
management strategies that simultaneously improve air quality and reduce GHG
emissions;
• the impacts of climate change and the interactions between adaptation and mitigation
to support the development of future climate change policies , as well as, guidance on
the actions that are most critical to take in the near term;
• the human health and environmental impacts of current and future energy
alternatives;
• the expanding and contracting scales of environmental problems that range from
global to local; and
• the social, behavioral, and economic factors that influence the effectiveness of air
quality and climate policies.
These research needs form the underlying basis of the research agenda of the ACE program, and
are consistent with national priority research needs identified by preeminent science advisory
groups:
• The NAS' s National Research Council (NRC) recommended that EPA adopt a broader
multipollutant research perspective, which was further supported by the EPA's Board of
Scientific Counselors (BOSC);15'16
• The NRC called on the Federal government to provide "state-of-the-art information on
climate change, its impacts, and response options";1?
• The Biomass Research and Development Board (BRDB) has identified a growing need
for "systematic evaluation of the impact of expanded biofuel production on the
environment (including forest land) and on the food supply for humans and animals,
including the improvement and development of tools for life cycle analysis of current and
potential biofuels";18 and
• The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) subcommittee Social, Behavioral
and Economic Sciences of the National Science and Technology Council stressed the
importance and need for understanding the social, behavioral, and economic factors that
influence the relationship between energy, the environment, and human dynamics.19
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Building upon these major recommendations, the ACE research program has gathered a range of
perspectives on research needs as perceived by key EPA partners and external stakeholders.
This variety of perspectives ensures that the ACE program will develop a more holistic approach
to creating sustainable solutions to the current and future challenges faced by EPA in addressing
the environmental issues related to air, climate, and energy.
The major research needs identified by EPA partners and stakeholders form the basis of
the overarching problem statement which will govern the ACE research agenda:
Protecting human health and the environment from the effects of air pollution and
climate change, while sustainably meeting the demands of a growing population and
economy is critical to the well-being of the Nation and the world. As we explore solutions
to prevent and reduce emissions, we are challenged by uncertainties surrounding the
complex interplay between air quality, a changing climate, and a changing energy
landscape, and the subsequent human health and ecological effects attributed to exposure
to an evolving array of pollutants in the atmosphere.
Integrating the research issues inherent in the problem statement into a seamless research
program that addresses air quality, climate change, and energy presents a substantial challenge to
any research organization. However, from an EPA research perspective, combining air, climate,
and energy enables the development of sustainable, integrated solutions that have synergistic
benefits for public health, the environment, and the economy.
III. ACE Research Themes
The organization of the ACE research program is based upon gathering the key research
needs into major themes that balance integration across research topics with the need to apply a
critical mass of expertise and capability. ORD's
extensive capabilities in health and ecological
research, exposure, and atmospheric sciences,
measurement and control technologies, and systems
analysis form a core for developing major research
efforts that address the key science problems identified
by EPA partners and external stakeholders. This
structure describes how the ACE research program is
designed to provide research results that meet EPA
needs, fill gaps within the broader efforts across the
Federal government, and fit into the work of the
scientific community. The three ACE program themes
described below flow from the problems identified in
the previous section and will provide the science to:
Figure 4. ACE Research Themes
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• Assess Impacts - Assess human and ecosystem exposures and effects associated
with air pollutants and climate change at individual, community, regional, and
global scales (Research Theme 1);
• Prevent and Reduce Emissions - Provide data and tools to develop and evaluate
approaches to prevent and reduce emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere,
particularly environmentally sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative
multipollutant and sector-based approaches (Research Theme 2); and,
• Respond to Changes in Climate and Air Quality - Provide human exposure and
environmental modeling, monitoring, metrics and information needed by
individuals, communities, and governmental agencies to adapt to the impacts of
climate change and make public health decisions regarding air quality. (Research
Theme 3)
These research themes are intentionally designed not to be specific to air, climate, or
energy individually; rather, they are designed to support research that considers the efforts
specific to air or climate as well as the interactions among the domains of air, climate, and
energy. In addition, as depicted in Figure 4, research within the ACE program may cut across
multiple themes. Research conducted at the intersections of the themes will present the greatest
opportunities for transdisciplinary research.
The following narratives for each Research Theme provide a brief overview of and key
research drivers for the theme. Each research theme contains broad objectives that are intended
to allow staff to apply their expertise and innovation in shaping specific research projects.
