ES&T 1/97 Research Priorities for the 21st Century

Environmental Science & Technology

January 1997

Copyright © 1997 by the American Chemical Society.

RESEARCH PRIORITIES
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

SPECIAL REPORT

Environmental research in the United States faces an uncertain future in the closing years of the 20th century. Federal funding resources are likely to decline as politicians attempt to rein in the federal debt. The drive to further tighten environmental standards is being questioned and with it the impetus to fund a growing array of environmental science and technology initiatives.

In this era of diminishing resources, difficult choices among research endeavors are inevitable. Several recent high-level efforts by the White House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, the President's Council on Sustainable Development, and EPA have attempted to shape a national environmental agenda.

In a report published last month (1), the National Research Council (NRC) added a unique perspective to this growing debate: Through a first-of-its-kind "national forum," the Council asked a broad cross-section of society interested in environmental issues for its view of research priorities. "How can science and technology contribute most effectively to meeting society's environmental goals?" Through an opinion survey, a public meeting, and discussions with experts in the field, an NRC panel identified six research areas that demand increased attention over the next 20 years.

The report's authors stated they wanted their document to "advance the discussion of science and technology's role in defining and addressing society's environmental objectives." In this Special Report, we bring that debate to the readers of ES&T and give you an opportunity to make your views heard. Posted online are excerpts from the six research priorities identified by the NRC's "national forum." Also posted on the Web is a printable questionnaire that asks your views on the report's conclusions and the top priorities in environmental science and technology. Responses to this survey will be published in a future issue of ES&T and also submitted to the NRC.

We encourage all our readers to join in this discussion as the nation begins to draft a research agenda that will shape the future of the environmental field.

A "national forum" on research priorities

According to the authors of the NRC report, Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals, the principal audience for the report is the science and engineering community - particularly, though not exclusively, those working in environmental research and development. The report originated with recommendations by the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government (2) that a National Forum on Science and Technology Goals be convened to address goals related to the environment. As envisioned, the forum would convene persons from industry, academe, nongovernment organizations, and the interested public as a first step in a continuing dialogue on long-term science and technology goals as they related to other social objectives and the potential contribution of scientific and engineering advances to societal goals.

The forum included 128 responses to a questionnaire sent to a broad array of national, state, and local organizations; eight commissioned papers; and a public forum and discussion held in Irvine, Calif., Aug. 20-24, 1995. An NRC committee, chaired by John F. Ahearne and H. Guyford Stever, discussed the critical subjects on which science and technology should be focused, looking ahead 20-25 years. Forty separate areas were identified. Of immediate importance was a need to set priorities for the environmental research and development community.

The science and technology goals identified are more than a "research agenda" - i.e., more than a list of all the items needing research. Instead, these goals involve research subjects on which there is insufficient focus by scientists and engineers relative to corresponding societal priorities. The committee chose neither to develop a new set of goals nor to focus on a subset from the existing array. Instead, it focused on how science and technology can contribute substantially to improving the environment.

The committee selected topics that it concluded merited increased attention and resources at the national level. Many other topics were important, but the committee believed they are already receiving considerable attention. One such topic is global climate change. Another is the largest federal environmental program, the management and cleanup of the wastes at Department of Energy weapons facilities.

The committee's full report is available in print from the National Academy Press (202-334-3314 or 1-800-624-6242) or on their World Wide Web home page (http://www.nap.edu/readingroom) under "Environmental Issues."

References

  1. National Research Council, Policy Division. Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals; National Academy Press: Washington, DC, 1996.
  2. Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government. Enabling the Future: Linking Science and Technology to Societal Goals; Carnegie Corporation: New York, 1992.

Reader poll on U.S. research agenda

What do you consider to be the research initiatives essential to solving society's major environmental challenges? Join the debate by completing the questionnaire. Responses will be published in a future issue of ES&T and submitted to the NRC's Committee on the National Forum on Science and Technology Goals: Environment.

CLICK HERE for questionnaire

Top environmental R&D needs

The NRC's "National Forum on Science and Technology Goals" identified six areas that merited increased attention and resources.

  1. Economics and risk assessment:

    Use social science and risk assessment to make better societal choices.

  2. Environmental monitoring and ecology:

    Focus on monitoring to build better understanding of our ecological systems.

  3. Chemicals in the environment:

    Reduce the adverse impacts of chemicals in the environment.

  4. The energy system:

    Develop environmental options for the energy system.

  5. Industrial ecology:

    Use a systems engineering and ecological approach to reduce resource use.

  6. Population:

    Improve understanding of the relationship between population and consumption as a means to reducing the environmental impacts of population growth.



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