Executive Director’s note

This year humanity experienced a global systemic crisis along the lines of which our Future Earth community had long predicted. Yet, this crisis still came as a shock to many. Each of us, I expect, is reflecting deeply on what this all means for our individual and collective futures.

Read More

Amy Luers

Executive Director, Future Earth

Image

Message from the
Future Earth Advisory Committee

The world is at a pivotal point where we either get traction on science for change, in a decade of transformation, or we continue to follow a path towards rising shocks and irreversible changes for people and planet, exacerbating extreme vulnerability for us and future generations. The COVID-19 crisis is a manifestation of the non-linear world of the Anthropocene, where globalization of travel, trade, and economies, intertwined with climate change and biosphere degradation, form a deadly

Read More

Johan Rockström, Leena Srivastava

Future Earth Advisory Committee Co-chair

Image
Executive Director’s note

This year humanity experienced a global systemic crisis along the lines of which our Future Earth community had long predicted. Yet, this crisis still came as a shock to many. Each of us, I expect, is reflecting deeply on what this all means for our individual and collective futures.

Read More
Image

Amy Luers

Executive Director, Future Earth

Message from the
Future Earth Advisory Committee

The world is at a pivotal point where we either get traction on science for change, in a decade of transformation, or we continue to follow a path towards rising shocks and irreversible changes for people and planet, exacerbating extreme vulnerability for us and future generations. The COVID-19 crisis is a manifestation of the non-linear world of the Anthropocene, where globalization of travel, trade, and economies, intertwined with climate change and biosphere degradation, form a deadly

Read More
Image

Johan Rockström, Leena Srivastava

Future Earth Advisory Committee Co-chair

Image Image
 
Facilitate research and innovation
Future Earth coordinates transdisciplinary science within our research network through cross-cutting research themes. Since 2018, the concept of Earth Targets has been a main focus, recognizing the necessity of taking a whole Earth system approach to create solutions to global systemic challenges. Under this theme, there are two ongoing initiatives: the Earth Commission and Science-Based Pathways for Sustainability.
 
Facilitate research and innovation
Future Earth coordinates transdisciplinary science within our research network through cross-cutting research themes. Since 2018, the concept of Earth Targets has been a main focus, recognizing the necessity of taking a whole Earth system approach to create solutions to global systemic challenges. Under this theme, there are two ongoing initiatives: the Earth Commission and Science-Based Pathways for Sustainability.
Global Research Projects highlights
Each year, Future Earth’s Global Research Projects advance cutting-edge Earth systems science. Here are the highlights for 2019-20, showcasing the broad efforts of these global networks.
Earth Targets
Future Earth coordinates transdisciplinary science within our research network through cross-cutting research themes. Since 2018, the concept of Earth Targets has been a main focus, recognizing the necessity of taking a whole Earth system approach to create solutions to global systemic challenges. Under this theme, there are two ongoing initiatives: the Earth Commission and Science-Based Pathways for Sustainability.
Societal Transformations for a Healthy and Equitable Planet
There is an emerging realization that in the face of global, interlinked challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and increasing inequality, adaptation simply isn’t enough. To meet these challenges head-on, we must completely transform the fundamental norms of our societies. Such efforts (starting with the two initiatives described below) are another ongoing focus of the Future Earth community’s collective approach to system change, from multiple and intersecting social, biophysical, and technological angles.
European Space Agency Collaboration
Future Earth partners with the European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Office to encourage innovative ways of using satellite Earth observation data to support transformations towards sustainability. The partnership strengthens Future Earth’s links with the Earth observation and climate communities and ensures that ESA’s strategic direction is guided by robust science from Future Earth.
 
Build and mobilize networks
As society grows ever more connected, Future Earth is capitalizing on the power of networks – linking science, policy, business, and civil leaders – to bring about collaborative solutions for complex environmental problems. Much of the strength of Future Earth lies within our community of Knowledge-Action Networks (KANs), national and regional entities, and ongoing collaborations with science funders and with early career scientists. Future Earth has also been hard at work preparing for the inaugural Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress, a first-of-its-kind event gathering academia, business, nongovernmental organizations, and governments to address global sustainability challenges.
 
