Foreword
This report is the last in a three-part series undertaken by
ProClim- to provide an overview of Swiss research and monitoring
activities in the field of global change*. The series of
analyses was conducted in order to:
- assess the present level and emphasis of global change
research and monitoring activity in Switzerland, based on
information obtained from researchers and maintained in the
ProClim- Information System on Climate and Global Change
(e.g., thematic focus of research projects, number of researchers,
number of projects, annual funding, funding sources);
- prepare background data and develop criteria for establishing
priorities for future investments in global change research and
monitoring, taking into account the priorities established by the
three major international research programmes: International Human
Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP),
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), and World
Climate Research Programme (WCRP).
We believe that - by taking a proactive approach to
priority-setting - the scientific community can contribute more
effectively to decisions to be taken on resource allocation for
global change research and monitoring in Switzerland.
The present report was carried out under the supervision of the
Swiss National Committee for the International Human Dimensions
Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) and ProClim-, with
funding provided by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SAS) and the Swiss
Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW). It focuses on the
human dimensions of global environmental change - both with regard to
driving forces and impacts - which are largely addressed within the
framework of the IHDP.
Due to its complex and interactive nature, it will never be
possible to arrive at a unique, universally acceptable separation
between the biological, geochemical, physical and societal processes
that drive changes in the Earth system and are at the same time
deeply affected by these. Despite this difficulty, a rough division
of research activity along the lines of the three major global change
research programmes IHDP, WCRP and IGBP was considered to be
necessary. The present report (Part III) concentrates on
research into the human dimensions of global environmental change,
corresponding to the main thrusts of the IHDP, whereas Part I
of the study, published in March 1995 by ProClim- and the Commission
on Climate and Atmosphere Research (CCA), focuses on research and
monitoring of the physical climate system and Part II,
published in July 1996 by ProClim- and the Swiss National Committee
for the IGBP, addresses biogeochemical processes. Together, these
three reports will provide for the first time a detailed overview of
Swiss global environmental change research activity and funding.
The reports will serve as a basis for developing a consensus
vision of research and monitoring needs and priorities for Swiss
global change research in the coming decades. The objective of this
ProClim- initiative is - in partnership with the scientific community
- to provide the government, relevant commissions, funding agencies
and individual scientists with sound guidance on future global change
research and monitoring needs. In particular, we hope that the
results of our effort will be valuable to the Swiss Science Council
as it develops an environmental research strategy for Switzerland and
that individual scientists will also consider them in planning their
research and monitoring activities.
We would like to thank the scientific community for its
contributions to Part III of this study (in particular,
providing ProClim- with project information and reviewing drafts of
the report). As one of the objectives of this report is to foster a
Swiss community of human dimensions researchers, we encourage all
scientists from the social sciences and humanities to continue to
inform us about their research projects.
Dr. Christoph Ritz
- * Part I - Physical Climate System
ProClim-
- Part II - Biogeochemical Processes in
Global Change
- Part III - Human Dimensions of Global
Environmental Change
End of the foreword
