HR: 11:55h
AN: B22A-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Pilot Study on Reconciling Supply and Demand: Who are the Consumers of Information on the North American Carbon Balance?
AU: * Dilling, L
EM: ldilling@ucar.edu
AF: Institute for the Study of Society and Environment (ISSE), National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AU: * Dilling, L
EM: ldilling@ucar.edu
AF: Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado/CIRES, UCB 488, 1333 Grandview Ave., Boulder, CO 80309-0488 United States
AU: Pielke, R
EM: pielke@cires.colorado.edu
AF: Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado/CIRES, UCB 488, 1333 Grandview Ave., Boulder, CO 80309-0488 United States
AU: Sarewitz, D
EM: daniel.sarewitz@asu.edu
AF: Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874401, Tempe, AZ 85287-4401 United States
AB: A major stated goal of the North American Carbon Program (NACP) is to advance scientific understanding of the carbon balance of North America. The scientific reasoning behind this focus has been articulated previously (NACP 2002), and includes the need to resolve differences in the magnitude of carbon exchange over the region estimated by independent methods. In addition to these scientific reasons for focusing on the carbon balance of North America, the NACP has also stated that these results will support management of the carbon cycle by providing information of use to society and policy makers (North American Carbon Program Plan 2002, Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program 2003). Given the ever-increasing interest in carbon sequestration and carbon management in business, government, technical and policy sectors, this is a natural assumption to make; but the hypothesis has not yet been tested. It is a research question, therefore, to understand precisely what needs exist, and how information on the North American carbon balance will meet them. This study will summarize briefly what is meant by the North American carbon balance, examine the issue of scale and measurement compatibility, provide a first look at the categories of potential users of such information, and outline a strategy for an in depth study of targeted sectors. This research builds on the concept of "Supply and Demand," borrowed from the classic economic concept of markets being driven by supply and demand for goods. The concept is applied to the use of information in order to identify where there is a good match of information needs and supply, and where there is a "missed opportunity," or a chance to perhaps better connect the supply of scientific information to societal need. Research on the use of information in climate prediction and water management areas suggests that such a systematic approach is necessary to realize the potential usefulness of research, avoid misuse or nonuse, and, indeed, meet the broader goals of the NACP to contribute useful information to decision makers.
UR: http://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/carboncycle/
DE: 6300 POLICY SCIENCES
DE: 6600 PUBLIC ISSUES
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting