The study of the Earth System has reached a point of transition. For the past two decades, our priority has been to understand the functioning of the Earth System and, in particular, the impact of human actions on that system. While many critical research questions remain in this area, science has advanced to the point that we now have a good understanding of how the Earth System is changing and a growing understanding of how those changes will affect society and human well-being. Earth System science has provided invaluable new insights over the past decade regarding the biophysical processes that determine the functioning and resilience of planet Earth, the sensitivities of the components of the Earth System, evidence of the accelerated pace of global environmental change caused by the human enterprise, the possible consequences of those changes, and the human dimensions of how to address these challenges.

The attached draft “Grand Challenges” document seeks to mobilize social and natural scientists and the humanities around an unprecedented 10-year scientific effort to address the challenges in global sustainability research. The selection of the Grand Challenges and research priorities has been carried out through a process that began with an Internet consultation.
ICSU now seeks your inputs to the draft.
You are invited to submit your views on www.surveymonkey.com/s/22BLPKJ by February 21 2010. Please note that comments are only accepted through this link.

Update: The final report has been published in October 2010 (see ProClim- News)
> PDF (283 kB)