From the Earth System Science Partnership
International scientific community issues first “State of the Planet Declaration”
Scientists issued the first “State of the Planet” declaration at a major gathering of experts on global environmental and social issues in advance of the major UN Summit Rio+20 in June.
The declaration opens: “Research now demonstrates that the continued functioning of the Earth system as it has supported the well-being of human civilization in recent centuries is at risk.” It states that consensus is growing that we have driven the planet into a new epoch, the Anthropocene, where many planetary-scale processes are dominated by human activities. It concludes society must not delay taking urgent and large-scale action.
“This is a declaration to our globally interconnected society,” said Dr Lidia Brito, director of science policy, natural sciences, UNESCO, and conference co-chair.
“Time is the natural resource in shortest supply. We need to change course in some fundamental way this decade,” she added.
Over 3,000 experts in climate change, environmental geo-engineering, international governance, the future of the oceans and biodiversity, global trade, development, poverty alleviation, food security and more discussed the intricate connections between all the different systems and cycles governing our ocean, air, land and the human and animal life dependent on those environments.
Dr Mark Stafford Smith, Planet Under Pressure conference co-chair, said, “In the last decade we have become a highly interconnected society. We are beginning to realise this new state of humanity can be harnessed for rapid innovation.”
“But we need to provide more open access to knowledge, we need to move away from GDP as the only measure of progress, and we need a new way of working internationally that is fit for the 21st century,” he added. “This conference has provided new ideas and practical solutions for the way forward.”
The declaration concludes that, “a highly interconnected global society has the potential to innovate rapidly. The Planet Under Pressure conference has taken advantage of this potential to explore new pathways.”
But, say Brito and Stafford Smith, effective planetary stewardship also requires: “More ways of participation at all levels, stronger leadership in all sectors of society; greater connectivity between those generating new knowledge and the rest of society; and rethinking the roles of science, policy, industry and civil society.”
The conference presented new initiatives as recommendations for the Rio+20 Summit:
- Going beyond GDP by taking into account the value of natural capital when measuring progress.
- A new framework for developing a set of goals for global sustainability for all nations.
- Creating a UN Sustainable Development Council to integrate social, economic and environmental policy at the global level.
- Launching a new international research programme, Future Earth, that will focus on solutions.
- Initiating regular global sustainability analyses.
The conference also previewed the first Inclusive Wealth Report, developed by UN University’s International Human Dimensions Programme (UNU-IHDP) and the UN Environment Programme.
Based on a new economic indicator that measures natural, human and produced capital, the tool goes beyond GDP and can provide guidance for economic development towards sustainability.
Says Professor Anantha Duraiappah, Executive Director of UNU-IHDP: “Until the yardsticks which society uses to evaluate progress are changed to capture elements of long-term sustainability, the planet and its people will continue to suffer under the weight of short-term growth policies.”
The report, scheduled to be published at Rio+20, will describe the capital base of 20 nations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Norway, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, USA, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
Off the back of the declaration and recognizing the interconnectedness of the current challenges, the four major international research programmes under ICSU that direct global environmental change science (the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme; DIVERSITAS; the International Human Dimensions Programme; and the World Climate Research Programme) aim to rapidly reorganize to focus on global sustainability solutions.
Additionally, the programmes are proposing to develop platforms that facilitate cooperation with all sectors of society to develop a new strategy for creating and rapidly translating knowledge into action. “Such interactions should be designed to bring societal relevance and trust to science-policy interfaces, and more effectively inform decision-making to keep pace with rapid global change,” reads the declaration. This strategy will form part of “a new contract between science and society” and includes the launch of a new international research programme, Future Earth.
The Planet Under Pressure conference marked the beginning of this new shift in direction, according to the conference co-chairs.
Delegates in London were joined by almost 8,000 people online worldwide and reached more than a million people through social media in the first three conference days.
Dr Brito said, “We have a positive message: strong leadership from all sectors and harnessing the increased connectivity offers some hope that the risk of long-term environmental crises can be minimized.”
“This new connectivity is the beginning of how the scientific community needs to operate. We need a powerful network of innovation, North and South. This approach needs to be part of our DNA from now on,” she added.
In recorded remarks, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said today that “climate change, the financial crisis and food, water and energy insecurity threaten human wellbeing and civilization as we know it.”
“My High-level Panel on Global Sustainability has just recommended that I consider naming a chief scientific advisor or establishing a scientific board to advise me and other organs of the United Nations.
“I also intend to engage the scientific community on other projects, such as the Global Sustainable Development Outlook report,” he added, “I am also ready to work with the scientific community on the launch of a large-scale scientific initiative.”
UN Rio+20 Executive coordinator, Elizabeth Thompson, said, “politician or public servant, scientist or citizen, community or company, we are the shareholders of Earth Incorporated and have a joint responsibility to protect our common patrimony.”
“The scientific community can help us make sense of these complex and interconnected challenges.”
