The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) has been working since 1990 to improve the scientific basis of environmental decisionmaking. We envision a society where environmental decisions by everyone are based on an accurate understanding of the underlying science, its meaning and limitations, and the potential consequences of their action or inaction.
The Council specializes in programs that bring together diverse individuals, institutions and communities to collaborate. The Council works closely with the many communities creating and using environmental knowledge to make and shape environmental decisions, including research, education, environmental, and business organizations, as well as governmental bodies at all levels.
While an advocate for science and its use, the Council does not take positions on environmental outcomes.
The Council operates programs in the five strategic areas:
Strategic Area 1: Science Solutions
- The National Commission on Science for Sustainable Forestry provides practical information and approaches to serve the needs of forest managers, practitioners and policymakers to improve sustainable forestry.
- The Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program produces information and tools that can accelerate the conservation of wildlife habitat in the United States.
- The Forest Outlook project enhances research coordination, collaboration, and partnership within the forestry community.
- The Collaboration on Indicators on the Nation's Environment is a public-private partnership of institutions and individuals working to develop and promote a common vision of how to build enduring capacity for routine, credible, and comprehensive reporting of statistics and indicators on the state of the Nation's environment and natural resources.
Strategic Area 2: Strengthening Education
- The University Affiliate Program provides services to advance environmental programs to over 140 members ranging from large private and public research institutions to smaller liberal arts institutions.
- The Council of Environmental Deans and Directors brings academic leaders together to improve their environmental programs and increase their value to their students and to society.
- The Environmentors Program prepares high school students for college programs and careers in science and environmental professions.
Strategic Area 3: National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment
- This annual flagship conference bring together over 800 leaders from the scientific, government, business, academic and environmental and health communities to the complicated relationships between science and major environmental topics such as water, energy, health, education, and forecasting. Participants develop science-based recommendations to advance understanding and better decisonmaking which often catalyze new initiatives.
- The annual John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture on Science and the Environment provide a high profile forum for communicating the importance and potential for science in environmental decision-making.
Strategic Area 4: Communicating Science-Based Information
- The Earth Portal is an initiative to create a free, web-based environmental information resource that combines the trustworthiness and authority of scientific review and governance with the power of web-based collaboration – a direct conduit of objective information from scientists and educators to decision makers and society at large.
- The the first element of the Earth Portal is the Encyclopedia of Earth, a comprehensive, general encyclopedia about the environment that is written and governed by experts working in a unique collaborative environment.
Strategic Area 5: Promoting Science for the Environment
- NCSE builds understanding of, and support for, environmental science and its application, and for the programs that make it possible.
- The Council played an instrumental role in stimulating the National Science Foundation initiative to triple its annual budget for environmental research, education, and scientific assessment.
- The Council presents expert testimony to Congressional committees, consults regularly with key decisionmakers in government, and works to promote funding for environmental programs at numerous federal agencies.
Website: NCSE homepage