Earth System Visioning
The Visioning process, established to engage the scientific community to explore options and propose implementation steps for a holistic strategy on Earth system research, has now concluded. ICSU, ISSC and the Belmont Forum are currently working towards a new ten-year research initiative on Earth System Research for Global Sustainability.
About the Visioning process
ICSU, the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the Belmont Forum, representing the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research (IGFA), are proposing a new ten-year research initiative on Earth System Research for Global Sustainability. The goal of the Initiative is to coordinate and focus international scientific research to deliver at global and regional scales the knowledge that societies need to respond to global change. To effectively achieve the goal, the Initiative will need to engage a wide range of disciplines, including social, economic, natural, health, and engineering sciences, and to ensure the establishment of a fruitful dialogue with decision-makers.
The process started in 2009 with an extensive consultation that led to the identification of the Grand Challenges for Earth System Science for Global Sustainability. Then at a meeting of key stakeholders in June 2010 it was established that a new overarching structure was needed for integrated research to respond effectively to those Grand Challenges. The 3rd Earth System Visioning meeting was held in February 2011, with the goal of starting to design the new Initiative to address the Grand Challenges in an integrated way, mobilising the scientific community, funders, operational service providers and users. A report from this third meeting is available here.
by Jacinta Legg
