Announced in June 2012 at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Future Earth is an international research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate our transformation to a sustainable world. It has subsumed three existing international research organisations addressing global change: International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental change (IHDP), and Diversitas, and is supported by a fourth, World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Over 10,000 scientists are working in Future Earth projects with increasing involvement from other fields of knowledge, especially the humanities, arts and traditional knowledge.
A key aim of Future Earth is to achieve greater integration of these diverse forms of knowledge to address the most challenging problems facing humanity—securing a decent quality of life for all while maintaining the natural systems of the planet in good order for future generations. Future Earth has five global administrative centres, located in Canada, France, Japan, Sweden and the United States, and a set of regional research hubs which cover the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
The management and detailed strategic planning processes of Future Earth are still at an early stage of evolution, and its regional structures will become increasingly important in setting its priorities at the global level. Consequently, Australia has been encouraged to establish a national/ regional hub, called Future Earth Australia, to coordinate contributions from this continent, to facilitate interactions with our regional neighbours, and to represent our region in the strategic planning and priority setting of Future Earth globally.
Direct involvement of Future Earth Australia in Future Earth’s global priority-setting will ensure the necessary recognition and focus on problems peculiar to our region; it will also allow the unprecedented capability being developed across Future Earth internationally to be harnessed to our region’s needs.
The process will mean involvement in projects initiated and led by Future Earth Australia and will facilitate the participation of Australian workers in Future Earth programs based overseas. Of course, any Australian influence on research directions and foci of Future Earth will be proportional to the strength and vibrancy of the Australian regional program.
Conversely, active involvement in the planning and activities of Future Earth internationally will be of huge benefit to promoting sustainability in Australia; by harnessing the power of Future Earth, an enterprise supported by multiple national governments, this will ultimately influence Australian government and business for the better.
Recognising that the current state of development of Future Earth offers a brief window of opportunity for Australia to be an early adopter and shaper of Future Earth activities, the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) has funded the development of a strategic plan for Future Earth Australia.
The strategic plan has been developed under the guidance of Fellows from each of the learned academies, and following consultation across Australia with academia, business, government, the arts and civil society. This extensive consultation has involved open forums in most capital cities, one-on-one interviews, and a national forum in Canberra in April 2016.
ACOLA gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Australian Government Department of Health and the Office of the Chief Scientist. This research was funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council
