Future Earth: providing the knowledge and support to achieve a sustainable world

Future Earth is an international hub to coordinate new, interdisciplinary approaches to research on three themes: Dynamic Planet, Global Sustainable Development and Transformations towards Sustainability. It also aims to be a platform for international engagement to ensure that knowledge is generated in partnership with society and users of science. It is open to scientists of all disciplines, natural and social, as well as engineering, the humanities and law.

Over 28-29th April 2016, over 100 participants from diverse disciplines and professions came together in Canberra to discuss how to translate the global Future Earth program into a regional initiative: Future Earth Australia, convened by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).

Read about the workshop.

The world organisation is supported by many of the heavy hitters in climate change and global sustainability – it has been estimated that there are >50,000 scientists who are associated.  The great aspect of this push is that it explicitly recognises that the rapidly emerging problems of the earth are not going to be solved by reductionist science.  What is required is “sustainability science” i.e. transdisciplinary teams of scientists, economists, social scientists, policy makers, change agents who address the “messy” and complex issues of people, economics and environment.

Find out more about Future Earth.