Earth System Governance Project
Encyclopedia
The Earth System Governance Project is a long-term, interdisciplinary social science research programme developed under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions program on Global Environmental Change
, and started January 2009. It will conclude in 2018.
The Earth System Governance Project currently consists of a network of ca. 300 active and about 1.700 indirectly involved scholars from all continents, and is the largest social science research network in the area of governance and global environmental change.
The aim of the Earth System Governance Project is to address with cutting-edge science the large, complex challenge of governance in the face of intensifying global environmental change and earth system transformation, and to create a better understanding of the role of institutions, organizations and governance mechanisms by which humans currently regulate their relationship with the natural environment and global biochemical systems.
The Earth System Governance Project organizes its research according to a conceptual framework, guided by the five analytical problems of earth system governance (the 5A’s). These are the problems of the overall architecture of earth system governance, of agency beyond the state and of the state, of the adaptiveness of governance mechanisms and processes, of their accountability and legitimacy and of modes of allocation and access in earth system governance.
The concept of Earth System Governance is defined as:
, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
, World Climate Research Programme
, and International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
) agreed to intensify co-operation through setting up an overarching Earth System Science Partnership.
The research communities represented in this Partnership contend in the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change that the earth system now operates ‘well outside the normal state exhibited over the past 500,000 years’ and that ‘human activity is generating change that extends well beyond natural variability—in some cases, alarmingly so— and at rates that continue to accelerate.’ To cope with this challenge, the four global change research programmes have called ‘urgently’ for ‘an ethical framework for global stewardship and strategies for Earth System management’.
In March 2007, in response to the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration, the Scientific Committee of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)
, the overarching social science programme in the field, mandated the drafting of the Science Plan of the Earth System Governance Project by a newly appointed Scientific Planning Committee.
The Earth System Governance Project builds on the results of an earlier long-term research programme, the IHDP core project Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC).
In 2008, the Earth System Governance Project officially launched during a reception in New Delhi, India, where the synthesis results from its preceding research project (Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change - IDGEC) were presented
In 2009, the Science and Implementation Plan of the Earth System Governance Project was published. In the science and implementation plan, the conceptual problems, cross-cutting themes, flagship projects, and its policy relevance are outlined in detail. The Science Plan was written by the international, interdisciplinary Scientific Planning Committee, which drew on a consultative process that started in 2004. Several working drafts of this Science Plan have been presented and discussed at a series of international events and conferences, and numerous scholars in the field, as well as practitioners, have offered suggestions, advice, and critique.
A related MIT Press Book series on earth system governance is designed to address the research challenge of earth system governance. Additionally, the Project publishes regular Working Papers, which are peer-reviewed online publications that broadly address questions raised by the Project’s Science and Implementation Plan.
Several special issues of topics related to earth system governance have been published in scientific journals over the last years:
A substantial amount of the workshops and other events of the project are so called capacity-building activities.
in Rio de Janeiro, also known as ‘Rio + 20’.
International Human Dimensions Programme
The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change is a research programme that studies the human and societal aspects of the phenomenon of global change....
, and started January 2009. It will conclude in 2018.
The Earth System Governance Project currently consists of a network of ca. 300 active and about 1.700 indirectly involved scholars from all continents, and is the largest social science research network in the area of governance and global environmental change.
The aim of the Earth System Governance Project is to address with cutting-edge science the large, complex challenge of governance in the face of intensifying global environmental change and earth system transformation, and to create a better understanding of the role of institutions, organizations and governance mechanisms by which humans currently regulate their relationship with the natural environment and global biochemical systems.
The Earth System Governance Project organizes its research according to a conceptual framework, guided by the five analytical problems of earth system governance (the 5A’s). These are the problems of the overall architecture of earth system governance, of agency beyond the state and of the state, of the adaptiveness of governance mechanisms and processes, of their accountability and legitimacy and of modes of allocation and access in earth system governance.
The concept of Earth System Governance is defined as:
... the interrelated and increasingly integrated system of formal and informal rules, rule-making systems, and actor-networks at all levels of human society (from local to global) that are set up to steer societies towards preventing, mitigating, and adapting to global and local environmental change and, in particular, earth system transformation, within the normative context of sustainable development.