Research Theme 1. Assess Impacts:
Assess human and ecosystem exposures and effects associated with air pollutants and
climate change at individual, community, regional, and global scales.
The human and ecosystem effects of air pollution and climate change occur at multiple
scales and result from exposures to a mixture of pollutants in the atmosphere. Exposure and
effects are also impacted by complex interactions between climate change and air quality.
Furthermore, the amount and composition of emissions from sources of air pollutants are
impacted by economics and energy choices. Social behavior also impacts level of exposure and
the resulting effects. In addition, susceptibility (i.e., individual- and population-level
characteristics, as well as exposure differences, that lead to increased risk of air pollutant-related
effects, both human health and ecosystem) must also be factored into these complex interactions
to inform the decision making process.b New and existing methods and models need to be
b This definition of susceptibility is derived from EPA's Integrated Science Assessments for the criteria air
pollutants, specifically particulate matter [EPA (2009). Integrated Science Assessment for Particulate Matter.
(Report No. EPA/600/R-08/139F). Research Triangle Park, NC.], and is further discussed in Sacks JD, Stanek LW,
Luben TJ, et al. (2010). Particulate Matter Induced Health Effects: Who's Susceptible? Environmental Health
Perspectives. (Epub ahead of print).
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deployed in transdisciplinary studies to assess all of these complex interactions and factors that
ultimately impact public health and the environment.
Objectives:
• Assess multipollutant exposures and effects and integrated impacts of climate change on air
and water quality and human and ecosystem health. Transdisciplinary source to outcome
research will be conducted to assess multipollutant exposure and health effects in field and
laboratory settings, such as research related to near road environments, which include
complex mixtures of particles, criteria gases, and organic compounds. Models and methods
will be enhanced and applied to assess human and environmental impacts of air pollution and
climate change at individual, community, regional, national, and international scales. In
addition, models from multiple disciplines will be linked to conduct integrated analyses of
the impacts of pollutants in the atmosphere. For example, one approach might include using
currently available models (e.g., the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model) and
potentially new models to link economic, air quality, water quality, land use, human and
ecosystem exposures to more thoroughly assess the broad impacts of pollutants from
alternative energy scenarios. To achieve the principles of sustainable approaches, these
integrated assessments would include analyses of both expected and potential unintended
impacts of these options as they are integrated into use, such as indoor exposures of
individuals in tighter, more energy efficient homes and buildings. In essence, the overarching
concept is one of systems interactions and intelligent assessment of the positive and negative
impacts of human activities.
• Innovative approaches to enhance the assessment of human and environmental exposures
and effects of pollutants in the atmosphere. Currently available information and indicators
will be examined and expanded to include additional components (e.g.,
multipollutant/multistressor indices to incorporate climate impacts) to develop new indices
that would support the development of new policies by EPA partners, measure progress
toward environmental goals, and provide information for communities. Additionally,
currently available technologies would be examined to develop innovative approaches, such
as inexpensive personal monitors built into mobile communication devices, to estimate
personal exposures quickly and inexpensively and subsequently the impacts of air pollution.
• Identify characteristics of populations and ecosystems that are susceptible to effects from
exposure to air pollutants and climate change impacts. Integrated approaches will be
developed to assess the physical, biological, and systemic factors that result in increased
susceptibility to air pollutant-related effects. This will include the identification of biological
mechanisms that impact susceptibility, key exposure factors, and the examination of the
interaction between social and economic factors and behavior to more thoroughly understand
how they may inform research outcomes and impact strategies to protect public health.
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Recent scientific findings suggest the possibility of even greater numbers of people
susceptible to air pollution effects such as those with diabetes or certain genetic
polymorphisms. Research is also needed to identify the factors that result in ecosystems
being highly susceptible to changes in climate or to climate-driven changes (e.g., changes in
seasonal temperature and precipitation patterns). The presence of other stressors such as
water and air pollution, and changes in surrounding land use can be exacerbated by, and lead
to greater susceptibility to damage from climate change.
• Inform review of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The Clean Air Act
requires a review the NAAQS for each criteria pollutant every five years. The NAAQS
review process identifies key uncertainties and knowledge gaps that will help guide ACE
priorities on human and ecosystem effects research to inform future decisions. Research of
human and ecosystem exposure and effects will be conducted to inform future NAAQS
reviews.
