4.1: Environment
Ensure a more coordinated and inclusive approach to research on the environment such that the necessary high-quality scientific
evidence is made available to policy-makers; and, to develop new international programmes in key areas.
Other Information:
Over the past decade, the scientific evidence - much of it coming out of ICSU’s own research programmes - that deleterious
environmental change is occurring, has become irrefutable. The Earth’s environment is changing on all scales from local (e.g.
air, soil and water pollution) to regional (e.g. acid deposition and land degradation) and global (e.g. climate change and
loss of biodiversity). These changes are to a large measure due to human activities and their negative effects are disproportionately
felt in poorer countries. ICSU has an extensive environment portfolio, which was subject to review as part of the Priority
Area Assessment of the Environment and its Relation to Sustainable Development (ICSU 2003a). This forward-looking assessment
highlighted the need to strengthen links between environmental research, monitoring/Earth observation, integrated assessments
and provision of information for decision-making. ICSU is a major global player in each of these areas but needs to assume
responsibility for ensuring better integration of the four components in the coming years. The Panel concluded that greater
efforts have to be made to increase the involvement the social, health and engineering sciences in investigating human influences
on environmental change and assessing the implications of such change for society. SPECIFIC ACTIONS: Several changes to ICSU
structures will be implemented based on decisions by the 28th General Assembly (2005) to ensure a more streamlined and coordinated
approach to research on the environment: • The Advisory Committe on the Environment and the Committee on Disaster Reduction
will be disbanded; • The responsibility for the Scientific Committee on the Lithosphere will be devolved to the relevant Scientific
Unions; • The Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Services will be integrated into the development of ICSU’s other
data and information activities (see 6.2); • Research collaboration within the ICSU community and with other organizations
on questions related to the environment will be strengthened to more fully include the social, health and engineering sciences;
and • ICSU will conduct individual reviews of its global environmental change research programmes. Special attention will
be given to the development of the Earth System Science Partnership, which brings together the four programmes to address
issues that are integral to sustainable development. The links between this Partnership and other ICSU Interdisciplinary Bodies
and Members will be considered as part of these reviews. In addition to the planning and coordination of international research,
ICSU is also a sponsor of the three global observing systems (Global Climate Observing System, Global Ocean Observing System
and Global Terrestrial Observing System). Since 2003, ICSU has been closely involved in the planning for the development of
a coordinated Global Earth Observation System of Systems. This has included taking the lead in identifying needs and exploring
mechanisms for the collection of global socio-economic data (ICSU 2004e), which are essential to the international research
programmes and other users. • ICSU will ensure that the views of the international science community are taken account of
in the implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).
Objective(s):
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