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Bush climate plan vexes science panel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Bush administration's plan for research into global climate change lacks a "clear and consistent" focus to guide officials in setting U.S. policy, a National Academy of Sciences panel said on Tuesday, The panel reviewed the draft plan at the request of the White House and described it as "a good start" that needed revisions to clarify its priorities and goals. At first glance, members said, it appeared the administration's proposed budget for fiscal 2004, which begins October 1, left funding for climate change research relatively unchanged -- despite important new initiatives that are proposed in the draft plan. After withdrawing from the Kyoto Treaty on global warming, the Bush administration called for industry to make voluntary efforts to reduce emissions of so-called greenhouse gases linked to climate change. It launched the Climate Change Strategic Program, for research into the issue, last fall. Scientists say use of fossil fuels, food production and land-use changes have released carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone gases at the same time the earth's surface has warmed slightly. Climate change could result in melting of glaciers, a rise in sea levels, extended crop-growing seasons and changes in the geographic location of animals and plants. "The draft plan lacks most of the basic elements of a strategic plan," the NAS panel wrote. It said there was no "guiding vision," set of executable goals, clear timetables, criteria for measuring progress or priorities for work. A revised version of strategic plan for the Climate Change Strategic Program, which would facilitate research by 13 federal agencies, will be reviewed by the panel later this year. "The revised strategic plan should articulate a clear, concise vision statement for the program in the context of national needs," the panel recommended. "The vision should be specific, ambitious and apply to the entire CCSP." In their report, the NAS panel said the draft plan identified "some exciting new directions" for research and for "genuine overtures" to researchers and interested parties on how to improve the draft. Some of the most important initiatives in the draft, the panel said, were a call for reliable methods for forecasting climate change and "cutting-edge" research into aerosols and the carbon cycle, to improve scientists' understanding of climate change and variability. Trustworthy climate forecasts would be of great value for policymakers at all levels, the panel said. As an example, it said the forecasts could be used by regional water managers or even by consumers deciding which appliances to buy. Thomas Graedel, professor of industrial ecology at Yale University and chairman of the panel, said while research in the past tried to gauge how the climate was changing and its effects on nature, "future science must also focus on more applied research that can directly support decision-making." "Research is especially needed to improve our understanding of the possible impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human society as well as options for responding to -- and reducing -- these effects." Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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