Science and Technology Policy Commons^™

Uniting Science And Society: The Role Of Leadership Studies, Scientific, And Political Leaders In Combating Science Polarization, Kathryn E. Reda

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This commentary discusses the recent political polarization of scientific research and how this polarization threatens the neutrality of science in American society. It contends further that leadership studies, along with scientific studies, have become a contentious battleground themselves, particularly on topics like climate change, energy policy, and the COVID-19 pandemic. This is exacerbated by mass media misinformation and declining public trust. Science polarization poses a significant challenge for leadership as it erodes informed decision making, making it crucial for leaders to bridge rather than deepen ideological divides. Leadership studies as a discipline has a responsibility to explore the causes of …

Contribution Of Biosphere Reserves To Global Biodiversity Conservation And Climate Change, Zhiyun Ouyang, Yunong Yao, Jun Tang, Weihua Xu, Xiaosong Li, Li Zhu, Lei Cao, Mingli Lin, Yueyu Zou

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biosphere Reserves are areas recognized by UNESCO that represent key terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems. These areas are strictly protected and designed to fulfill three primary functions: conserving biodiversity, promoting sustainable development, and supporting scientific research and education. As of now, 759 biosphere reserves have been established in 136 countries and regions worldwide, supporting the livelihoods of approximately 236 million people. The total area of biosphere reserves covers 7.67 million km2, accounting for 4.10% of global terrestrial area, 5.08% of freshwater surface, and 0.21% of marine areas. The reserves encompass diverse ecosystems, including 2.22 million km2 of forests, 2.24 million …

Innovative Pathways And Perspectives For Construction Of Ecological Barriers On Loess Plateau, Zhisheng An, Weijian Zhou, Yansui Liu, Zhao Jin, Yunqiang Wang, Baoyuan Liu, Guobin Liu, Zhouping Shangguan, Yihe Lü, Fei Wang, Wanquan Ta, Wenke Wang, Houyuan Lü, Haibin Wu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The ecological barriers on Loess Plateau are crucial components of ecological security strategy framed as a pattern of “Three Zones and Four Belts” in China, and serve as a vital safeguard to reduce the flooding risks of the Yellow River and the safety of the North China Plain. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the construction of the ecological barriers on the Loess Plateau has already gained some remarkable achievements, nevertheless, there are still some challenges upon us, such as intensified risks of extreme climate events and natural disasters, proper threshold of balance between ecological construction and …

Technological Challenges And Development Directions Of Ecological Security Barrier Construction In Yun-Gui-Chuan-Yu Region, Peng Cui, Yongping Yang, Genxu Wang, Bo Zhu, Xuyang Lu, Geng Sun, Xiaoyong Bai, Sirui Zhang, Yonggang Ge, Jiao Wang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The Yun-Gui-Chuan-Yu Ecological Security Barrier is situated in Southwest China, encompassing the provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan. It serves as a vital water source conservation area and a core zone for biodiversity protection for the Yangtze, Yellow, and Pearl River basins, playing a crucial role in China’s national ecological security. Since the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China, under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization, the region has made significant strides in water resource protection, soil erosion and mountain disaster control, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem restoration, resulting in noticeable improvements in environmental quality …

Scientific And Technological Measures To Support Sustainability Of Water Resources In Western China, Jun Xia, Xi Chen, Qiuhong Tang, Hongwei Lu, Shaofeng Jia, Genxu Wang, Jingjie Yu, Jinzhu Ma, Xingcai Liu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Under the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, the ecological barrier regions of western China exhibit significant reductions in solid water storage, increases in liquid water, declining water resource stability and non-steady-state characteristics in hydrological systems. Water allocation risks have increased, making it exponentially more difficult to ensure water security. Transboundary water resource development can lead to spillover risks, requiring urgent research on sustainable water resource use and adaptation strategies. The water cycle in western China is driven by both natural and anthropogenic factors, yet fundamental research on water cycle dynamics and resource management under changing environments remains …

Enhancing Integrated Observation Network Of Multi-Spherical Interaction In Zoige Wetland And Source Area Of Yellow River Supports Protection Of Yellow River Water Tower, Xianhong Meng, Lunyu Shang, Zhaoguo Li, Shaoying Wang, Lele Shu, Hao Chen, Lin Zhao, Peixi Su, Yu Zhang, Shihua Lyu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

