Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Policy

Sustainability Policy Needed, Report Says

by Cheryl Hogue
July 8, 2013 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 91, Issue 27

The U.S. should have a federal policy on sustainability, says a report from the National Research Council. The government is not organized to deal with complex and long-term challenges that sustainability poses for the economy, natural resources, and social well-being, according to the report. Each agency has a different mandate or a single area of expertise, making it difficult to address issues such as managing an ecosystem. This situation also dissuades collaboration on issues that cut across agency missions, according to the report. A national sustainability policy would foster teamwork among agencies, the report says. It identifies four challenges that are of top national importance for sustainability: understanding connections among energy, food, and water quality and supply; managing ecosystems so they are diverse and healthy; improving the resilience of communities to natural disasters and other extreme events; and protecting human health and well-being. It also recommends that agencies invest in long-term research projects that will help inform sustainability strategies.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.