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/
Seems to be scientists trying to shift the blame for the sate of the planet onto economists!
“A new framework for developing a set of goals for global sustainability for all nations. “ (Bold mine.)
Matter can neither be created or destroyed. The Earth will eventually be gone; either destroyed by our own sun or smashed to bits in some cosmic collision. So all of the Earth will be sustained, just not in a form we currently recognize. No worries.
The PUPS (CURS?) need to adopt the proper perspective of time. Humanity is but a single wingbeat in the life of the hummingbird that is the universe. We’re just not all that important.
In the noble spirit of open discourse , even though My hackles rose at the use of ” The Anthropocene” , I persisted and read it …………………..Now I need a shower !!
Izen’s comment above is an absolute breath of fresh air … I was about to open the window from the stifling sneering of this comment list. Where’s the WUWT famous “we debate the science”?
The declaration starts by saying that this was written by Brito and Stafford Smith, who believe that it reflects the results of the conference. That belief is unfounded. Speakers were not asked for written papers beforehand, and there is no way they can have processed all the material presented since the end of the meeting (last Friday). Presenters were not surveyed either. It is, therefore, nothing but the opinion of the two authors.
“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.”
One could go on for pages about the scientific issues about the statement, but I don’t that even matters given the sociological / psychological issues.
Psychologically, these people really need some marketing help. After decades of this approach, they haven’t learned that scare tactics don’t work & in fact have the opposite effect – people feel helpless, throw their hands in the air & say “I don’t want to hear about it any more because it is too depressing”. So, what do they do – come out with one of their most ominous statements to date – basically everything is screwed (not just the weather / climate) if we don’t change our ways.
I can hear the average Joe now “Well, there is no way we can get everyone to change their ways, so we are screwed so who cares (and quit your yapping about the problem while your at it – I don’t want to hear about it anymore) ”
They are truly their own worst enemy in achieving their goals.
We need to have a more considered response.
The thing is, these new supranational structures provide career paths for politicians, bureaucrats and NGO heavies beyond the former ‘top of the tree’ – i.e., being in charge of your country. Due to being higher on the ladder, they deserve more money, perks and power than the losers further down. From their perspective, what’s not to like?
Add immunity from annoying national laws – as WUWT has already highlighted – and we have the beginning of the creation of a global caste of unaccountable secular priests.
Depressing as it is, I am starting to wonder if only a massive conflict can shatter this growing global consensus of parasites. I am having a close re-read of the history of the Reformation, which hopefully is a better metaphor than any of the wars. And, while I have always been skeptical of nationalism because of its stupidity (X is the best country in the world, so there!), perhaps it could save us from this model, which takes decisions further and further away from the people they affect.
“Time is the natural resource in shortest supply…”
I know I posted on this statement above but I just can’t believe the idiocy of this.
Time is a ‘natural resource’? Time is in ‘shortest supply’?
So the end really is nigh? We are all doomed, doomed…
Make this Scientific Fr*udsters Under Pressure.
Global sea ice hits zero anomaly. Cooling is underway. Expect alarmist conmen to switch to ice age scare any moment now.
The planet is under pressure eh? Whatever.
No ?
I got to “Anthropocene” and knew I was in for the same garbage. These people are living in a bubble. Their own reality is created by humans (themselves), but the Earth will go on just fine no matter what they disgorge. However, if they are able to institute a world tax, the rest of us humans will be in trouble.
Aha! WordPress ate it. I didn’t think that would happen in the comments I was trying to point out that there was no <!–more–> (more tag).
Anthropocene, are these people for real?
When I was in college, the Anthropocene was a term which was thrown around as a joke, now I hear it used more and more like its a valid epoch.
Can someone answer this question for me: is the Anthropocene a valid geological epoch?
AndiC says:
April 2, 2012 at 3:32 am
Good luck in selling this one to the emerging nations!
Or will it be just another methodology for transfer of wealth?
Exactly. “This is a declaration to our globally interconnected society”. Except that a billion or two didn’t get the message because they were too busy scraping a miserable existence while waiting for their half-wit solar cell to fire up the transistor radio. And they were probably thirsty.
“We are beginning to realise this new state of humanity can be harnessed for rapid innovation” Sorry, it’s already harnessed. To a bunch of egomaniacal ‘crats with their heads up their behinds.
This is very disturbing, especially seeing how it was trumpeted through Nature, Inc. (Scientific American). Ultra-alarmist garbage. Astounding.
izen says: April 2, 2012 at 5:04 am
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.
fredb says: April 2, 2012 at 5:55 am (Edit)
Izen’s comment above is an absolute breath of fresh air…
The two of you are suffering from vincibly ignorant cranial-rectosis. The neo-Malthusians have been a solution in search of a problem for over half a century and you want us to concede that this time they are right and we need to engage on “solutions”? The crises are trumped up and imaginary. The “solutions” were never about science or the environment or even human well-being. The crisis that really needs to be addressed is the power grab these self-anointed elites seem bent on perpetrating and Rio may be their last, best chance. Read the damn statement as well as their policy brief on global governance here:
http://www.planetunderpressure2012.net/pdf/policy_instframe.pdf
Read those and then engage.