Build and mobilize networks
As society grows ever more connected, Future Earth is capitalizing on the power of networks – linking science, policy, business, and civil leaders – to bring about collaborative solutions for complex environmental problems. Much of the strength of Future Earth lies within our community of Knowledge-Action Networks (KANs), national and regional entities, and ongoing collaborations with science funders and with early career scientists. Future Earth has also been hard at work preparing for the inaugural Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress, a first-of-its-kind event gathering academia, business, nongovernmental organizations, and governments to address global sustainability challenges.
Knowledge-Action Networks (KANs)
Future Earth Regional Entities: Updates from around the globe
Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress
Future Earth and the Belmont Forum have partnered to establish the first in a global congress series focused on Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI2021). It will bring together the world’s foremost research and innovation communities to work across disciplines and sectors to support a global transformation to sustainability. The Congress will be hosted by Future Earth Australia and a consortium of leading Australian research institutions, selected through a competitive and open bidding process. While initially planned for June 2020, the global outbreak of COVID-19 and concerns over the health and safety of participants led conveners to postpone the Congress, which will now take place in Brisbane, June 12-15, 2021.
PEGASuS
The Program for Early-stage Grants Advancing Sustainability Science (PEGASuS) was established to provide $2 million in direct support over a five-year period for Future Earth Global Research Projects, Knowledge-Action Networks, and new partners to collaborate, increase knowledge, promote innovation, and establish evidence-based solutions to the world’s sustainability challenges. PEGASuS aims to generate self-sustaining research projects that have real impacts on the health and well-being of human societies and the natural world.
Earth Leadership Program
After 20 years of success in training over 200 sustainability leaders in North America, the Leopold Leadership Program re-launched as the Earth Leadership Program in March 2020. In partnership with the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the University of Colorado Boulder, the new program aims to support regional networks of collaborative academic leaders around the world, as well as in North America, and to connect these networks under a common purpose.
Belmont Forum Collaboration
Future Earth works collaboratively with the Belmont Forum to help scope and shape its Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs), which are major funding opportunities for multinational, interdisciplinary research teams to address the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Future Earth is the only institutional entity invited to directly propose new topics annually.
Image
 
Shape the narrative
Quality research can catalyze effective societal action, but it takes a dedicated push to get the latest scientific findings into the policy arena. Future Earth works to be that mechanism, incorporating the latest sustainability science into global decision-making and fostering public discourse grounded in research. This year, in addition to publishing our regular Insights in Climate Science and Anthropocene Magazine, the Future Earth community contributed to the landmark United in Science report, a synthesis of the latest climate science compiled by the World Meteorological Organization for the Science Advisory Group of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. We also launched a redesigned website with a more contemporary design, and our reach on Twitter exceeded 18K followers in 2019, as we aim to become a go-to place for sustainability knowledge. Looking forward, Future Earth will continue to expand its communications efforts – including a strong digital media presence – to elevate the increasing scope and variety of products created by our research and innovation networks.
 
Shape the narrative
Quality research can catalyze effective societal action, but it takes a dedicated push to get the latest scientific findings into the policy arena. Future Earth works to be that mechanism, incorporating the latest sustainability science into global decision-making and fostering public discourse grounded in research. This year, in addition to publishing our regular Insights in Climate Science and Anthropocene Magazine, the Future Earth community contributed to the landmark United in Science report, a synthesis of the latest climate science compiled by the World Meteorological Organization for the Science Advisory Group of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. We also launched a redesigned website with a more contemporary design, and our reach on Twitter exceeded 18K followers in 2019, as we aim to become a go-to place for sustainability knowledge. Looking forward, Future Earth will continue to expand its communications efforts – including a strong digital media presence – to elevate the increasing scope and variety of products created by our research and innovation networks.
Anthropocene Magazine
Anthropocene, Future Earth’s flagship independent magazine, continues to be an outstanding showcase for on-the-ground solutions to sustainability. With the widest reach of Future Earth’s publications, its digital audience has grown to more than 50,000 visitors per month from more than 200 countries. Articles have been syndicated to Quartz (US), Le Monde (France), El Pais (Spain), Scroll (India), and Guokr (China).
10 New Insights in Climate Science
The 10 New Insights in Climate Science series aims to synthesize and communicate the latest and most essential scientific findings on climate change published each year—a kind of climate science year-in-review for journalists, policy makers, and the general public.
United in Science
In company with the world's leading climate science organizations, Future Earth was asked to contribute to the landmark United in Science report, a high-level climate science synthesis for the United Nations 2019 Climate Action Summit. The report provided official scientific input to the Summit and presented a unified unified assessment of the state of our Earth system under the increasing influence of anthropogenic climate change, of humanity’s response thus far and of the far-reaching changes that science projects for our global climate in the future. It was coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and compiled under the auspices of a Science Advisory Group co-chaired by Leena Srivastava and Petteri Taalas.
Our Future on Earth
The Our Future on Earth series aims to synthesize the year’s most newsworthy trends and top research from experts in the social, natural, and political sciences.
Global Risks Perceptions Initiative
Over the past 15 years, the framing of global risks has been strongly shaped by the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Report, which surveys the perceptions of world leaders from business, academic, and policy spheres.
Selected Publications

This year our Global Research Projects and Knowledge-Action Networks collectively produced hundreds of scientific publications. This included peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and major reports. Many of  these were published in very highly-cited scientific journals like Nature, Science, the Lancet, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences among others. Our publications this year covered a wide scope of topics, with a majority focusing on climate, ocean, and land research. Other focus areas included health, governance, food, and more. The following is a selection of publications provided by our research networks, showcasing some of their key work as part of the Future Earth community this year.

