Towards Actionable Science: Integrating Social Sciences Into the National Climate Assessment

Abstract:

The National Climate Assessment (NCA) is a quadrennial report produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The report captures current knowledge on climate science and the impacts of climate change in the United States, with the goal of supporting decision-making across a range of sectors. While the law requires the report to include an assessment of impacts to “human social systems,” the social sciences have historically played a small role in the report. There have been increasing calls to further integrate social science into climate change research and the NCA. This would support a more complete understanding of climate-society dynamics and the production of more actionable research.

The USGCRP Social Science Coordinating Committee evaluated the integration of social science in the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4). They found that chapter author teams used social science as a lens through which to connect climate risks to societal values. Integration of social science into NCA4 represents substantial and important progress, however gaps remain in the report’s content and framing, as well as aspects of the writing process. Although the risk-based framing approach used in NCA4 places climate impacts in the context of societal values, it is not necessarily inclusive of the full range of relevant social science such as research on perceptions and institutional arrangements. Moreover, the notion that climate change poses risks ‘to’ society perpetuates the dichotomy that climate change is separate from and acts on society, rather than being an inherent condition of it. Alternative framings may provide a more actionable assessment. In addition, report writing is itself a social process. Engagement with a wide range of audiences brings a variety of perspectives into conversation and creates opportunities for community building. This talk will offer reflections on progress and ways forward towards an equal role for social sciences in climate science assessment and greater impact in society.

The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Global Change Research Program and its constituent departments and agencies.