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/
Saw this on Drudge Report – http://www.infowars.com/climate-change-skepticism-a-sickness-that-must-be-treated-says-professor/
“Comparing skepticism of man-made global warming to racist beliefs, an Oregon-based professor of sociology and environmental studies has labeled doubts about anthropogenic climate change a “sickness” for which individuals need to be “treated”.
Professor Kari Norgaard, who is currently appearing at the ‘Planet Under Pressure’ conference in London, has presented a paper in which she argues that “cultural resistance” to accepting the premise that humans are responsible for climate change “must be recognized and treated” as an aberrant sociological behavior.”
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That’s not very good news…. considering that Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Lenin, etc used similar tactics to get rid of opponents…
The only sustainability these people are interested in is the sustainability of their own life style at the expense of others, which is the same motivation of all politicians and dictators.
Was there no statement on firstly, before taking practical steps, eradicating that virulent disease known as corruption from all UN bodies?
They are getting really desperate now. Jig’s up!
Like the enviro-extremists, the UN has destroyed its credibility with its false alarmism.
The UN continues to re-brand its crisis-de-jour: first was “Global Warming” but the world stopped warming; hence “Climate Change’ but that has also failed, so now it is “Global Sustainability”.
As an earth scientist, I can assure you that their “State of the Planet” declaration that “we have driven the planet into a new epoch, the Anthropocene” is scientific nonsense.
There are real problems in the world today, but the UN has no credibility to solve them.
The UN needs a complete overall or should be shut down.
I’m just glad Elizabeth Thompson said … “to protect our common patrimony.” and not “matrimony”. Now that would be an unsustainable and ugly situation indeed.
Sounds a bit sexist too, if you ask me.
There’s something very sad and pathetic about these people. Makes me want to hold them in my lap and comfort them: “There, there, little warmist. It’s all going to be ok. Mommy and Daddy will take care of you. See, there really is no monster in the closet.”
“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”
This new concensus is presumably made up of the same individuals who told us there was concensus that the science was settled!
They’re just as wrong now as they were then, untill they let go of the idea that there are massive +ve feedbacks in the system they will continue to issue statements like this and make complete arses of themselves when it doesn’t happen.
Gad, they must regret that this ‘interconnectedness’ which allows erroneous ‘stampede’ messages to propagate unnaturally through the herd also allows the countermessage to propagate rapidly.
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“… 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.”
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/poll-misery-for-labor-27-per-cent-20120401-1w6n7.html#ixzz1qpHQV7v7
These people are dangerous. They mean to steal our (remaining) loot and to take our (remaining) liberty. They really do! Keep both barrels nice and clean.
While a lot of posters here may sneer at the topics and intentions, declaring that the concerns expressed are spurious or non-existant, the fact remains that there ARE environmental problems that require policy responses.
Unless BOTH sides of the political divide advance responses to the problems the side that DOES engage with climate change, water shortages, extreme weather events and fossil fuel exhaustion will win by default if the other side does nothing but reject the existence of those problems.
Credible policy responses to the real problems that arise from climate change and environmental damage is a far more useful, and rational, behavior than quibbling over trivial details of the science behind these problems.
“Creating a UN Sustainable Development Council to integrate social, economic and environmental policy at the global level”
Yet again the New World Order raises it’s head with another attempt to create an unelected, unaccountable and anti-democratic world government.
The stakes are high and they are not going to give up on that aim lightly.
Ah, well…
If they are so concerned about Planet Incorporated why don’t they add the threat of Iran going nuclear to the list? That is far more of a threat to the planet than all their humbug..
ER did it really say that the consensus is growing!!!!!
You either have a consensus or not. It doesn’t grow.
AndiC says:
April 2, 2012 at 3:32 am
Good luck in selling this one to the emerging nations!
Good luck selling it in *Spain* — it seems all those “good, high-paying green jobs” the wind turbines were supposed to create are still stuck in the barn with the gold-dust farting rainbow unicorn ponies…
It’s time these power hungry fools started hearing from the public that they wish to impose their will upon. It’s not enough anymore to complain to our representatives of government. They need to know that “the many” are watching them. Make your voices heard.
re Rick Bradford: you’re dead on target with that “not listening” comment. I started into this and only made it a paragraph or so before I realized that I just can’t stand to wade through bilge like this anymore. When I try to read it, all I see is:
“blah blah blah GIVE US MONEY blah blah blah DO WHAT WE SAY blah blah blah GIVE US MORE MONEY blah blah blah blah blah blah blah”
more and more, that’s all the general public is hearing from pieces like this as well. When credibility is gone, the willingness to pay attention to them goes along with it.
OT?
or
N-OT?
Defectors throw light on harsh realities of life in North Korea
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8720870.stm
“I was totally impressed with East Germany, the Workers Paradise, and was really sorry to see it go. But you have to admit, those North Koreans sure do a great job on Earth Day!”
– Ed Broadbent, former leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, April 1, 2012
Andy says:
April 2, 2012 at 3:25 am
Ego trip.
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Yup – pretty much my assessment too. By the way, who’s paying for this conference??? Oh LOOK HERE…
http://www.planetunderpressure2012.net/supporters.asp
Hmmm…it appears that these clowns are supported by:
* The National Science Foundation
* NASA (!!!)
* USAID
* AAAS
* World Wildlife Fund
among many, many others…
And you thought April Fool’s Day was yesterday….
There is a more insidious side of this conference. Marc Moreno pointed out the agenda of cramming people into cities to return the rest of the land back to its wilderness condition. Part of this agenda has already been implemented in California.
http://hallofrecord.blogspot.com/2012/04/planet-under-pressure-politics.html
“Time is the natural resource in shortest supply. We need to change course in some fundamental way this decade,” she added.
Putting the clock back to 1942? Darkness at noon?
Forget Global Warming.
Forget Climate Change.
It is now the all encompassing “Global Environmental Change”
This is terrifying on many levels, but none of those levels include the climate. The goal of these unelected bureaucrats is to extend dominion over the world and nations in all aspects of life, They must not be allowed to succeed.