| The climate system is inextricably
linked to the Earth’s biogeochemistry and to human activities.
For the WCRP to achieve its goals of understanding and predicting
climate variability and change, and their effect on humans, it must
contribute to studies of the fully integrated Earth system. The Amsterdam
Open Science Conference, which established the Earth
System Science Partnership (ESSP) and produced the Amsterdam Declaration
(2001), can be considered also to have defined modern Earth system
studies. It stated that:
The Earth System behaves as a single, self-regulating system
comprised of physical, chemical, biological and human components;
Human activities are significantly influencing Earth's environment
in many ways in addition to greenhouse gas emissions and climate
change;
Global change cannot be understood in terms of a simple cause-effect
paradigm;
Earth System dynamics are characterised by critical thresholds and
abrupt changes;
Human activities could inadvertently trigger such changes with severe
consequences for Earth's environment and inhabitants;
In terms of some key environmental parameters, the Earth System
has moved well outside the range of the natural variability exhibited
over the last half million years at least; and
An ethical framework for global stewardship and strategies for Earth
System management are urgently needed.
To this end, the WCRP is working increasingly closely with the International Geosphere Biosphere
Programme (IGBP), the International
Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)
and DIVERSITAS
– an international programme for biodiversity science
to provide the international framework for coordination and co-operation
for Earth system science and international research into global
environmental change. The four programmes have formed the Earth
System Science Partnership (ESSP), which sponsors projects aimed
to make a significant contribution to the debate on the environmental,
social and economic aspects of sustainability. Joint projects have
been established in the areas of carbon (GCP),
water (GWSP), food security (GECAFS)
and health. |
