We are at a key juncture in both the Earth’s and human history where humans are having major impacts on the functioning of the planet. Science to help inform decision making and planning is more necessary than ever. And yet, it can’t just be “science” broadly that will be most helpful, but science that is targeted to specifically help society; this means science that is relevant to communities, managers, and policy and decision makers. There are several factors that are important when determining how to do societally-relevant, use-inspired science. First, is the importance of understanding the users’ questions and needs. Second, is the importance of recognizing that science needs to not just focus on understanding ecosystem health and resilience, but also needs to connect to things that people care about including jobs, homes, and health. And third, is the importance of communicating a sense of hope and options and not just doom and gloom in order to bring together diverse stakeholders and engage them in the science as part of finding solutions to large-scale societal environmental problems.
Results/Conclusions
This presentation will detail several of my recent and ongoing ecological and transdisciplinary research efforts as examples of how research can achieve these three factors to be societally-relevant. Examples will include: (1) the results of applying social science methods to determine the highest priority science research needs of coastal communities planning climate change adaptation strategies along the northern and mid-Atlantic coasts of the U.S.; (2) the results of incorporating coastal wetlands into the US Greenhouse Gas inventory for the first time ever; (3) the results of a multi-agency effort to better incorporate the human dimension and current impacts of climate change into the 4th National Climate Assessment “Coastal Effects” chapter; and (4) the results of an effort to quantify the natural climate solutions opportunities of U.S. lands to help mitigate U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. These five examples will exemplify how transdisciplinary science, including the incorporation of social science, are necessary to meet society’s most pressing science needs to help meet global challenges.