Toward sustainable environmental quality: priority research questions for North America

Authors: FAIRBROTHER, ANNE - Exponent; MUIR, DEREK - Environment And Climate Change Canada; SOLOMON, KEITH - University Of Guelph; ANKLEY, GERALD - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); RUDD, MURRAY - Rio Tinto Alcan Inc; BOXALL, ALISTAIR - University Of York; APELL, JENNIFER - Massachusetts Institute Of Technology; ARMBRUST, KEVIN - Louisana State University; BLALOCK, BONNIE - University Of Massachusetts; Rice, Pamela

Submitted to: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2019
Publication Date: 7/30/2019
Citation: Fairbrother, A., Muir, D., Solomon, K.R., Ankley, G.T., Rudd, M.A., Boxall, A.B., Apell, J.N., Armbrust, K.L., Blalock, B.J., Rice, P.J. et al. 2019. Toward sustainable environmental quality: priority research questions for North America. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 38(8):1606-1624. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4502.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4502

Interpretive Summary: Anticipating, identifying and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. When these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, decided benefits emerge. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate the identification of specific research needs to address grand challenges. Here we report 40 priority research questions following engagement of scientists and engineers in North America. These timely questions identify the importance of stimulating innovation and developing new methods, tools and concepts in environmental chemistry and toxicology to improve assessment and management of chemical contaminants and diverse stressors. Grand challenges to achieving sustainable management of environment and health are becoming increasingly complex and structured by global megatrends and climate change, which collectively challenge existing programs aimed at achieving sustainable environmental quality. Transdisciplinary, systems-based approaches will be required to address biological effects across temporal and spatial gradients. Similarly, coordinated research activities among organizations within and among countries are necessary to address the priority research needs reported here. Acquiring answers to these 40 research questions will not be trivial, but doing so promises to advance sustainable environmental quality for ecosystems and public health in the 21st Century.

Technical Abstract: Anticipating, identifying and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. When these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, decided benefits emerge. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate the identification of specific research needs to address grand challenges. Here we report 40 priority research questions following engagement of scientists and engineers in North America. These timely questions identify the importance of stimulating innovation and developing new methods, tools and concepts in environmental chemistry and toxicology to improve assessment and management of chemical contaminants and diverse stressors. Grand challenges to achieving sustainable management of environment and health are becoming increasingly complex and structured by global megatrends and climate change, which collectively challenge existing programs aimed at achieving sustainable environmental quality. Transdisciplinary, systems-based approaches will be required to address biological effects across temporal and spatial gradients. Similarly, coordinated research activities among organizations within and among countries are necessary to address the priority research needs reported here. Acquiring answers to these 40 research questions will not be trivial, but doing so promises to advance sustainable environmental quality for ecosystems and public health in the 21st Century.