Image
 
About Future Earth

Future Earth’s mission is to accelerate transformations to global sustainability through research and innovation. By harnessing the experience and reach of thousands of scientists and innovators from around the world, Future Earth is working towards a deeper understanding of complex Earth systems–such as climate, water, land, ocean, urban, economic, energy, health, biodiversity, and governance systems–as well as the development of evidence-based strategies for global sustainable development.

 
About Future Earth

Future Earth’s mission is to accelerate transformations to global sustainability through research and innovation. By harnessing the experience and reach of thousands of scientists and innovators from around the world, Future Earth is working towards a deeper understanding of complex Earth systems–such as climate, water, land, ocean, urban, economic, energy, health, biodiversity, and governance systems–as well as the development of evidence-based strategies for global sustainable development.

Who we are
Image
Secretariat
Executive Leadership

Amy Luers, Executive Leadership

Fumiko Kasuga, Global Hub Director, Japan

Josh Tewksbury, Global Hub Director, USA

Sandrine Paillard, Global Hub Director, France

Wendy Broadgate, Global Hub Director, Sweden

Hein Mallee, Director, Asia Regional Center

Manfred A. Lange, Director, MENA Regional Center

Michael Nxumalo, Director, Southern Africa Regional Office

S.K. Satheesh, Director, South Asia Regional Office

France

Sandrine Paillard, Global Hub Director, France

Alison Clausen, Deputy Director (until October 2019)

Cosma Cazé, Science Officer

Fanny Boudet, Science Office

Hannah Moersberger, Science Officer

Mariela Antonakopoulou, Science Officer

Vincent Virat, Science Officer

Xavier Peres, Coordinator

Sweden

Wendy Broadgate, Global Hub Director, Sweden

Alistair Scrutton, Director of Communications

Erik Pihl, Science Officer

IngMarie Alström, Finance Director

Juan Rocha, Research Scientist, Earth Commission

Lisa Jacobson, Science Officer

Noelia Zafra Calvo, Research Scientist, Earth Commission

Sophie Hebden, Research Coordinator - Earth Observations

Steven Lade, Research Scientist, Earth Commission

Susanna Dobrota, Coordinator and Administrative Officer

Therese Öreteg, Communications and Administrative Officer

U.S.A.

Josh Tewksbury, Global Hub Director, USA

Alfredo Giron, Postdoctoral Researcher, PEGASuS 2: Ocean Sustainability

Craig Starger, Research Enabling Lead

Erin Satterthwaite, Postdoctoral Researcher, PEGASuS 2: Ocean Sustainability

Judit Ungvari-Martin, AAAS STP Fellow at NSF

Kathy Kohm, Editor-In-Chief, Anthropocene magazine

Kelsey Simpkins, Digital and Engagement Editor

Lakshmi Muralidharan, Finance Manager

Laurel Milliken, Information Technology Officer

Makyba Charles-Ayinde, AAAS STP Fellow at NSF

Margaret Krebs, Program Director, Earth Leadership Program

Maria Fernanda Enríquez, Administrative Officer and Global Sustainability Scholars Coordinator

Sharon Collinge, Executive Director, Earth Leadership Program

Veera Mitzner, Network Lead

Apurva Dave, Research and Innovation Lead

Canada

Amy Luers, Executive Director

Alyson Surveyer, Montreal Hub Manager and Head of Global Operations

Andrea Ventimiglia, Staff Writer

Jennifer Garard, Science Officer

Marie d’Acremont, Administrative Officer

Nilufar Sabet-Kassouf, Executive Assistant

Paula Monroy, Communication Coordinator

Sylvia Wood, Science Officer

Japan

Fumiko Kasuga, Global Hub Director, Japan

Giles Sioen, Science Officer

Junya Tani, Senior Advisor

Kyoko Shiota MacAulay, Program Coordinator

Marcin Jarzebski, Science Officer

Yuki Hashimoto, Communications Officer

Ayako Nagasawa, Executive Assistant

Governing Council Members

Dirk Messner, United Nations University (UNU) (Co-Chair), Germany

Maria Uhle, Belmont Forum (Co-Chair), USA

Asako Omi, STS Forum, Japan

Hartwig Kremer, United Nations Environment Programme, Denmark

Heide Hackmann, International Science Council, France

Jean-Marie Flaud, Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur, de la recherche et de l’innovation, France

