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DeliciousWashington, DC (global-adventures.us): The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) called for a predictable and rising price on carbon emissions as a way to reduce greenhouse gases. After releasing three reports that outline the most comprehensive study of climate change to date, the National Research Council says that the U.S. should act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop a national strategy to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.
"These reports show that the state of climate change science is strong," said Ralph J. Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences. "But the nation also needs the scientific community to expand upon its understanding 
of why climate change is happening, and focus also on when and where the most severe impacts will occur and what we can do to respond."
One report titled "Advancing the Science of Climate Change" concludes that "climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for - and in many cases is already affecting - a broad range of human and natural systems." It calls for a new era of climate change science where an emphasis is placed on "fundamental, use-inspired" research, which not only improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change but also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels acting to limit and adapt to climate change.
While limiting emissions must be a global effort to be effective, the second report titled "Limiting the Magnitude of Future Climate Change" argues, strong U.S. actions to reduce emissions will help encourage other countries to do the same. In addition, the U.S. could establish itself as a leader in developing and deploying the technologies necessary to limit and adapt to climate change. Substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions will require prompt and sustained efforts to promote major technological and behavioral changes.
The report does not recommend a specific target for a domestic emissions budget, but suggests a range of emissions from 170 to 200 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent for the period 2012 through 2050 as a reasonable goal. The report notes that with the exception of the recent economic downtown, domestic emissions have been rising for most of the past three decades.
To break away from the trend, the report concludes that a carbon-pricing system is the most cost-effective way to reduce emissions. "Strategically chosen, complementary policies are necessary to assure rapid progress in key areas such as: increasing energy efficiency; accelerating the development of renewable energy sources; advancing full-scale development of new-generation nuclear power and carbon capture and storage systems; and retrofitting, retiring, or replacing existing emissions-intensive energy infrastructure," says the NAS in a press release. "Research and development of new technologies that could help reduce emissions more cost effectively than current options also should be strongly supported."
The third report, titled "Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change," argues that reducing vulnerabilities to impacts of climate change is a highly desirable strategy to manage and minimize the risks. "Some impacts such as rising sea levels, disappearing sea ice, and the frequency and intensity of some extreme weather events like heavy precipitation and heat waves are already being observed across the country," says the report. The federal government should provide technical and scientific resources that are lacking at the local or regional scale, incentives for local and state authorities to begin adaptation planning, guidance across jurisdictions, and support of scientific research to expand knowledge of impacts and adaptation.
National climate change research, efforts to limit emissions, and adaptation strategies should be designed to be flexible and responsive to new information and conditions in the coming decades, the reports requested by Congress and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conclude.
The illustration shows per capita greenhouse gas emissions, based on data from the year 2000. Graphic: Vinny Burgoo
