The Future Earth Program, which brings together thousands of researchers and billions of dollars of sustainability research from across the world, was launched in Australia today.
The Academy has appointed Dr Imran Ahmad to lead this ambitious program following support from CSIRO, the University of Queensland, Macquarie University and the University of Sydney.
Future Earth will take a uniquely holistic approach to address some of humanity’s most complex problems, such as climate change, food security and water supply, by integrating physical sciences with the social sciences and humanities.
Dr Imran said an example of how this would work would be tackling the challenge of sustainable urban and agricultural development in areas with reduced rainfall by bringing together experts from diverse fields such as agricultural science, urban planning, behavioural economics and history.
The launch of the Future Earth program follows an initial 18-month consultation and planning process involving each of Australia’s learned Academies that was funded by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).
More information and a copy of the Future Earth Australia strategic plan can be found on their website.
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