Juichi Yamagiwa and Kazuhiko Takeuchi, Science Council of Japan, Japan

Shamila Nair-Bedouelle and Meriem Bouamrane, UNESCO, France

Pavel Kabat, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Switzerland

Rémi Quirion, Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), Canada

Stefan Claesson, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden

Advisory Committee Members

Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) (Co-Chair), Sweden

Leena Srivastava, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Co-Chair), India

Anny Cazenave, International Space Science Institute, France

Asunción Lera St. Clair, DNV GL, Norway

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, University of Brasilia, Brazil

Fatima Denton, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Ethiopia

Jim Balsillie, Research In Motion (BlackBerry), Canada

Joy Shumake-Guillemot, WHO/WMO Climate and Health Office, Switzerland

Naoko Ishii, Global Environment Facility (GEF), Japan

Oyun Sanjaasuren, Green Climate Fund, Mongolia

Pamela Matson, Stanford University, USA

Peng Gong, Tsinghua University, China

Tetsuzo Yasunari, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), Japan

Tolullah Oni, University of Cape Town, University of Cambridge, South Africa

Financial summary
During financial year April 2019 - March 2020, the consolidated revenue of Future Earth’s Global Hubs consisted of 80% public sourced funds, including national contributions, and 20% private-sector funding.
Financial summary
During financial year April 2019 - March 2020, the consolidated revenue of Future Earth’s Global Hubs consisted of 70% public sourced funds, including national contributions, and 30% private-sector funding.
Image
Total expenses were 4.8 million EUR. This is a decrease of 0.6 million EUR from last year’s 5.4 million EUR. Activity expenses remain stable, with cost reductions occurring in the coordination function (which includes finance and operations).
Image
Funders
The following funders are thanked for their contributions to Future Earth and its activities. Funders of both earmarked projects as well as core funders for the Future Earth secretariat are listed under the global hub receiving the funding.
National and Local Contributors
  • Austria (Federal Ministry for Science, Research & Economy)
  • Taipei (Academia Sinica)
  • Finland (Council of Finnish Academies)
  • Germany (German Research Foundation)
  • India (Indian National Science Academy)
  • Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
  • Japan (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, MEXT)
  • Philippines (Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development)
U.S. Global Hub
  • Belmont Forum
  • Colorado State University
  • George Mason University
  • Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
  • NASA
  • NOMIS Foundation
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • US Global Change Research Program
  • US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
  • US National Science Foundation
Japan Global Hub
  • AEON Environmental Foundation
  • Hiroshima University
  • Japan Science and Technology Agency/Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society
  • KAO Corporation
  • Keio University
  • Kyushu University
  • Nagoya City University
  • National Institute for Environmental Studies
  • Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan
  • Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
  • Science Council of Japan
  • The University of Tokyo/Institute for Future Initiatives
  • Tsukuba University
France Global Hub
  • Alliance Nationale pour la Recherche en Environnement (AllEnvi)
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
  • Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation (MESRI)
  • Sorbonne Université
Canada Global Hub
  • Réseau des Universités du Québec
  • Fond de Recherche du Québec (FRQ)
  • Montréal International
  • Concordia University
  • Université de Montréal
  • McGill University
  • Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
  • Laval University
  • Polytechnique Montréal
  • Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
  • ClimateWorks Foundation
  • Mitacs
  • College and Institutes Canada
Sweden Global Hub
  • European Space Agency
  • Mava Foundation
  • Oak Foundation
  • Porticus Foundation
  • The Global Environment Facility
  • The Swedish Ministry of Environment (via Swedish Research Council, FORMAS)
  • The Swedish Ministry of Higher Education and Research (via the Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet)
Regional and National Structures
Building transformations to a more sustainable world is a task that falls to the entire planet. Future Earth, however, also recognizes that each region of the globe faces unique challenges, so in addition to our global hubs we also have regional and national structures that propel research toward unique solutions to make progress on sustainability.
Regional Centers and Offices
National and Local Organizations
  1. Australia
  2. China
  3. Finland
  4. France
  5. Germany
  6. India
  7. Ireland
  8. Japan
  9. Mongolia
  10. Philippines
  11. Republic of Korea
  12. Romania
  13. Russia
  14. Spain
  15. Sweden
  16. Switzerland
  17. Taipei
  18. United Kingdom
Download PDF
Image

©2020 Future Earth. All rights reserved.

Website by Cultivate Communications

 

This annual report covers the period from 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.

Future Earth is governed by the International Science Council (ISC), Belmont Forum of funding agencies, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations University (UNU), the World Meteorological Organization, and the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum.