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www.epa.gov/research
science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
AIR, CLIMATE, AND ENERGY RESEARCH
Revolutionizing EPA
Research
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is
blazing a path forward to
respond to today's
environmental challenges by
addressing the nation's highest
science priorities. Today's
environmental problems are
increasingly more complex
and require innovative
approaches that provide
effective, efficient and
sustainable solutions.
With input from external
stakeholders, EPA is aligning
and integrating its research
into six priority program areas
to meet these needs.
They are:
• Air, Climate, and
Energy
• Safe and Sustainable
Water Resources
•
• Sustainable and
Healthy Communities
• Chemical Safety for
Sustainability
• Human Health Risk
Assessment
• Homeland Security
Background
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.
Maintaining and improving air
quality, reducing greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions, and
developing adaptation
strategies to address climate
change are central to EPA's
mission to protect public
health and the environment.
Despite maj or improvements
in air quality that have
occurred over the last few
decades, millions of
Americans still live in
counties that do not meet air
quality standards for at least
one pollutant. In addition,
climate change has been
shown to lead to a range of
major and potentially adverse
effects on the environment and
public welfare.
Research at EPA will play an
important role in meeting the
Agency's legal, statutory, and
policy requirements to address
the complex implications of a
changing climate. It is also
clear that the impacts of air
quality and climate change are
influenced by the energy
choices of the U.S. and the
world.
To meet current and future
challenges it is necessary to
understand the interactions
between air quality and
climate change in an evolving
energy landscape, and the
potential impacts of these
interactions on both human
and environmental health.
Research Focus Areas
Air, Climate, and Energy
(ACE) research is being
captured in
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
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three broad research areas
with underlying objectives.
They are:
1. Assess Impacts
The goal of this research is to
assess human and ecosystem
exposures and effects
associated with air pollutants
and climate change at the
individual level as well as
community, regional, and
global levels. This theme
includes the following
objectives:
• Assess multipollutant
exposures and effects and
integrated impacts of
climate change on air and
water quality and human
and ecosystem health.
• Develop innovative
approaches to assess
human and environmental
exposures and effects of
pollutants in the
atmosphere.
• Identify characteristics of
populations and
ecosystems susceptible to
effects from exposure to
air pollutants and climate
change impacts.
• Inform review of National
Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS).
2. Prevent and Reduce
Emissions
The goal of this research is to
provide the scientific basis to
prevent and reduce emissions
of pollutants to the atmosphere
in ways that are
environmentally sustainable,
cost effective, and innovative.
This research includes the
following objectives:
• Support the management
of air pollution problems
to better account for
regional and daily or
yearly differences in air
pollution.
• Develop methods and data
for life-cycle analyses of
alternative pollution
reduction and energy
options regarding the most
sustainable and cost
effective uses of resources.
• Provide innovative
technologies to support the
implementation of
management strategies to
prevent and reduce air
pollution.
• Conduct evaluations of
integrated, sustainable
pollution reduction and
prevention solutions.
• Support implementation of
NAAQS.
3. Respond to Changes in
Climate and Air Quality
The goal of this research is to
provide 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.
This research includes the
following objectives:
• Evaluate alternative
adaptation strategies,
focusing on the most
vulnerable individuals,
communities, and
ecosystems.
• Devise innovative methods
to inform individual- and
community- level
adaptation to climate
change and decision
making regarding air
quality.
• 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.
Timeline
A framework document is
being developed, with input
from stakeholders that
describes how EPA and its
stakeholders envision
providing integrated solutions
to protecting air quality. The
framework will be used to
develop a Research Action
Plan that outlines in more
detail the research to be
conducted. The goal is to fully
implement this integrated,
transdisciplinary approach to
research by October 2011.
Web site:
http://www.epa.gov/research/prior
ities/airclimateenergy.htm
CONTACT:
Dan Costa, Sc.D., Interim
National Program Director,
919-541-2532,
costa.dan@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development
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