Environmental Science and Policy Institute

Science, public health, education

Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other radiatively active trace gases, by making the Earth's atmosphere slightly less transparent, slow the passage of solar energy through the atmosphere, especially after this sunlight has been absorbed by the Earth's surface and re-emitted in the infrared wavelengths. Because the energy is staying here slightly longer, the atmosphere is becoming slightly more energetic.

The nine hottest years in recorded history occurred during the past fifteen years. Global warming will affect rainfall and storm frequency and patterns in the coming century.

Floods, droughts, hurricanes and tornados cost human death and suffering, and they cost individuals, communities, government and insurance companies money. There are potentially serious and unknown impacts faced by non-human ecology.

On the other hand, low-cost natural gas, oil and coal fuels a growing economy and can bring economic benefit to individuals, communities, governments and insurance companies. This is a trade-off, where the best path forward is not clear and certainly open to argument. It is useful for society to approach this trade-off with knowledge, wisdom and the best tools available for risk assessment.

To explore how we might manage environmental resources and mitigate impacts of global and regional change, given best community education and integrated management practices, the Environmental Science and Policy Institute (ESPI) initiated the North East Co-Laboratory (NECOLAB) in 1993, the IM3 Research Project in 1994, and the NECOLAB Environmental Education Testbed (NEET) Project in 1995.

ESPI is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation committed to merging public health studies and environmental science, employing state-of-the-art information technologies. ESPI was founded in 1987 in California. Headquarters are at 314 Bedford Street, Suite 101, Lexington, Massachusetts, 02420. ESPI was a participating NGO in the 2nd World Climate Conference (Geneva) and at the Earth Summit (Rio de Janeiro).

ESPI's research has been carried out in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC-Berkeley School of Public Health, Vermont Law School, Harvard University's Department of Applied Sciences and Harvard University's School of Public Health.

Links to other sites on the Web

CIESIN - Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network
GLOBE - Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment Program
UC Revelle Program on Climate Science and Policy
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography

page updated: June 16, 2004