Research Theme 2. Prevent and Reduce Emissions:
Provide data and tools to develop and evaluate approaches to prevent and reduce emissions
of pollutants to the atmosphere, particularly sustainable, cost-effective, and innovative
multipollutant and sector-based approaches.
When making environmental decisions, policy makers are challenged by the complex
environmental, economic, and social interactions of various options. As air quality continues to
improve, more cost effective and innovative measures are needed for the implementation of
standards to achieve additional improvements in air quality. It is clear that approaches to
reducing GHG emissions will create even greater complexity and challenges. As a result, there is
a growing recognition of the need for multipollutant and sustainable strategies that prevent air
pollution of all types without unintended environmental consequences to land or water. Policy
makers are exploring technical and policy approaches that address multiple pollutants
simultaneously as an alternative to the one pollutant at-a-time approach. In addition, policy
makers also need to understand how international emissions of air pollutants impact the
effectiveness of domestic environmental policies and how domestic emissions impact other
countries. Robust, sophisticated science is also needed to evaluate and assess actions to reduce or
eliminate the gases and other compounds that contribute to climate change. With national
policies promoting innovation and adoption of clean energy technologies, EPA research plays an
important role in analyzing the full "life-cycle" impacts to ensure that the clean energy choices
of the future are indeed better for the environment as a whole. Finally, environmental policies are
only as effective as the actual emission reductions achieved. Innovative approaches to measure
source and ambient pollutant concentrations provide opportunities to improve implementation
and enforcement of environmental policies.
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Objectives:
• Support the management of air pollution problems at the different scales of time and space
associated with different pollutants and effects. Methods and models will be developed and
evaluated to support multi-scale management (e.g., community to national to global) of
pollutants in the atmosphere. These tools will be used to understand synergies and tradeoffs
associated with various mitigation and prevention options, including air-water-climate
interactions. This research objective will also provide the support for the evaluation of near-
and long-term benefits and impacts of management strategies.
• Develop methods and data for life-cycle analyses of alternative pollution reduction and
energy options to inform EPA and other local, regional, national, and international decisions
regarding the most sustainable and cost effective uses of resources. Methods, models, and
data will be developed that will enable the assessment of life-cycle impacts of energy
systems (traditional and alternative) on air pollution and climate change, including costs,
performance, and the effects on human health, water quality, and ecosystems. Additional life-
cycle analyses will assess the impacts of anticipated and alternative strategies for achieving
national energy and environmental goals, such as biofuels for transportation, including
evaluation of potential alternative strategies that may improve the sustainable use of limited
resources.
• Provide innovative technologies to support the implementation of management strategies to
prevent and reduce air pollution. Innovative technologies for monitoring multiple pollutants
at sources and in the ambient air will be developed, evaluated, and adapted for a range of
needs including community information, compliance and enforcement, regional and national
assessments and air quality planning. In particular, technologies that provide real-time,
continuous source and ambient data with portable designs will improve implementation and
enable fair, accurate and responsive assessments of reported violations of air pollution
emissions. Analytical and data management tools will also be developed, which will enable
the effectiveness of air pollution reduction strategies to be evaluated at the local, regional,
and national levels on an on-going basis.
• Conduct evaluations of integrated, sustainable pollution reduction and prevention solutions.
The performance and cost of technologies will be evaluated to enable comprehensive
management of sources that co-emit criteria pollutants, GHGs and other climate-forcing
gases and aerosols, and toxic air pollutants in ways that address not only air pollution
problems, but also consider implications on water quality and quantity and disposal of any
wastes generated by the air pollution controls. Additionally, methods, data, and models will
be developed to enable the development of atmospheric pollutant management strategies that
account for the behaviors of institutions and individuals in response to those strategies.
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• Support implementation of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Source and
ambient monitoring methods and air quality modeling tools will be developed and evaluated
to meet the needs of EPA and state/local agencies in implementing NAAQS.
Research Theme 3. Respond to Changes in Climate and Air Quality:
Provide human exposure and environmental modeling, monitoring, metrics and
information needed by individuals, communities, and governmental agencies to adapt to
the impacts of climate change and make public health decisions regarding air quality.
