Development of the “Future Earth – research for global sustainability” initiative
Future Earth, a new global research platform, was launched at the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum held in Rio de Janeiro, just ahead of the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. A letter of the initiators reports about the progress of the initiative.
Future Earth will build on the success of the international global environmental change (GEC) programmes (Diversitas, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, International Human Dimensions Programme, World Climate Research Programme, and their Earth System Science Partnership), in time, engaging all the existing projects of these programmes, whilst supporting an extended international research community to co-design and develop new, transdisciplinary research.
Further detailed information about the activities and processes described above will be available at www.icsu.org/future-earth/.
Future Earth is initiated by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the Belmont Forum of international environmental research funders, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the United Nations University (UNU) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) as an observer.