Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 5. Matrix of interdependencies among the different elements
of a national response to climate change (NAS, 2011)
Table 5. Matrix of interdependencies among the different elements
of a national response to climate change (NAS, 2011)
Willstrengthenthiselementbecause...
Advancing
Science and
Limiting
Adapting
Technology
Informing
Limiting
There may be less There may be
The decision
stringent, disruptive less pressure to
environment
requirements (and develop risky
may be less
thus lower costs) for and/or expensive contentious
adapting to climate technologies for if the severity of
change impacts
coping with
climate change
impacts.
can be limited
Adapting
Any given
There may be
The decision
degree of
less pressure to
environment
climate change
develop risky
may be less
may be
and/or expensive contention if
associated with
technologies for communities and
less severe impacts
limiting climate key sectors are
and disruptions
change some forms
prepared to deal
of human and
of geo-engineering with impacts.
natural systems
Water/Energy/Land System Interactions; examples include Paciic Institute, 2011; UCS,
2011; EPRI, 2011, MacDonald, 2010; Ackerman and Stanton, 2011; Kenny and Wilkinson,
2012; Scot et al., 2011; and Western Governors Association, 2010.
Integrating mitigation and adaptation in energy strategy development.
The challenge of integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation has received
some recent international research atention (e.g., Wilbanks et al., 2007; Wilbanks and
Sathaye, 2007; Ayers and Huq, 2009; and NRC, 2010 and 2011) including an analysis
of relationships between nuclear power siting, as an aspect of decarbonizing electricity
production, and adaptation to sea-level rise (Kopytko and Perkins, 2011). This challenge
was the focus of a chapter of IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report from Working Group II
(Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability) and is also a focus of the emerging Fifth As-
sessment Report. An example of perspectives arising from this work is Table
5
from the
NAS/NRC report on 5Choices.
Among the topics that have received atention are sustainable bioenergy develop-
ment, especially if feedstock choices move toward wood and grass sources rather than
crops; locational choice for energy supply facilities related to areas vulnerable to impacts
of climate change; improvements in the eiciency and afordability of air conditioning
in residential and occupational buildings as ways to extend space conditioning beneits