The impacts of climate change have the potential to undermine environmental progress
and policies, including successful efforts to improve air and water quality, reduce exposures, and
improve public and ecosystem health. Although mitigating GHG emissions to minimize future
climate changes is crucial, it is also necessary to develop the information to minimize and adapt
to the adverse impacts caused by unavoidable changes in the climate. In addition, tools and
information are needed to allow for the development of community- and individual-level
strategies to reduce exposures to air pollution. This includes providing the necessary data to
guide informed decision making, but also a thorough understanding of the public perceptions,
behavioral responses, and social and economic factors that influence the decision making
process. Therefore, developing information and tools to allow communities and individuals to
adapt to the impacts of climate change and make informed decisions regarding air quality is
critical. In addition, the identification of populations and ecosystems most vulnerable to (i.e.,
least able to cope with) the adverse effects of climate change will allow for more targeted
adaptation approaches.0 EPA has an important role to play in providing information that will
help a wide range of stakeholders implement adaptation strategies both structurally and through
policy decisions.
Objectives:
• Evaluate alternative adaptation strategies, focusing on the most vulnerable individuals,
communities, and ecosystems. Policy makers need to understand what populations and
ecosystems face the greatest risks in order to most effectively target available resources.
Research efforts will develop methods and tools to improve understanding of the location,
extent, and type of vulnerabilities faced by populations, ecosystems, and the built
environment. This information, in combination with an understanding of the potential
impacts of adaptation actions, can help inform decisions that are flexible and appropriate.
Research will also develop approaches to support adaptation risk management to enable
decision makers to identify priority adaptation actions and anticipate other related, perhaps
less obvious co- or disbenefits. Similarly, approaches taken to adapt to climate change can
0 The National Research Council has defined vulnerability as, "The degree to which a system is susceptible to, or
unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a
function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and
its adaptive capacity." [National Research Council (2010). Advancing the Science of Climate Change. Washington,
DC, National Academies Press.]
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have environmental and public health consequences that cross the original intended
objective. For example, the construction of protective barriers against flooding and sea level
rise may damage shoreline ecosystems. Also, in a warming climate individuals may spend
more time indoors in air conditioned environments, increasing the demand for electricity
leading to greater emissions on days that tend to have the greatest potential for high ground-
level ozone concentrations and at times when water availability for power generation may be
at its lowest. Methods and models will be developed and applied to understanding these types
of interactions and responses in order to develop sustainable adaptation strategies.
• Innovative methods to inform individual- and community- level adaptation to climate chance
and decision making regarding air quality. Information and communication technologies are
rapidly evolving with new and enhanced tools being continually introduced to the market
place. These tools have great potential to support adaptation strategies. EPA already utilizes
communication technology (e.g., Enviroflash and the UV Index App) to provide individuals
with information to allow them to adapt or make informed public health decisions in
response to current environmental conditions. The effectiveness of these types of tools on
behavioral responses and subsequently human health impacts of air pollution and climate
change will be assessed. Geographic information systems (GIS) can provide easily
understood visualizations of the scope and type of impacts and the potential for adaptation
strategies or the development of data, such as information on urban planning, to allow for
informed decision making to limit adverse impacts attributed to climate change and reduce
exposures to air pollution, respectively. As technology continues to evolve, other innovative
approaches for adaptation will be developed and evaluated.
• Evaluate social, behavioral, and economic factors that may hinder the ability of communities
and individuals to implement adaptation strategies for climate change and make informed
decisions regarding air quality. Community- and individual-level responses to prevent and
reduce climate change impacts and exposures to air pollution are influenced by social,
behavioral, economic, and other systems that exhibit nondeterministic behaviors that are not
easily modeled or predicted. These consequences can have impacts that cascade well beyond
the immediate actions of policies and approaches, often in unexpected ways. For instance,
climate change can impact energy systems by affecting crop yields, which subsequently
could impact the production of the alternative fuels intended to address climate change in the
first place. There is a need to develop approaches that integrate across complex systems and
explicitly incorporate methods to describe complex system behavior.
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IV. Integration and Communication of ACE Research Program
a. Integration
The physical, biological, and human behaviors underlying the environmental impacts
related to air, climate, and energy do not have distinct boundaries defined by discipline or
organizational structure. The ACE research program, as well as the other ORD research
programs, must therefore be designed in a manner that allows them to continuously evolve as the
science changes and to conduct work across discipline and boundary. This will require constant
and effective communication and coordination within the ACE program, with other ORD
programs, EPA partners, and external collaborators.
