Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
1.5.2 Outreach to policymakers
and the general public
of ocean acidii cation and insisted on the need for
increased research efforts and international cooper-
ation (e.g. The Royal Society 2005 ; Anonymous
2009 ; Bijma
et al.
2009 ). New international research
programmes have been launched and recommen-
dations on allocation of funding have been put
forward. Reports also highlight the importance
of promoting exchange between scientists and
economists in order to assess the socio-economic
consequences of ocean acidii cation, and between
scientists and policymakers in order to ensure that
the most up-to-date information underlies develop-
ing policies. Finally, actions to coordinate national
and international research efforts to share technical
facilities and information, and to develop training
activities and workshops, have been suggested.
These recommendations have led to a number of
research, synthesis, organizational, coordinative,
and educational efforts worldwide. Several of the
major international marine science programmes
such as IMBER (Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry
and Ecosystem Research), SOLAS (Surface Ocean-
Lower Atmosphere Study), LOICZ (Land-Ocean
Interactions in the Coastal Zone), and PAGES (Past
Global Changes) have developed working groups,
programmes, websites, or educational resources
devoted to ocean acidii cation. Current major
research projects on ocean acidii cation include
EPOCA launched in May 2008 as the i rst large-scale
research project on ocean acidii cation, the German
project BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean
Acidii cation), and a UK-wide programme in
Europe, as well as the OCB (Ocean Carbon and
Biogeochemistry) Ofi ce and the FOARAM Act, in
the USA where a national programme is due to be
launched in 2011. This list is far from exhaustive
and many other smaller projects exist or will be
launched in the coming years. The need for interna-
tional coordination to support new research pro-
grammes have been recognized, for example via the
SOLAS-IMBER Working Group on Ocean
Acidii cation (SIOA), launched in 2009 with the
tasks of coordinating international research efforts
on ocean acidii cation and undertaking synthesis
activities at the international level. The organization
of international conferences, such as the 'Ocean in a
High-CO
2
World' symposia, have also contributed
to international cooperation and visibility in policy
networks, in particular via the products resulting
Once the risks are identii ed, the transfer of scien-
tii c knowledge from researchers to policymakers
and other end-users is a critical but challenging
step. Policy briei ngs and reports as well as 'refer-
ence user groups' are two examples of efi cient
methods for sharing new scientii c i ndings.
Since the Royal Society report was published in
2005, a milestone in the broader visibility of ocean
acidii cation, several reports and policy briefs have
been produced, including the European Science
Foundation (ESF) policy briei ng recommending
European actions and the Monaco Declaration,
signed by 155 scientists from 26 nations and
supported by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, that
urges political leaders to act (Fig. 1.3). Among the
most recent briefs is 'Ocean acidii cation - the facts',
launched during the Fifteenth Session of the Con-
ference of the Parties (COP 15) in Copenhagen in
December 2009 and its follow-up: 'Ocean acidii ca-
tion - Questions Answered' launched in Monaco in
November 2010. Such documents have contributed
signii cantly to the increased attention paid to ocean
acidii cation recently and have made important rec-
ommendations for policy design (see below).
An innovative approach is used by several ocean
acidii cation projects. It involves a 'reference user
group' (RUG) to disseminate scientii c results out-
side the circle of the scientii c community to other
possible end-users such as policy advisers, decision-
makers, industrial leaders, schools, media, and the
general public. The creation of a RUG, with mem-
bership from industry, governmental and non-
governmental organizations, and foundations, has
turned out to be a successful means to shorten path-
ways of information exchange between researchers
and end-users ( Turley 1999 ; Chapter 13 ).
1.5.3 Policy implications
The risks introduced by ocean acidii cation to envi-
ronmental, i nancial, and social structures have led
to suggestions that they be included in various
types of policy arena.
1.5.3.1 Research policies
Several reports and policy briefs have highlighted
the high level of uncertainty concerning the impacts