@- Jeff L says:
“Psychologically, these people really need some marketing help. After decades of this approach, they haven’t learned that scare tactics don’t work… I can hear the average Joe now “Well, there is no way we can get everyone to change their ways, so we are screwed so who cares (and quit your yapping about the problem while your at it – I don’t want to hear about it anymore) ”
Your analysis of the flaws in the ‘PR’ on the science side may well be correct.
But then the persistant warnings of danger, the scare tactics, are not adopted because the scientists involved think that is the most effective way to motivate people (although it does tend to work on scientists!) but because the scientific findings are genuinely pointing to dangerous changes.
Perhaps you have an alternative method for persuading people, and specifically political power, to respond to anthropogenic environmental danger.
Warning of the dangers worked quite well – eventually – for tobbacco, lead, asbestos acid rain, DDT, CFC’s, mercury….
AT least it worked after the disinformation and refusal to accept scientific findings by industry interests was overcome.
I would also like to direct everyone’s attention to still another conference on Global Governance to be held in Lund, Sweden April 18-20.
http://www.lund2012.earthsystemgovernance.org/html/conference_themes.html
I haven’t seen anything like this since a big change in management thinking at my old corporation. No discussion of what’s best, just platitudes and corporate speak for doing what management says to do. They do a really good job of acting as if everything is already settled except the implementation. Would be wizards.
There is no science for discussion. These folks want to use the Green religion as a source of platitudes in support of their concept of “enlightened” directive. No thanks. Again (like those of the climate change clan), too much like the Mayans – but less of a need for their organizational “skills” since we already have a civilization.
Why replace current civilization for a global political disaster in the name of false science? The bright line is that a crisis can be addressed by our world as it is while what they are proposing would not be appropriate or necessary even if the promised crisis happened. Control based on fear of what might be is not new. But it is the most primitive.
izen says:
April 2, 2012 at 5:04 am
“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. ”
And you think the UN or this carnival of conmen is concerned with solving problems?
“Unless BOTH sides of the political divide advance responses […]”
The two sides I see is a corrupt cleptocracy aided by pseudoscientists like Hari Kari “Treat the skeptics” Nordgaard on the one side, and the people on the other side.
fredb says:
April 2, 2012 at 5:55 am
This was a science paper!? I thought it was utterly “stifling” and also “sneering” in its assault on freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Let’s use all the money these folks are wasting on their travels and useless mutterings and solve real problems.
Verity P says:
April 2, 2012 at 5:14 am
ER did it really say that the consensus is growing!!!!!
You either have a consensus or not. It doesn’t grow
Well said Verity P!
When will these idiots realise that we’re not as stupid as they are, & that Socialism is a political system that seeks to impose its will upon others, whether they want it or not! A great pity that millions have died to preseve freedom & democracy in two woulrd wars & beyond, such a waste of life if this ideology were to succeed in its goals!
I think part of this warmista mindset is a result of the dramatic shift in population demographics. Seems like at least 80% of the warmist meme comes from urban dwellers. Folks in rural areas ( in my experience) are far less likely to jump on the AGW bandwagon.
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More Americans are living in cities now than a decade ago, according to U.S. Census data released on Monday.
The most urban state is California – one that dominates the popular imagination as a land of empty deserts, open beaches and thick redwood forests – the Census numbers showed.
In 2010, a total of 80.7 percent of Americans lived in urban areas, up from 79 percent in 2000.
Conversely, 19.3 percent of the U.S. population lived in rural areas in 2010, down from 21 percent in 2000.
At the same time, the population of urban areas grew by 12.1 percent, much faster than the country’s growth rate of 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010.
More people residing in urban areas could drive up demand for housing, public transportation, road repairs and social services such as schools and healthcare, at a time when city budgets are starving from cuts in state aid and lower property-tax revenues.
In some places, the growth rate was more than 50 percent, including Charlotte, North Carolina, where the population increased by 64.6 percent over the decade.
Altogether, there are 486 urbanized areas in the United States. They have an overall population density of 2,534 people per square mile.
Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/2012/03/26/more-americans-take-up-city-living-in-past-decade/#ixzz1qt0b6xnH
Census.gov: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb12-50.html
I love it. All of the (non-existent) tipping points are lies.
Any excuse to further Agenda 21 and the UN’s ascendancy to world power is okay in their book.
Curiousgeorge says:
April 2, 2012 at 4:50 am
“There’s something very sad and pathetic about these people….”
Unfortunately the same could be said of Adolf Hitler in his younger days, until his delusions became reality.
Any psychologists here?
Is there such a thing as a ‘Jor-El Complex’?