A. Meeting global needs
Meeting global needs: food, energy, water and other ecosystem services
Demands on Earth’s terrestrial, marine, freshwater and atmospheric systems continue to rise, and society has failed to stem biodiversity loss. In addition, adequate nourishment and equitable access to clean water is still not assured for the world’s populations. We must meet humanity’s growing and interacting needs for food, energy and water, while also safeguarding the planet’s capacity to deliver a broad range of ecosystem services including carbon storage and climate regulation.
- What is the state of the planet and what biophysical constraints and opportunities affect the pursuit of this integrated goal?
- What is the future of the planet under different scenarios?
- What roles do socioeconomic and political factors play in this context?
- How can knowledge producers best interact with knowledge users so as to inform choices and help societies achieve the necessary behavioural, technological, institutional, political, economic, and cultural changes?