Conference delegates also heard how research advances in the previous decade have shown humanity’s impact on Earth’s life support system has become comparable to planetary scale geological processes such as ice ages. “Consensus is growing we have driven the planet into a new epoch, the Anthropocene, in which many Earth system processes are now dominated by human activities,” the declaration states.
This new force risks pushing parts of the Earth system – the sum of our planet’s interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes including life and society – past so-called tipping points.
Tipping points include the disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic, permafrost in Arctic regions releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the drying out of the Amazon rainforest. If these tipping points are crossed they can increase the likelihood of going beyond other thresholds generating unacceptable and often irreversible environmental change on global and regional scales with serious consequences for human and all forms of life on the planet.
The declaration stated that existing international arrangements are failing to deal with long-term development challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss in an interconnected way indicating that it would be a mistake to rely on single international agreements. Research indicated that comprehensive sustainability policies at local, sub-national, national, and regional levels should be encouraged to provide “essential safety nets should singular global policies fail.”
* The State of the Planet Declaration is by the Co-Chairs of the Planet Under Pressure conference, Dr Lidia Brito and Dr Mark Stafford Smith, supported by the conference Scientific Organizing Committee.
The statement in full is available online athttp://www.planetunderpressure2012.net/
The research discussed in the press releases, the conclusions drawn and the opinions offered are those of individual speakers or research teams at the Planet Under Pressure conference.
More information about Planet under Pressure Conference
The international science conference will be the biggest gathering of global environmental change specialists in advance of the United Nations Rio+20 Summit: 3,000 scientists, policymakers, industry and media representatives will meet to hear the latest research findings on the state of the planet and discuss concepts for planetary stewardship and societal and economic transformation towards global sustainability.
More information on the web: www.planetunderpressure2012.net/
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I would like to add my participation but it mostly consists of unprintable statements. Were it recorded in a video it’d be five or ten minutes of continuous BEEEP.
Vomit.
Ego trip.
Tranzy bum-shufflers preparing for the Rio jig. They must never be allowed to proceed to implementing their global dictatorship.
So many adjectives, so little time…
* Going beyond GDP by taking into account the value of natural capital when measuring progress.
* A new framework for developing a set of goals for global sustainability for all nations.
* Creating a UN Sustainable Development Council to integrate social, economic and environmental policy at the global level.
* Launching a new international research programme, Future Earth, that will focus on solutions.
* Initiating regular global sustainability analyses.
So, no mention of any need to continually reassess the science underpinning these policy objectives in the light of new theories with good supporting evidence then.
Oh of course, any such ‘way out theories’ could be dealt with by defining those who develop them as mentally deranged, as one of the conference presenters suggested.
Good luck in selling this one to the emerging nations!
Or will it be just another methodology for transfer of wealth?
The article says;
“The declaration opens: “Research now demonstrates that the continued functioning of the Earth system as it has supported the well-being of human civilization in recent centuries is at risk.” It states that consensus is growing that we have driven the planet into a new epoch, the Anthropocene, where many planetary-scale processes are dominated by human activities. It concludes society must not delay taking urgent and large-scale action.”
But the caveats appended to its end include;
“The research discussed in the press releases, the conclusions drawn and the opinions offered are those of individual speakers or research teams at the Planet Under Pressure conference.”
So, there you have it: “opinions offered” by “individual speakers or research teams at the Planet Under Pressure conference” are said to equate to “consensus is growing.”
Conclusion: Their own words proclaim they are self-deluding idiots.
Richard
“3,000 scientists, policymakers, industry and media representatives will meet to hear the latest research findings on the state of the planet and discuss concepts for planetary stewardship and societal and economic transformation towards global sustainability.”
The blind leading the blind more like.
In the country of the Warmist Blind the one eyed skeptic is King.
Gibbering power crazed politcos obsessed with the idea of world domination, nothing changes, Arnold will return Terminator 4 about to be relived in explicit detail in real time without the need for a blue screen or CGi, maybe science fiction does fortell the future.
“Tipping points include the disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic, permafrost in Arctic regions releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the drying out of the Amazon rainforest. If these tipping points are crossed they can increase the likelihood of going beyond other thresholds generating unacceptable and often irreversible environmental change on global and regional scales with serious consequences for human and all forms of life on the planet.”
The interesting point about these ‘tipping points’ is that they are not happening at the moment. But have all happened in the past before the age of the SUV.
I cannot help feeling that behind these people know the cycles of nature and have been using them to convince the uneducated that humans are to blame.
It reminds me of the passage in Chapter 11 of ‘King Solomon’s Mines’ by H Rider Haggard:
““I think that I have it,” said Good exultingly; “ask them to give us a moment to think.”
I did so, and the chiefs withdrew. So soon as they had gone Good went to the little box where he kept his medicines, unlocked it, and took out a note-book, in the fly-leaves of which was an almanack. “Now look here, you fellows, isn’t tomorrow the 4th of June?” he said.
We had kept a careful note of the days, so were able to answer that it was.
