The challenge of global environmental change

This policy brief examines the intersection of global environmental change (GEC) science and policy in the Americas. It argues that for science to effectively inform policy, it must move beyond academic excellence to prioritize credibility, practicality, usefulness, accessibility, and acceptability. The document emphasizes the need for early collaboration between scientists and policy-makers, the involvement of social scientists, and the reform of funding and reward systems to better align scientific research with societal needs and policy implementation.

• Global environmental change (GEC) encompasses several critical issues, including climate change, the depletion of stratospheric ozone, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, stresses on food-producing systems, and changes in freshwater supply and hydrological processes. These factors significantly impact human health and well-being, leading governments to recognize that the environment cannot sustain development under a "business-as-usual" mode.
• The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is an intergovernmental organization that supports GEC research and its socioeconomic implications in the Americas. It utilizes multinational collaborative research networks (CRNs) that include more than 450 scientists across 19 countries to increase regional scientific capacity and advise policy.
• The societal and policy relevance of GEC science is determined by five main attributes: Credibility, Practicality, Usefulness, Accessibility, and Acceptability. While scientific credibility is established via peer-review, societal credibility relies on trust, which is built by sharing unbiased, non-ambiguous messages and responding to evolving societal needs.
• Effective policy responses to GEC require integrating political, scientific, and technical considerations, which necessitates a continuous learning process. This process is enhanced by the early engagement of scientists and policy-makers during the initial framing of research questions to build mutual trust. Additionally, changes to funding mechanisms and academic reward systems are necessary to encourage interdisciplinary work and policy engagement.
• To achieve policy relevance, science must move beyond "good science" and address specific practical needs. This includes developing Decision Support Systems for immediate operational use, using pilot studies to show utility, involving social scientists to recognize political and economic contexts, and creating a common language to communicate findings to users in understandable terms.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2024). The challenge of global environmental change. https://iai.int/en/como-mejorar-el-dialogo-entre-ciencia-y-sociedad-el-caso-del-cambio-global-ambiental/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. The challenge of global environmental change. 2024. https://iai.int/en/como-mejorar-el-dialogo-entre-ciencia-y-sociedad-el-caso-del-cambio-global-ambiental/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=The challenge of global environmental change |date=8 October 2024 |url=https://iai.int/en/como-mejorar-el-dialogo-entre-ciencia-y-sociedad-el-caso-del-cambio-global-ambiental/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2024challenge, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{The challenge of global environmental change}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://iai.int/en/como-mejorar-el-dialogo-entre-ciencia-y-sociedad-el-caso-del-cambio-global-ambiental/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }