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Science Policy Alerts
Click on Special Initiatives when you designate your gift, and select Capitol Cause. New Position Statements to be Considered by AGU Council
12 November 2009
ASLA 09-21
Two AGU position statements, one about NASA issues and one about ocean research, are currently being revised, after which they will be submitted to AGU council for consideration. Additionally, a position statement on geoengineering, written by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), will also be submitted to AGU Council. In December, the Council will vote on adopting these three statements as official AGU position statements. However, before the Council vote, AGU members have the opportunity to provide comments during the position statement writing process.
The current statements are available on the AGU website. The AMS position statement on geoengineering the climate system was adopted by AMS in July 2009, and it is available on their website [pdf].
Commenting on Position Statements
AGU members may use the Eos discussions website or click on the "Eos Online Discussions" button on the left side of the Eos website to make comments on position statements. To post a comment, participants need to register and identify themselves by name and affiliation, though it is permissible to provide one's city, state, and country if the participant does not have a formal affiliation or has another legitimate reason for not providing an affiliation. Position statement panel members are not expected to engage in the online discussion, but they will take the comments into consideration as they do their work.
Since 1981, AGU has adopted position statements to aid with geophysical science advocacy. AGU encourages worldwide participation in advocacy to provide scientific understanding to policymakers for the benefit of humanity. To help advocacy efforts, anyone may use AGU position statements in their entirety as official positions of the Union. Many members have presented statements during visits with policymakers at local and national levels. Other societies may use AGU position statements as a basis for their own statements, and some even have adopted AGU statements. All current position statements are available for viewing by members, policymakers, the scientific community, and the interested public.
Each position statement expires after four years unless it is reaffirmed, revised, or superseded. A panel of experts from diverse backgrounds is appointed by the AGU president to revise any statement recommended for revision by the Committee on Public Affairs. Panels welcome input from the membership. After considerable deliberation, each panel submits its statement to the Council, which has authority to adopt the statement as an official Union position. Concurrence of two-thirds of Council votes is required for adoption of a position statement. The complete document outlining AGU advocacy and policy statements is available.