Our Future on Earth 2020

Humanity is at a critical stage in the transition to a more sustainable planet and society. Our actions in the next decade will determine our collective future on earth. Making this planet a place where people can thrive in equity, prosperity, and peace is a task
that falls to many hands.
Future Earth works to help build that common future. Formally established in 2015, Future Earth builds on more than three decades of global environmental change research that began with the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Diversitas, and the
International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change. With offices in 20 countries and host to nearly 30 research-to-action networks, we collaborate with different societal groups to jointly develop knowledge that will accelerate transformations to global sustainability.
“Our Future on Earth” aims to tell the story of where we are on our collective journey by connecting the dots between what society is currently experiencing – from fires to food shortages to a rise in populism – with recent developments in the research community. Physical and social scientists have much to say about what is driving current events, and in this report science provides insight into how we might move in a more sustainable direction. This inaugural report recounts how our future on earth is unfolding, while reminding us all that it is a future we are building together.