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November 30, 2005
The US Climate Change Science Program and Decision Support
[Also posted on Prometheus blog]
A few weeks ago, the US Climate Change Science Program held a large public workshop with the stated goal of “serving as a forum to address the Program’s progress and future plans regarding its three decision support approaches.” In the Strategic plan, these three approaches are broken down into producing synthesis and assessment reports, developing adaptive management approaches and developing methods to support climate change policy making. This conference was organized around only the first two topics, not explicitly discussing the third.
I attended the workshop, along with about 800 other people. The breakdown of attendees was not given, but among presenters the statistics were clear—scientists and government participants dominated. The paucity of attendance of true “decisionmakers” who might be using the information generated by the program was readily apparent. If taking time to attend a three-day meeting is any indication of who the stakeholders of the CCSP are, the message is obvious: scientists and scientific agencies.
This poses a real problem for a program determined to make its research support decision making, in whatever topic. How can one hope to make a product that is useful to someone without some sense of the market, if you will, for that product? How can a workshop hope to provide useful feedback to program direction if the intended beneficiaries are largely absent? And how does feedback from such a workshop affect agency direction, compared with say, agency steering committees or panels of scientific peer reviewers? As Dr. Mahoney stated quite clearly at the conclusion of the conference, agencies themselves are responsible for the content of the CCSP: as to the funding-- “everything has to go that way” i.e. through the agencies. He acknowledged the limited influence that CSPO (the office that coordinates the CCSP) has in directing the work of the CCSP.
In another clear statement, Dr. Mahoney stated that the mandate of the CCSP is to do “research and observations,” not to be providing decision support. In fact, however, the Global Change Research Program Act specifically states that the program should “provide usable information on which to base policy decisions relating to global change.” This provides plenty of legal authority for program activities, including research and observations, being “usable” for decision making. And while the CSPO may not have the power to ensure the program is usable, the Committee (i.e. the agency managers) overseeing the program certainly does have the mandate to “consult with actual and potential users of the results of the Program to ensure that such results are useful in developing national and international policy responses to global change.”
Which brings me to my final observation. The final session of the meeting was devoted to setting priorities for the future. One of the discussion questions was “What information do we need to better support decision makers and refine CCSP’s future decision support priorities?” Several of the speakers presented interesting and thoughtful ideas for the future evolution of the program, including the need for evaluation of the use of information with respect to outcomes, the need for a dialogue on the appropriateness of CCSP activities to the public need, and the need to pay attention to scales and decision makers beyond the national governmental level. The response of Dr. Mahoney was to emphasize the limited influence of CSPO (his office that coordinates the CCSP), restate the focus of CCSP on research and observations, and to highlight the zero-growth budget prospects for the program, very frank although not very optimistic responses.
Although I certainly enjoyed aspects of the conference, and was pleased to see so many scientists earnestly working at this interface of creating scientific information that is usable to society, I ultimately left feeling that an opportunity had been lost. The amount of funding spent on the types of research highlighted at the conference such as regional integrated sciences and assessments, applications programs and the like is quite small, probably less than 5%, and that would be a generous estimate. The work relating to decision support is that is going on is often marginalized, and institutional structures and incentives for researchers are not well-aligned with providing usable science to improve societal outcomes. It is not clear that the CCSP has seriously taken on the challenge of decision support and how it relates to the current program structure and priorities. The optimist in me hopes that this type of transformation is possible, but it will take more than good intentions and words on a page. It will take leadership, prioritization, planning and political will.
Posted by lohausm at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2005
Program Manager, Northwest Climate Change Resource Center, Resource Innovation Group
Job Opportunity for Program Manager, Northwest Climate Change Resource Center Resource Innovation Group.
Resource Innovation Group, a non-profit affiliated with the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at the University of Oregon, seeks a full-time program manager for its new Northwest Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC). The CCRC will assist state and local governments and private companies to assess the socio-economic consequences of climate change and develop and implement climate protection plans.
Primary Duties: Work with the director and associate director of Resource Innovations to manage all aspects of the CCRC including, client services, research, report preparation, technical assistance, student supervision, and fundraising.
