THE ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IN GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH

The achievement of a deductive understanding of global change is now recognized to be one of the most important and difficult scientific challenges ever posed. The evolving commitments and responsibilities of the European Commission towards the Earth's environment have led to comprehensive actions and plans regarding global change research. One of the priority objectives of the environment policy of the European Union-based on the concept of sustainable development-is to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment. The investigation of identified environmental issues is supported, on a shared-cost basis, at a wide variety of academic and research organizations within EU member states. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary environmental research within the European Commission's own establishment, the Joint Research Centre, and international cooperation, both within and outside Europe, is actively encouraged. Participation in global change programs is a specific component of the current Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development; plans for the further development of work in this area have been prepared. These proposals include the development of a European Network for Research in Global Change (ENRICH), building on the capabilities and facilities of existing institutions, and working closely with international global change research initiatives, such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme (HDP).