Priority Actions for Enhancing Global Change Program to Provide Global Sustainable Solutions

Abstract

In the divided changing world, there is a pressing need for a global science program to promote the delivery of sustainable development goals (SDGs), even though Future Earth is an international science program that was launched to strengthen research and society collaboration to accelerate transformations to global sustainability. Future Earth’s role in and impact on setting the international science agenda on transdisciplinary research for global sustainability may not have been so clear to the research or broader stakeholder communities. Therefore, we present future directions that could help the global change program to play a more eminent role in strengthening global sustainability science to fill in research gaps and address uncertainties in our knowledge of global environmental risks, to establish a better science–policy interface for effective communication with policymakers and other stakeholders, and to contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions for human well-being and the environment.