date: Tue Mar 24 12:39:36 1998 from: Mike Hulme subject: ACACIA to: bruna.de-marchi@ta.isei.jrc.it Dear Bruna, I am contacting you on behalf of the ACACIA Concerted Action, being co-ordinated by Martin Parry with liaison in Brussels (DGXII) through Angela Liberatore. Your name has been recommended to me by Markku Wilenius in Finland. Attached below is a brief summary of what we would like to ask you to assist us with. If you have time to read this now please do and I will follow up with a phone call in the next 2-3 days to discuss your possible involvement (please send me by email your telephone number which I do not have). Thank you. Regards, Mike ______________________________________________________________________________ Terms of Reference for ACACIA Briefing Papers on User Needs ACACIA is a Concerted Action of the European Union co-ordinated by Professor Martin Parry and the Jackson Institute in London. The primary aim of ACACIA is to improve climate change impacts and adaptation assessments in the EU and thereby help society reduce the costs of adaptation to climate change. The three specific objectives of the Action are: · The formulation of design specifications for an in-depth assessment of the potential effects of climate change in the EU and the array of adaptive options. · The production of an interim assessment of the state of current knowledge of the likely impacts and potential adaptations with respect to climate change in the EU. · Recommendations concerning concrete steps needed to achieve an in-depth assessment of possible impacts and potential adaptations with respect to climate change in the EU. At the first ACACIA meeting in January 1998 a number of preliminary initiatives were agreed to be undertaken before the next meeting 15-16 June. These included the commissioning of a series of short (10pp.) papers from a number of key individuals around Europe with expertise in the area of stakeholder (footnote 1) needs regarding information about climate change impact and adaptation options. The purpose of these short briefings is to give the ACACIA team a summary of what we know about user/stakeholder needs, so that a judgement can be made about the required content of the interim synthesis (footnote 2) of current knowledge about climate impacts that will follow from the July meeting. REMIT FOR AUTHORS: What do we know about stakeholder needs in Europe for climate change impact information and adaptation options? Is there a recognised taxonomy of key users of this type of information? What ways exist for stratifying users according to their needs? How would you define user needs with respect to a synthesis of current knowledge on impacts from, and adaptations to, climate change in Europe? What would the product look like - the 1996 UK CCIRG Review, the 1998 IPCC Report on Regional Impacts, something different? How would you go about the synthesis? Authors should be prepared, if asked, to attend the July meeting. Notes: · The people to be approached are: Sue Postle, Merylyn MacKenzie-Hedger, Carlo Jaeger, Ferenc Toth, Markku Wilenius. · Briefing papers should be prepared by 15 May 1998 to allow time for synthesis prior to the 2nd ACACIA meeting in July. · Remuneration is available to the extent of ECU500 per author. Mike Hulme and Martin Parry, February 1998 Footnotes --------- 1 ACACIA defines users as a) policy-makers and managers at the EU, member-state and regional/local levels concerned with adaptation to climate change and with management under conditions altered by climate change (i.e., not specifically mitigators); b) entrepreneurs ( viz. in corporate sector); c) researchers; and d) citizens. NGOs and the media were not identified as prime stakeholders to be targeted by ACACIA. 2 The ACACIA interim assessment is expected to take about 12 months (from end of 1998) and be resourced by salary money totalling 15 person months (which can be divided into, for example, 1 month per 15 authors) as well as a 2/3 time report manager and scientific editor. There are funds to publish the report.