Grantee Research Project Results

2003 Progress Report: Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making in Developing Countries

EPA Grant Number: X3830860
Title: Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making in Developing Countries
Investigators: Boright, John , Holliday, Laura
Current Investigators: Boright, John , Holliday, Laura , Koshel, Pat
Institution: The National Academies
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: March 25, 2003 through August 31, 2006
Project Period Covered by this Report: March 25, 2003 through August 31, 2004
Project Amount: $260,000
RFA: Interdisciplinary (2002) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice

Objective:

The overall objective of this research project is to facilitate better communication between scientists, policymakers, and other decision-makers so that scientific knowledge can influence more effectively public policy and private sector decisions relating to sustainability in developing countries.

The specific objectives of this research project are to: (1) foster improved understanding of the science and decision-making process (including national and local policy, industrial design and planning, and public choices) relevant to the problem the workshop is addressing; (2) establish a dialogue that enhances decision-makers' use of science in the decision-making process and considers decision-makers' needs in the development of research priorities; (3) identify the gaps between the needs of decision-makers and scientific research priorities and strategies for overcoming these gaps, including ways to increase the professional connection between scientists and decision-makers; and (4) via workshop summaries and briefings, share what has been learned in the workshops with a broader audience of scientists and decision-makers in the host country and internationally.

Progress Summary:

Methods

To achieve these objectives, the partners are hosting a series of "science in decision-making workshops" in developing countries on key issues such as water and sanitation, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and biodiversity that are of particular concern to the host country. The workshops convene representatives from local and U.S. scientific institutions, government, industry, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academic institutions, and other relevant organizations. Cross-cutting themes include monitoring and data evaluation, elements of good science advice, facilitating the flow of scientific information, the roles of institutions that bridge the gap between scientists and decision-makers, and the importance of communication.

Workshop topics are proposed by science organizations in developing countries. A committee established by the U.S. National Academies reviews all proposals and provides general oversight for the series. Each workshop is designed by the workshop cochairs; one from the respective developing country and one from the United States. The meetings are organized in a collaborative process involving the U.S. National Academies and one or more science organizations from the developing countries. Proposals still are being accepted and can be submitted through the developing countries' National Science Academies, the InterAcademy Panel, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

The partnership involves the following organizations: the U.S. National Academies; InterAcademy Panel; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; American Chemistry Council; Mexican Academy of Sciences; State Environmental Protection Administration of China; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Scientific Committee on Programs of the Environment, China; National Council for Science and the Environment; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; H. John Heinz Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment; and Third World Academy of Sciences.

The partnership's first workshop, entitled "Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making for Sustainable Management of Ground Water in Mexico," was held on February 8-10, 2004, in Mérida, Mexico. Participants included Mexican and American scientists, decision-makers from Mexican and American federal and state governments, civil society or NGO representatives, and American and Mexican businesses.

Through presentations and discussions, workshop participants learned about: (1) the quality and availability of water resources in the face of continued population and economic growth; (2) the importance of groundwater for domestic consumption and use by industry and agriculture in the Yucatan Peninsula; (3) the economic and public health risks that can result from failure to manage effectively groundwater quality; and (4) opportunities to improve the stewardship of groundwater resources in the Yucatan and the rest of Mexico with the aid of science.

After the meeting, the Mexican government approved funding for a Center for Studies on Water, which will be based in the Yucatan. Meeting participants are acting as a network to disseminate information about research opportunities at the Center and provided some suggestions for determining research priorities.

Workshop participants are developing dissemination strategies for a workshop report and summary and will help distribute them to relevant audiences. NGO representatives from the workshop now are funding research by some of the scientists who participated in the meeting to improve the scientific understanding of the groundwater regime in the Yucatan. They hope to use results of this research to inform water management decisions in the region.

The second workshop, "Strengthening Science-Based Decision-Making To Reduce Risks From Persistent Organic Pollutants," was held on June 8-10, 2004, in Beijing, China. Workshop participants included decision-makers from various relevant federal agencies in China and from the U.S. government, Chinese and American scientists, businesses, and civil society representatives.

Through presentations and discussions, participants exchanged views regarding: (1) the kind of scientific information needed to make informed decisions about achieving POP risk reduction; (2) scientifically informed strategies for preventing POP emissions; (3) what constitutes good scientific advice and where such information can be obtained; and (4) what decision-makers dealing with POPs need from the scientific community, including taking the next steps needed to make such science available and ensure its use on a continuing basis.

Workshop participants gained a broader understanding of the environmental and health impacts of POPs, the provisions of the Stockholm Convention, and specific implementation issues facing China. By involving various stakeholders in implementing the Stockholm Convention, many of whom had not yet met, the workshop fostered improved appreciation of the roles of social organizations (similar to NGOs) and industry.

Future Activities:

We will work to have the bilingual (Spanish and English) report from the workshop in Mexico published by fall 2004. An abbreviated summary in Spanish will be provided for decision-makers in Mexico. The workshop co-chair now is collaborating with staff at the U.S. National Academies to create a research unit at the Mexican Academy of Sciences that will address a variety of scientific issues related to water. The 4th World Water Forum will take place in Mexico City in 2006. Several meeting participants plan to share the workshop summary with relevant parties to encourage greater attention to groundwater resources both within Mexico and at the World Water Forum.

At the workshop in China, several next steps were identified, including an increased exchange of information and personnel between China and the United States; a series of smaller training workshops in China on specific chemicals, their alternatives, and risk analysis tools; and a virtual research center on POPs. Discussions now are underway among United States and Chinese participants regarding exchanging information among laboratories and the development of a workshop series that would focus largely on steps industry can take to meet treaty requirements in China.

Discussions now are underway to plan the third workshop, which likely will take place in Brazil and focus on strengthening science-based decision-making for natural resource management.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

policymakers, decision-making processes, scientific knowledge, developing countries, nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, research priorities, national and local policy, science organizations, Yucatan, persistent organic pollutants, POPs, economic risks, public health risks., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Economic, Social, & Behavioral Science Research Program, Economics & Decision Making, Environmental Chemistry, decision-making, Social Science, corporate environmental behavior, environmental decision making, behavior change, developing countries, science based decision making, decision making

Relevant Websites:

http://www.nationalacademies.org/sustainability/type2 Exit
http://www.sdp.gov/sdp/initiative/ Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2004

2005 Progress Report

Final Report