"Understanding our global environment and our role in it is the first step toward living in better harmony with nature."
Reports to the Nation: Our Changing Planet

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Environment, Science and Development (ESD)

The goal of the ESD program is to enhance our understanding of societal capacity to adapt to climate in the context of integrated environment, science and development issues. The program is designed to stimulate and support solution-oriented, place-based research most relevant to the influence of climate on development objectives and disaster preparedness. ESD seeks to apply this knowledge to improve the institutional, scientific and technical capacity needed to successfully apply climate information to practical challenges associated with sustainable development.

The ESD program builds on a decade of previous studies in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. These applications research projects took a region-specific approach to integrated programs of research, institutional development and capacity building, with support provided through a variety of funding mechanisms and partnerships with regional, national and international organizations.

Funding Opportunities

ESD is no longer longer accepting new proposals; for funding opportunties related applications research and capacity building, please see the Sector Applications Research Program (SARP).

Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development

Climate Forecast Applications for Disaster Mitigation in Vietnam - Climate-related shocks, such as droughts, floods and typhoons, routinely disrupt livelihood systems for large numbers of people in Vietnam, resulting in frequent disasters.

Building Climate Information in Central America: Agroclimatic Forecast Interpretations for the 2004 Season - Central America suffers from extremes of climate variability, with a limited societal capacity to mitigate these effects.

Abstract: The Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development (KSSD) Project, http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/kssd, seeks to understand and promote the design of effective systems to harness research-based knowledge in support of decisions bearing on the joint goals of human development and environmental stewardship – i.e., on goals of sustainability. more...

Final Report: El Niño Early Warning for Sustainable Development in Pacific Rim Countries and Islands (13-16 September 2004; Galapagos Islands, Ecuador) (pdf)- The Galapagos workshop was the ninth "Usable Science" workshop organized by the Environmental and Societal Impacts Group at NCAR in the past ten years. more...

Abstract: Seasonal Climate Prediction and Management of the Panama Canal: Estimating the Benefits of Using Climate Forecast Information - We use hydrologic modeling and a simplified decision support system to investigate the benefits of using climate forecast information for the management of the Panama Canal. more...