148 



^o 



INVIKONMtVTAt RtSfcARCH AND DtVELOPMENT 



analyzin;;. and disscminaiinf; the massive amounis of statistical information 

 generated by existing monitoring and research efforts, imponani data and 

 findings are ai risk of beinj. used inappropriately, or being overlooked 

 altogether. 



The capacity both to meet regulatory needs and to provide data 

 and information for basic research requires a strong environmental statis- 

 tical and monitoring capacity. A new economic statistic is published in the 

 U.S. virtually every day, and $1.9 billion was spent in 1989 to maintain this 

 information system. >' Comparatively little broad statistical information is 

 readily available in the environmental field, despite the fact that environ- 

 mental trends can strongly influence public p>olicics and may have an im- 

 pact on our everyday lives. 



Changing Problems, Different Responses 



In assessing the scientific and technological base that undergirds environ- 

 mental R&D programs, it is important to keep in mind the changing char- 

 acteristics of environmental issues. The problems of today demand a more 

 complex, cooiJinatcd, and flexible R&D structure than did those of twenty 

 years ago. More disciplines must be recruited to the cfFon. In addition, just 

 as our perspective must be broadened from a local to a national and ulti- 

 mately to an interi:ational one, environmental R&D must also be expanded 

 beyond the traditional natural and physical science disciplines. Environ- 

 mental poliq' requires more than an understanding of the ecological and 

 health effects of panicular actions and pollutants; it demands an under- 

 standing of the effects of changes in population and consumption patterns, 

 of the potential economic and social implications, and of the two-way inter- 

 actions between human activities and environmental quality. 



Of panicular imponancc in this regard, federal environmental R&D 

 programs must provide a solid scientific foundation for making environ- 

 mental policy decisions based on risk assessment. The public perception 

 of problems and the political process for addressing them may sometimes 

 deflect attention from what are truly the greatest threats to human health 

 or the environment. Effectively combining public perceptions of risk and 

 scientific assessments of risk can lead to better policy and enhanced envi- 

 ronmental and health quality. In order to determine which problems pose 

 the greatest risk, however, the resources must be in place to identify and 

 respond to scientifically determined risk. The ability of scientists, policy- 

 makers, and others to communicate information on health hazards and help 

 the public understand environmental problems is an equally important pan 

 of the process. 