An effective ACE research program first requires the proper integration of research
activities across air, climate, and energy to form one coherent theme. Areas of commonality will
be identified, whether this consists of data needs, models, and measurements or stressors that
contribute to human and ecosystem responses, to enhance the transition from three previously
separate to one research program. The ACE research program will effectively integrate with the
other ORD research programs (i.e., SSWR, SHC, and CSS) to ensure that EPA's science is able
to support the development of sustainable solutions to environmental problems. Active
communication within ORD will facilitate cross-program involvement in research planning and
allow for the identification of opportunities to leverage research activities. Examples within each
of the ORD research programs include:
• Chemical Safety for Sustainability (CSS)
o Exposure to HAPs can be reduced by the development of chemicals and
other products that eliminate or reduce the use of toxic substances (e.g.,
feedstocks, solvents);
• Sustainable and Healthy Communities (SHC)
o Exposure to air pollutants from roadways can be reduced/prevented by the
design of communities and the placement of roadways; and
• Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR)
o The impacts of climate change can affect water availability and quality,
the potential for exposure to different pathogens, and the composition and
health of ecosystems.
ACE will need to integrate with relevant federal agencies to develop coordinated,
government-wide responses to air, climate, and energy issues to take full advantage of the
expertise and research that is being done across the federal government can be applied to address
these complex problems. Finally, the ACE research team must continue its interactions with the
global research community to stay abreast of the state of the science and to identify the most
promising results that can aid in achieving the program's goals. All of these integration activities
require on-going input from EPA partners and stakeholders to clearly identify areas in which
integration within and across research areas can be achieved to supporting the goals of the
Agency.
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b. Communication and Collaboration
Communication and collaboration are fundamental to the success of the ACE research
program. Although this has always been the case, these aspects of research are even more crucial
today. It is clearly recognized that a major component of the ACE research program will be the
effective communication of ACE research efforts to ensure they are both clearly presented and
easily accessible for use in support of the regulatory process. Such communication requires more
than simply providing partner offices with the immediate products of ACE research, but entails
on-going and two-way involvement throughout the entire research process, from formulation of
research questions to the development of research activities and the evaluation of results. Good
communication will not only require efforts on the part of ACE researchers and managers, but
also partner offices.
Innovative and efficient approaches will be developed to effectively communicate
research results to EPA partner offices and stakeholders. While it is crucial to publish research
conducted within the ACE program in peer-review journals, there is substantial value in
communicating the research results generated by ORD and ORD-funded researchers to EPA
Program and Regional Offices in ways that convey what the ORD research results mean to the
development and implementation of policies, and how those results fit within or alter the current
understanding of the broader scientific community.
To further increase communication between ACE and partner offices, other avenues of
communication will also be necessary to solicit feedback and identify the research needs of EPA
partners. Although some partner offices have been actively involved in the development of ORD
research programs in the past (e.g., OAR, OW) it will be necessary to actively maintain
communication avenues with all partner offices, and specifically EPA Regions, which have
different perspectives based on regional differences and interactions with the people
implementing national policies at a local level. Currently, numerous channels for increased
communication and interaction exist, within ORD, with partner offices and regions, and also
with other federal organizations, which will need to be maintained and strengthened as the ACE
research program evolves.
Collaboration across ORD programs, and with other organizations, has been a key
component of ORD's research successes to date. The challenge ACE now faces is to expand
those interactions across a broader range of collaborators to create the transdisciplinary
approaches to environmental problems that are needed to develop sustainable solutions. While
successful collaboration cannot be imposed, it is possible to improve the environment for
collaboration and innovation and subsequently the opportunities for collaborators to develop
truly transdisciplinary research programs. The key components of such environments include
increased opportunities to meet researchers in other fields and discuss their work; designing
flexible research management structures that support and encourage principal investigator (PI)
initiative within the scope of ORD's programmatic mission; and review, evaluate, and promote
policies that recognize the need to work across programs and organizations. Many of these issues
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are being addressed by the ORD Path Forward Implementation Team with input from across
ORD's organizations.
Not to be forgotten is the communication of the science produced by the ACE research
program to the public. There is broad public interest in the public and environmental health
implications of air quality and climate change and the resulting impacts on people's lives and
livelihoods. Information that relates to community use or individual behaviors (such as AQI) and
/ or the adaptation strategies for personal or public land use planning in response to climate
change is critical. It falls to ACE to work with communication partners in EPA and federal
community to provide resources to garner information needed by the public for informed
decision making. Outreach is of necessity through either printed, broadcast, or web-based media,
but the essential principle for each of these is the same: access and interpretability.