Origin and history
In 2001, the four global change programmes ((DIVERSITASDiversitas
Diversitas is an international programme on biodiversity science. It is one of four such programmes that collectively come under the Earth System Science Partnership...
, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme
The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme is a research programme that studies the phenomenon of global change.The International Council of Scientific Unions, a coordinating body of national science organizations, launched IGBP in 1986...
, World Climate Research Programme
World Climate Research Programme
The World Climate Research Programme was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 1993. It is a component of the...
, and International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
International Human Dimensions Programme
The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change is a research programme that studies the human and societal aspects of the phenomenon of global change....
) agreed to intensify co-operation through setting up an overarching Earth System Science Partnership.
Earth System Science Partnership
The Earth System Science Partnership is a partnership under the auspices of the International Council for Science for the integrated study of the Earth System, the ways that it is changing, and the implications for global and regional sustainability...
The research communities represented in this Partnership contend in the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change that the earth system now operates ‘well outside the normal state exhibited over the past 500,000 years’ and that ‘human activity is generating change that extends well beyond natural variability—in some cases, alarmingly so— and at rates that continue to accelerate.’ To cope with this challenge, the four global change research programmes have called ‘urgently’ for ‘an ethical framework for global stewardship and strategies for Earth System management’.
In March 2007, in response to the 2001 Amsterdam Declaration, the Scientific Committee of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)
International Human Dimensions Programme
The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change is a research programme that studies the human and societal aspects of the phenomenon of global change....
, the overarching social science programme in the field, mandated the drafting of the Science Plan of the Earth System Governance Project by a newly appointed Scientific Planning Committee.
The Earth System Governance Project builds on the results of an earlier long-term research programme, the IHDP core project Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change (IDGEC).
In 2008, the Earth System Governance Project officially launched during a reception in New Delhi, India, where the synthesis results from its preceding research project (Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change - IDGEC) were presented
In 2009, the Science and Implementation Plan of the Earth System Governance Project was published. In the science and implementation plan, the conceptual problems, cross-cutting themes, flagship projects, and its policy relevance are outlined in detail. The Science Plan was written by the international, interdisciplinary Scientific Planning Committee, which drew on a consultative process that started in 2004. Several working drafts of this Science Plan have been presented and discussed at a series of international events and conferences, and numerous scholars in the field, as well as practitioners, have offered suggestions, advice, and critique.
Global research network
For its activities and implementation, the Earth System Governance Project relies on a global network that reflects the interdisciplinary, international, and multi-scale challenge of its research agenda. To this end, the project has built a global network that includes following groups:- Scientific Steering Committee - The Earth System Governance Project operates under the direction of a Scientific Steering Committee. The role of the Scientific Steering Committee is to guide the implementation of the Earth System Governance Science Plan.
- Lead Faculty - The Lead Faculty of the Earth System Governance Project is a group of individual scientists of high international reputation who will take over (shared) responsibility for the development of research.
- Research Fellows, and Senior Research Fellows - Earth System Governance Fellows are early to mid-level career colleagues who seek to link their own research projects with the broader themes and questions advanced by the Earth System Governance Science and Implementation Plan.
- An important element in the project organisation is the global alliance of research centres that includes the VU University Amsterdam; the Australian National UniversityAustralian National UniversityThe Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
; Chiang Mai UniversityChiang Mai UniversityChiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...
; Colorado State UniversityColorado State UniversityColorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
; Lund UniversityLund UniversityLund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
; University of East AngliaUniversity of East AngliaThe University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
; University of Oldenburg; the Stockholm Resilience CentreStockholm Resilience CentreThe Stockholm Resilience Centre is an international research centre at Stockholm University that focuses on the resilience of social-ecological systems....
and the Tokyo Institute of TechnologyTokyo Institute of TechnologyThe Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
. Strong networks on earth system governance research are also emerging in China, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, India, and Latin America.
