One of BECS’ areas of expertise is in decision science, which is greatly needed to help society face complex situations brought about by the many differing demands that are placed on the natural world. The climate is not the only part of the Earth system that is changing; land-use change, extractive industries, agricultural practices and many other human activities have caused and are causing other environmental shifts as well. Decisions about all of these are multi-faceted, and there are trade-offs that must be made. BECS seeks to improve the process of making decisions, as well as to contribute understanding of causes and consequences of environmental changes and the decisions that are made about them.

Current Projects

Risk Management and Governance in Shale Gas Development

Two workshops will consider the full range of risks associated with hydrologic fracturing extraction technologies, and the governance mechanisms that might be used to minimize those risks. Read more...

Sustainability Science: Preparing for 9 Billion on the Planet

This project will be a public workshop that will examine key underlying paradigms of both social and natural science, as they relate to human population size, population growth, aging populations, migration toward cities, and differential resource consumption, land use change, etc.  Read more...

Related Reports

	Informing Decisions in a Changing Climate  (BECS) 2009 Everyone--government agencies, private organizations, and individuals--is facing a changing climate: an environment in which it is no longer prudent to follow routines based on past climatic averages.... Read more

	Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision Making  (BECS) 2008 Federal agencies have taken steps to include the public in a wide range of environmental decisions. Although some form of public participation is often required by law, agencies usually have broad... Read more

	Research and Networks for Decision Support in the NOAA Sectoral Applications Research Program  (BECS) 2007 This study recommends a definition of "decision support" that emphasizes communication rather than translation and a strategy by which the small NOAA Sectoral Applications Research program can advance... Read more

	Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities  (BECS) 2005 Read more

	Science for the Sustainability Transition   2002 Sustainability is one of today s many pressing issues that the National Academies addresses via studies and other mechanisms. National Academies studies relevant to sustainability are numerous and... Read more

	The Drama of the Commons  (BECS) 2002 Introduction 1 The Drama of the Commons Thomas Dietz, Nives Dolak, Elinor Ostrom, and Paul C. Stern Part I: Resource Users, Resource Systems, and Behavior in the Drama of the Commons 2 Common... Read more

	Energy Efficiency in Buildings:Behavioral Issues  (BECS) 1985 Read more

	Improving Energy Demand Analysis  (BECS) 1984 Read more

	Energy Use: The Human Dimension  (BECS) 1984 Read more