“Very good; then here we have it—’4 June, total eclipse of the moon commences at 8.15 Greenwich time, visible in Teneriffe—South Africa, &c.’ There’s a sign for you. Tell them we will darken the moon tomorrow night.”
The Team (including the Agenda 21 groups) are playing the same game – any natural event – is ‘blamed’ on anthropogenic causes. Except where in King Solomon’s Mines it was done once, the Team are trying to repeat the exercise on each ‘weird’ event. And you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
Ha-ha! You almost had me there for a second before I remembered what day it was.
Wait – this posted on the second…
Crap.
Wow, I see more jobs coming in NGO’s all over the world. This is all hyper speak, the usual we need to sort of tripe from report writers who do not contribute to any economy. Lets forget the level of indebtedness in the USA, Europe and beyond. What part of “we have spent up” do these people not understand? Innovation never comes from Gov’ts, the markets always decide, that is why they are having to subsidise “green jobs” and still the message does not happen as they wish, because good sense overcomes “bullshit” in time, the money still flows.
Sounds like the annual greenfest and associated exotic taxpayer (ultimately) funded holidays for self elected and blinkered nincompoops is well underway!! Their travelling alone must register as a significant contribution to carbon emissions.
Is this a delayed april fools joke or the sound of a cash register in an echo chamber?
Zee artical above states:
“I also intend to engage the scientific community on other projects, such as the Global Sustainable Development Outlook report,” he added, “I am also ready to work with the scientific community on the launch of a large-scale scientific initiative.”
They spent and earned $BILLIONS – in large scale scientific initiatives.
WAFU.
Indeed, our planet is under pressure. … (a post in which I concluded:)
Not from anything you or I might be doing (or not) to the environment, but rather from the agenda of these ideologically driven bureaucrats and their very closely aligned stable of NGOs – not to mention their
stoogespartners, such as the CBC and the BBC’s Richard Black, in the mainstream media.I’m inclined to suspect that as far as “pressure” goes, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet – and that those who inhabit our planet will be under considerably more pressure during the next ten years of this new, improved “Future Earth” initiative to “meet … sustainable development goals”.
Reblogged this on Climate Ponderings.
Wellness and Happiness Indices are trumping GDP measures and now used by all tiers of government as a rational tool in policy development in US, Australia and Canada. Presumably why the use of surveys has become so prolific. And cost effective, takes too long for people to work out the ‘sampling errors’.
The Census and Statistic Act 1905.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@ur momisugly.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article332003?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2003&num=&view=
(search google ‘ABS Wellness Index’ or 1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2003 )
Defectors throw light on harsh realities of life in North Korea (and anywhere else where media and free speech is regulated). ………..
13.06 mins, worth watching.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8720870.stm
and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8711895.stm
Glimpses of real North Korean life behind the facade
for some understanding of ‘happiness’
Of course it is a joke, they left one of the most important countries in the world off their list. Where is NZ?????
Resistance is futile and must be treated-http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/30/climate_scepticism_racism_slavery_treatment/
The ghost of Thomas Malthus still stalks the earth!
Some one has written similar sentence about 60 years ago:
ARCTIC CLIMATE’S ALARMING CHANGE
LOS ANGELES.
May 30, 1947
A mysterious warming of the climate is slowly manifesting itself in the Arctic, and in the Antarctic ice regions and the major Greenland ice cap should reduce at the same rate as the present melting, oceanic surfaces would rise to catastrophic proportions, and people living in lowlands along the shores would be inundated, said Dr. Hans Ahlmann, noted Swedish geophysicist today, at the University of California’s Geophysical Institute. Dr. Ahlmann added thattemperatures in the Arctic have increased by 10 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. An ‘enormous’ rise from the scientific standpoint. Waters in the Spitsbergen area, in the same period, have risen from three to five degrees in temperature, and one to one and a half millimetres yearly in level. ‘The Arctic change is so serious that I hope an international agency can speedily be formed to study conditions on a global basis.’ said Dr. Ahlmann. He pointed out that in 1910 the navigable season along the western Spitsbergen lasted three months. Now it lasts eight months.
http://bit.ly/HdLubv
Act Now to Avert Planet Catastrophe Part CCXIII …
… except the people, the despised masses with their motor cars and even their air conditioners, aren’t listening, and even the politicians have registered that they aren’t listening.
All the ‘experts’ associated with this ‘declaration’ have just registeried their names and booked their tickets on the climate ‘Titanic’
So, no evidence, just consensus! No news there then. So the solution to all our woes just happens to be, Global Socialist Guvmnt, unelected, undenocratic, unaccountable, & unsackable! What do these Muppets earn a year & who is paying them?
Well this is almost on topic. It’s a survey by Australia’s ABC — tends to the left — on climate change opinion. I can honestly say they’ve got the 16 questions pretty much spot on.
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/changeyourmind/survey/
Recommend readers try it out. Just presume the literal meaning, they cover the detail in separate questions.