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The core purpose of the Global Change Research Program in the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and
Development is to provide scientific information to stakeholders and
policymakers to support them as they decide whether and how to respond
to the risks and opportunities presented by global change. The program
is stakeholder-oriented, with primary emphasis on assessing the
potential consequences of global change (particularly climate
variability and change) on air quality, water quality, aquatic
ecosystems, and human health in the United States. The program’s focus
on these four areas is driven by EPA’s mission and statutory and
programmatic requirements. EPA uses the results of these studies to
investigate adaptation options to improve society’s ability to
effectively respond to the risks and opportunities presented by global
change, and to develop decision-support tools for resource managers
coping with a changing climate. EPA also has begun to invest in
decision-support tools to help decision-makers evaluate alternative
strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental
implications of those strategies.
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