Conferences
Since 2007, several scientific conferences have addressed the topics of governance and global environmental change. These include, but are not limited to:- 2007 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. 'Earth System Governance: Theories and Strategies for Sustainability'
- 2008 Berlin Conference on the Human Dimension of Global Environmental Change. 'Long-Term Policies: Governing Social-Ecological Change'
- 2009: 7th International Science Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. 'Social Challenges of Global Change'
- 2009 Amsterdam Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. 'Earth System Governance: People, Places, and the Planet'
- 2010 Berlin Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. 'Social dimensions of environmental change and governance'
- 2011: Colorado Conference on Earth System Governance: 'Crossing Boundaries and Building Bridges'
- (Upcoming) 2012: Lund Conference on Earth System Governance
Publications
The network of researchers affiliated with the Earth System Governance Project has published numerous reports and books, and has published widely in journals such as International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics; Ecological Economics; Global Environmental Change; Environmental Science & Policy; Global Environmental Politics; and Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability.A related MIT Press Book series on earth system governance is designed to address the research challenge of earth system governance. Additionally, the Project publishes regular Working Papers, which are peer-reviewed online publications that broadly address questions raised by the Project’s Science and Implementation Plan.
Several special issues of topics related to earth system governance have been published in scientific journals over the last years:
- August 2010: Special Issue on: Transparency in Global Environmental Governance, Global Environmental Politics
- November 2011: Special issue on Earth System Governance, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics
- February 2011: Special Issue: Agency in Earth System Governance, International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics
- In Press: Special Issue on Accountability in Earth System Governance. Ecological Economics
Teaching Earth System Governance
Earth system governance as a research object is quickly emerging, and as a consequence, the number of academic programmes on bachelor, master and doctoral level related to earth system governance steadily increases. A number of institutes and universities currently collaborate in a Global Alliance of Earth System Governance Research Centres. The educational programmes these universities offer, include, but are not limited to:- Ecosystems, Resilience and Governance, University of Stockholm and Stockholm Resilience CentreStockholm Resilience CentreThe Stockholm Resilience Centre is an international research centre at Stockholm University that focuses on the resilience of social-ecological systems....
, Sweden - Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science, LUMES, International Master’s Programme, Lund UniversityLund UniversityLund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, Sweden - Global Environmental Governance, Specialization track in MSc Political Science, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Lund University Centre of Excellence for Integration of Social and Natural Dimensions of Sustainability, LUCID, Research School, Lund UniversityLund UniversityLund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, Sweden - Sustainability Economics and Management, MSc Programme, University of Oldenburg, Germany
- Environmental Governance related Programmes, MA, MSc, and PhD Programmes, Colorado State UniversityColorado State UniversityColorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
, United States of America - Environment and Development Programmes, MSc, MRes, and MBA Programmes, University of East AngliaUniversity of East AngliaThe University of East Anglia is a public research university based in Norwich, United Kingdom. It was established in 1963, and is a founder-member of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.-History:...
, United Kingdom
A substantial amount of the workshops and other events of the project are so called capacity-building activities.
Initiatives
In 2011, the Earth System Governance Project launched an initiative on International Environmental Governance. This initiative aims to provide a forum for synthesis and discussion of current and ongoing research on international environmental governance and the institutional framework for sustainable development, in the period leading up to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable DevelopmentUnited Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
In 2012 the United Nations will convene the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio 2012 or Rio+20, hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, as a 20-year follow-up to the historic 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development that was held in the same city...
in Rio de Janeiro, also known as ‘Rio + 20’.
See also
- Social science
- Global governanceGlobal governanceGlobal governance or world governance is the political interaction of transnational actors aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. The modern question of world governance exists in the context of globalization...
- Sustainability governance
- Environmental governanceEnvironmental governanceEnvironmental governance is a concept in political ecology or environmental policy related to defining the elements needed to achieve sustainability. All human activities -- political, social and economic — should be understood and managed as subsets of the environment and ecosystems...
External Links
- Earth System Governance Project
- Global Governance Project
- International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP)
- Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies
- VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies
Related projects
- Earth System Science PartnershipEarth System Science PartnershipThe Earth System Science Partnership is a partnership under the auspices of the International Council for Science for the integrated study of the Earth System, the ways that it is changing, and the implications for global and regional sustainability...