An integrated observation network for the energy-water-carbon cycle, with the Zoige wetland and grassland as the focus and covering the source area of the Yellow River (YRSR), has been established, which systematically revealed the characteristics of ecosystem evolution and carbon cycle in grassland and wetland ecosystems of the Zoige Plateau from the leaf-community-ecosystem-regional scales and its response mechanism to climate change, and accordingly, the ecological monitoring and restoration techniques for different types of degraded grassland based on the degradation of the alpine grass mattic epipedon were established, which significantly reduced the cost and enhanced the sustainability of the ecological management. …

Yearly Population Data At Census Tract Level Revealed That More People Are Now Living In Highly Fire-Prone Zones In California, Usa, Slade Lazeweski, Shenyue Jia, Jessica E. Viner, Wesley Ho, Brian Hoover, Seung Hee Kim, Menas C. Kafatos

Institute for ECHO Articles and Research

In California (CA), the wildland-urban interface (WUI) faces escalating challenges due to surging population and real estate development. This study evaluates communities along CA's WUI that have witnessed substantial population growth from 2010 to 2021, utilizing demographic data and the 2020 WUI boundaries by the University of Wisconsin-Madison SILVIS Lab. Employing the Mann-Kendall test, we analyze yearly population trends for each census tract along the CA WUI and assess their significance. House ownership, affordability, and wildfire risk are examined as potential drivers of this demographic shift. Our findings indicate that 12.7% of CA's total population now resides in census tracts …

Implications For Defense Strategy Stemming From Geopolitical Transformation Fueled By Climate Change, Steven R. Burrows

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Climate change has quickly become one of the most globally significant geopolitical issues facing all of humanity. Left unfettered, climate change is poised to impact nearly every facet of our environment ranging from increasingly dangerous and damaging storms, rising sea levels, increasingly extensive droughts to glacial melting, loss of arctic sea ice and a myriad of other catastrophic events. While still evolving, the current identified environmental threats will initiate long standing impacts not only to the environment, but to the global geopolitical and security climate of nearly every nation on the Earth. This project will not provide a synthesis of …

Key Scientific And Technical Issues In Earth System Science Towards Achieving Carbon Neutrality In China, Zhaonan Cai, Lijing Cheng, Tingting Li, Xunhua Zheng, Lin Wang, Shenghui Han, Kai Wang, Xia Qu, Fei Jiang, Yongyu Zhang, Jianhua Zhu, Shangmin Long, Yang Sun, Binghao Jia, Wenping Yuan, Tianyi Zhang, Qing Zhang, Jinbo Xie, Jiawen Zhu, Zhiqiang Liu, Lin Wu, Dongxu Yang, Ke Wei, Lin Wu, Wen Zhang, Yi Liu, Junji Cao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The carbon neutrality strategy will be the largest orderly human activity in this century, which requires strong scientific supports. This study introduces some key scientific questions and remaining knowledge gaps in earth system science (i.e. atmosphere, land, ocean science), and also discusses some key techniques and the associated challenges, including Earth System Model, climate metrics, greenhouse gasses monitoring techniques, carbon inventories from regional to global scales. On this basis, this study recommends to construct climate monitoring system and platform in China, better describe and understand the earth system coupling processes and mechanisms. To consolidate the techniques for carbon neutrality, this …

Microbial Evolution Of Cryosphere And Biosecurity Concerns, Jingyang Xu, Qianggong Zhang, Yi Shi

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The unique and extreme ecological environment of cryosphere acts as a gigantic reservoir of microorganisms, which preserves precious records of the diversity and evolutionary history of ancient microbes. Climate change and human activities have made significant impacts on the ecological system. Global warming causes melting of the cryosphere that remained frozen for thousands of years and releases microorganisms, some of them are recovered to life and constitute a potential threat to the ecological environment and human health. It is urgent to combine multidisciplinary research forces to investigate the microbial ecology of cryosphere, analyze the microbe pathogenesis and transmission mechanisms, as …

Statement Of World Aquatic Scientific Societies On The Need To Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based On Scientific Evidence [Dear Colleague Letter], Scott A. Bonar, Brian R. Murphy, Leanne H. Roulson, Jesse T. Trushenski, Douglas J. Austen, Michael Edward Douglas

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Dear Colleague Letter from the American Fisheries Society to fellow scientific societies, July 25, 2020, about the urgent need for responsive collective action to mitigate impending radical climate change. Includes the Statement of World Aquatic Scientific Societies on the Need to Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based on Scientific Evidence, emphasizing the importance of aquatic ecosystems. Includes extensive citations and notes.

"Water is the most important natural resource on Earth as it is vital for life. Aquatic ecosystems, freshwater or marine, provide multiple benefits to human society, such as provisioning of oxygen, food, drinking water, genetic resources; regulation …