V. Next Steps for Developing ACE
An analysis of the existing research portfolios in ORD's Clean Air, Global Change, and
Biofuels research programs will be conducted to evaluate how well the current research in these
programs aligns with the needs developed from the ACE partner and stakeholder interactions.
This analysis will be conducted by ORD and reviewed with the ACE partners and stakeholders
as an initial step in developing the detailed research agenda needed to meet the ACE program
objectives. The portfolio analysis will foster discussions between ORD and its partners to
identify the established high priority areas of research that must be continued or expanded, as
well as, the new research activities to develop sustainable solutions to air pollution and the
impacts of climate change through integrated, transdisciplinary efforts. . At the completion of the
portfolio analysis a Research Action Plan (RAP) will be developed, which will provide a detailed
description of how ORD will conduct the ACE research program, including the rationale,
approach, and product delivery timelines for the research. The RAP will be the product of
collaboration and consultation with EPA partners and other stakeholders, and will rely heavily
upon the involvement ORD research staff who are most familiar with the state of the science in
the key areas that need to be addressed by ACE and with the capabilities and expertise available
to move the science forward to address the research needs identified in this framework. Once
completed, the RAP will serve as the primary guide for ORD researchers and managers to
develop and design the priority research efforts that need to be conducted to address the research
questions most pressing to the ACE community. ORD will also work with partners and
stakeholders to identify metrics to assess the ACE research program's effectiveness in providing
timely and relevant scientific information in support of statutory requirements.
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VI. References
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. FY 2011-2015 EPA Strategic Plan: Achieving Our
Vision. September 30, 2010.
2. "Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a)
of the Clean Air Act; Final Rule." Federal Register 74 (15 December 2009): 66496-66546. Print.
3. Global Change Research Program, EPA. Report Assess Effects of Global Change on Human
Health, Welfare, and Settlements. Findings of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program
Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6. July 2008.
4. The White House. Remarks by the President in State of Union Address. United States Capitol,
Washington, D.C. January 25, 2011.
5. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. National Center for Environmental Research. Clean
Air Research Centers Request for Proposal. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2009/2009 star clean air.html.
6. United States. Cong. Senate. 111th Congress, 1st Session. S. 1462, American Clean Energy
Leadership Act of 2009. Congressional Bills, GPO Access. Retrieved from
http://energy.senate.gov/public/files/sl462pcsl.pdf.
7. United States. Cong. Senate. 110th Congress, 1st Session. H.R. 6, The Energy Independence
and Security Act of 2007. Retrieved from http://energy. senate.gov/public/_files/getdoc 1 .pdf
8. See the reports under the heading, "America's Climate Choices," National Research Council,
http://americasclimatechoices.org/.
9. "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States," T.R. Karl, J.M. Melillo, T.C. Peterson
(eds.), Cambridge University Press (2009).
10. IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II
and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
[Core Writing Team, Pachauri, R.K and Reisinger, A.(eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 104
pp.
11. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Research and Development. Parti culate
Matter Research Program: Five Years of Progress. EPA 600/R-04/058. July 2008. Retrieved
from http://www.epa.gov/ord/ca/pdf/pm research_program five years of_progress.pdf
12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Climate Change Science Program. Synthesis and
Assessment Reports. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/policy/research.html.
13. The White House. Office of Management and Budget. 2010 Report to Congress on the
Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations and Unfunded Mandates on State, Local, and Tribal
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Entities. Retreived from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/reports/2010 Benefit Cost Report
.pdf
14. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011). Office of Air & Radiation. Air Quality
Trends. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/aqtrends.html#comparison.
15. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) National Research Council (NRC) (2004). Research
Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter. The National Academies Press: Washington, DC.
Retrieved from http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php7record_id=l0957.
16. BOSC Report on the PM-Ozone Program Review (2005). Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/osp/bosc/pdf/pm0508rpt.pdf
17. The White House Council on Environmental Quality (2010). Progress Report of the
Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force: Recommended Actions in Support of a
National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. Retrieved from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ceq/Interagency-Climate-Change-
Adaptation-Progress-Report.pdf
18. Biomass Research & Development Board: Initiative:
http://www.usbiomassboard.gov/initiative/initiative.html.
19. National Science and Technology Council: Subcommittee on Social, Behavioral and
Economic Sciences (2009). Social, Behavioral and Economic Research in the Federal Context.
Retrieved from
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/ostp/NSTC%20Reports/SBE%20in%20the%20Fede
ral%20Context%20(for%20NSTC)%204-21 -09.pdf.
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