- International Geosphere-Biosphere ProgrammeInternational Geosphere-Biosphere ProgrammeThe International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme is a research programme that studies the phenomenon of global change.The International Council of Scientific Unions, a coordinating body of national science organizations, launched IGBP in 1986...
- International Human Dimensions ProgrammeInternational Human Dimensions ProgrammeThe International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change is a research programme that studies the human and societal aspects of the phenomenon of global change....
- World Climate Research ProgrammeWorld Climate Research ProgrammeThe World Climate Research Programme was established in 1980, under the joint sponsorship of International Council for Science and the World Meteorological Organization, and has also been sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO since 1993. It is a component of the...
- DIVERSITAS, an international programme for biodiversity researchDiversitasDiversitas is an international programme on biodiversity science. It is one of four such programmes that collectively come under the Earth System Science Partnership...
- Global Carbon ProjectGlobal Carbon ProjectThe Global Carbon Project was established in 2001. The organisation seeks to quantify global carbon emissions and their causes.The main object of the group has been to fully understand the carbon cycle...
- Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal ZoneLOICZLand Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone is a core project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change ....
- Global Land ProjectGlobal Land ProjectThe Global Land Project is a research initiative of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme and the International Human Dimensions Programme . It aims to understand the changes of the land systems given the prospects of rapid and massive global environmental change...
- Urbanization and Global Environmental Change Project (UGEC)
- Global Water Systems Projects (GWSP)
Related fields of study
- Earth System Analysis/ Earth System ScienceEarth system scienceEarth system science seeks to integrate various fields of academic study to understand the Earth as a system. It considers interaction between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere , biosphere, and heliosphere....
- Environmental ScienceEnvironmental scienceEnvironmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
- Global ChangeGlobal changeGlobal change refers to planetary-scale changes in the Earth system. The system consists of the land, oceans, atmosphere, poles, life, the planet’s natural cycles and deep Earth processes. These constituent parts influence one another...
- Global governanceGlobal governanceGlobal governance or world governance is the political interaction of transnational actors aimed at solving problems that affect more than one state or region when there is no power of enforcing compliance. The modern question of world governance exists in the context of globalization...
- Global environmental governance
- Multi-level governanceMulti-level governanceMulti-level governance is a public administration theory that originated from studies on European integration. The authors Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks were the first to develop the concept of multi-level governance in the early 1990s. Their theory resulted from the study of the new structures...
- Climate GovernanceClimate governanceClimate governance is a concept used in political ecology and environmental policy. It encompasses the diplomacy, mechanisms and measures "aimed at steering social systems towards preventing, mitigating or adapting to the risks posed by climate change"...
- Environmental GovernanceEnvironmental governanceEnvironmental governance is a concept in political ecology or environmental policy related to defining the elements needed to achieve sustainability. All human activities -- political, social and economic — should be understood and managed as subsets of the environment and ecosystems...
- Environmental PolicyEnvironmental policyEnvironmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
- Ecological economicsEcological economicsImage:Sustainable development.svg|right|The three pillars of sustainability. Clickable.|275px|thumbpoly 138 194 148 219 164 240 182 257 219 277 263 291 261 311 264 331 272 351 283 366 300 383 316 394 287 408 261 417 224 424 182 426 154 423 119 415 87 403 58 385 40 368 24 347 17 328 13 309 16 286 26...
- Ecological modernizationEcological modernizationEcological modernization is an optimistic school of thought in the social sciences that argues that the economy benefits from moves towards environmentalism...
- Sustainability scienceSustainability scienceSustainability science has emerged in the 21st century as a new academic discipline. This new field of science was officially introduced with a "Birth Statement" at the World Congress "Challenges of a Changing Earth 2001" in Amsterdam organized by the International Council for Science , the...
- Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable developmentSustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
- Transition ManagementTransition ManagementTransition management is a service usually offered by sell side institutions to help buy side firms transition a portfolio of securities. Various events including acquisitions and management changes can cause the need for a portfolio to be transitioned. A typical example would be a mutual fund...
- Planetary BoundariesPlanetary boundariesPlanetary boundaries is the central concept in an Earth system framework proposed by a group of Earth system and environmental scientists led by Johan Rockström from the Stockholm Resilience Centre and Will Steffen from the Australian National University...