Specific Responsibilities
1. Organize and present educational briefings and seminars on the scientific and socio-economic aspects of global warming.
2. Establish and manage a website with scientific and socio-economic information on climate change.
3. In partnership with clients, manage the development and implementation of climate protection plans, including socio-economic impact assessments, greenhouse gas quantifications, and mitigation and adaptation policy and program development.
4. Supervise and provide service-learning opportunities for University of Oregon graduate student who work on the projects.
5. Manage fundraising for the program, including outreach, proposal writing, and program evaluation for contracts from public and private entities. The CCRC is a grant-funded program. Continuation after the start-up period will depend on the ability of the manager to raise additional funds. The program manager is not a state funded position.
Qualifications: Background in field associated with global warming including environmental planning, public policy, environmental or natural resource economics, or physical sciences. Demonstrated research and report writing and foundation grant writing skills, excellent communication skills, ability to work cooperatively with diverse people, desire to work with university students. Graduate degree preferred.
Location: The position will be located in Eugene, Oregon. Some travel throughout the Pacific Northwest will be required.
Salary: $40,000-$45,000, plus excellent benefits.
Closing Date: Closed when filled.
To Apply: Send application to Administrative Director, Resource Innovation Group, P.O. Box 51182, Eugene, Oregon, 97405
Posted by lohausm at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2005
Vacancy Announcement: Climate Change Program Specialist at USAID
Vacancy Announcement for a Climate Change Program Specialist at USAID.
The position will be located in and work directly with the Global Climate Change Team of the Office of Environment and Science Policy of the USAID/Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT/ESP/GCC), of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), but is administratively assigned to the RSSA Management Center of the Development Resources Division, International Cooperation and Development, Foreign Agricultural Service, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA/FAS/ICD/RMC). The successful candidate will be responsible for forging strong professional partnerships with Federal Agencies in developing and implementing inter-agency efforts to address climate change impacts and increase resiliency to climate sensitivity in cooperation with developing nations. S/he will provide technical support and advice to USAID field missions and bureaus in the development and implementation of USAID-sponsored climate change program activities, particularly those related to local and national climate change adaptation planning in developing countries. S/he also will develop and maintain strong programmatic links between USAID missions and inter-agency programs by providing regular updates on issues and activities to the field, and involving missions in the broader development efforts and implementation of USG climate programs.
Grade: GS-13/14
* There is only one opening to be filled at either the GS-13 or GS-14 level, depending upon the qualifications and experience of applicant.
The applicant must clearly indicate to which grade level s/he is applying. This is not a career ladder position. *
To apply, please send a) a cover letter that directly addresses each of the Required Skills listed below; and b) your current resume of experience and qualifications to the Program Officer listed below.
Successful applicant must be able to travel overseas to USAID-assisted countries and within the U.S. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
*NOTE: Due to a slowdown in mail delivery it is strongly recommended that applications be sent by email or fax. Do not rely solely on delivery by mail.*
Required Skills:
* Master’s degree or higher preferred, with emphasis in physical sciences, environmental sciences, economics, or international development preferred.
* Comprehensive knowledge and work experience in technical, scientific, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects of climate change policy, especially as it relates to climate change impacts and adaptation in developing nations.
* Knowledge and experience in human and institutional capacity building programs for improving the delivery of climate-related services to developing country populations.
* Proven ability to evaluate program performance, analyze issues, design workable solutions and improve program impact as it relates to climate change issues.
* Proven ability to clearly and concisely, in writing and orally, convey technical concepts, technical information and policy positions regarding climate change.
Contact Information:
Program Officer: Robin Comfort
Mailing Address: USDA/FAS/ICD/DRD/RMC, 14th & Independence Ave. S.W.,
Room 3218-S, STOP 1087, Washington, D.C. 20250-1087
Telephone: (202) 690-1930
FAX: (202) 690-1953
Internet Mail Address: comfort@fas.usda.gov
**NOTE* You must be a **U.S.** citizen to apply for this position.*
This notice expires on the close of business November 25, 2005.
Posted by lohausm at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)