ESSP
© shutterstock Lawrence Cruciana
Earth System Science Partnership
The interconnectivity and unprecedented scale of the human transformation of the Earth system calls for a new paradigm in the way science seeks to understand global environmental problems and to provide solutions. To help address this challenge, the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) was established in 2001 by four global environmental change (GEC) research programmes: DIVERSITAS, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The ESSP facilitates the study of the Earth’s environment as an integrated system in order to understand how and why it is changing, and to explore the implications of these changes for global and regional sustainability.
Joint research projects on carbon dynamics (Global Carbon Project), food (Global Environmental Change and Food systems), water (Global Water System Project) and health (Global Environmental Change and Human Health) have been established. The ESSP, in collaboration with other partners (e.g. Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) and the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training (START)) developed the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS). MAIRS is designed to contribute sound scientific understanding in support of sustainable development at the local and regional level. Collaborative research is, therefore, a central tenet of ESSP. Another example is "Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security" (CCAFS), a major collaborative endeavour between the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and their partners, and ESSP. It is aimed at overcoming the additional threats posed by a changing climate to achieving food security, enhancing livelihoods and improving environmental management in the developing world.
The mainstay of the ESSP is to identify and define Earth system science challenges, enable integrative research to address these challenges, and build scientific capacity (especially through START). Our common goal is, therefore, to develop the essential knowledge base needed to respond effectively and quickly to the great challenge of global environmental change.
For more information, please visit the ESSP website.
