Linking Global Change Research, Policy Impact and Governance in the Americas

Gabriela Litre and Cristobal Reveco

During the organisation of the IHDP Open Meeting 2009, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) was approached by IHDP to provide sponsorship for participants from the Americas at the IHDP Open Meeting 2009. In turn, the IAI suggested this opportunity be used to both initiate a dialogue linking global change science with policy impacts and governance, as well as to brainstorm the promotion and development of governance aspects within the collaborative research networks of the IAI. The IAI thus combined its offer of support for participants conducting relevant research in the Americas with a 90 minute special session. The IHDP–IAI session, taking place on the Open Meeting's "Adaptive Institutions and Governance" Day highlighting various efforts in governance research, emphasised the need to adapt governance institutions at multiple levels to the changing pressures and opportunities presented by global change. As IHDP’s newest core science project on governance of the Earth system, The Earth System Governance Project representatives underlined that there is much added value in working with IAI to implement its recently published Science and Implementation Plan. According to Michelle Betsill, member of the Earth System Governance Project’s Scientific Steering Committee, the Project, in making use of a strong collaboration with IAI, could work as a governance research platform both within the Americas and between the Americas and the rest of the world.

The project could thus link research through its scientific framework on governance by organising workshops and connecting with Earth System Governance research centres. Ruben Zondervan, the Project’s Executive Officer, confirmed that the Earth System Governance project was planning to decentralise the implementation of its science plan, thus enabling it to connect with institutions that would take up parts of the science plan in their regional contexts. Both project representatives highlighted the importance of identifying institutions and networks in Latin America which could do just that, possibly with support of the IAI.

In this light, Roberto Guimaraes, IHDP Scientific Committee member, proposed analysing the potential contribution of the IHDP National Committees in the Americas. “It is time that IHDP, the IAI and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) have an entry point in the American countries, precisely to foster individual projects in each country. We need to have a common programme in which IAI, IHDP and the Earth System Governance Project provide directives and funding to carry out projects to foster the role of governance and policy dialogue in each country.” Enthusiasm ran high as participants of the IAI-IHDP session expressed their desire to continue receiving information about this joint initiative. From their various institutions, many volunteered to contribute to the continued promotion of the link between global change research, policy impact and governance in the Americas and the rest of the world.