Paris, France—The international scientific community has
identified five Grand Challenges that, if addressed in the next
decade, will deliver knowledge to enable sustainable
development, poverty eradication, and environmental protection
in the face of global change. The Grand Challenges for Earth
system science, published today, are the result of broad
consultation as part of a visioning process spearheaded by the
International Council for Science (ICSU) in cooperation with the
International Social Science Council (ISSC). The consultation
highlighted the need for research that integrates our
understanding of the functioning of the Earth system—and its
critical thresholds—with global environmental change and socio-
economic development. The five Grand Challenges are: 1.
Forecasting—Improve the usefulness of forecasts of future
environmental conditions and their consequences for people. 2.
Observing—Develop, enhance and integrate the observation systems
needed to manage global and regional environmental change.