International Year of Planet Earth Earth sciences for society International Year of Planet Earth IUGS Secretariat Geological Survey of Norway N-7491 Trondheim NORWAY T + 47 73 90 40 40 F + 47 73 50 22 30 E iugs.secretariat@ngu.no www.esfs.org The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) are working together to promote an International Year of Planet Earth under the United Nations system. This leaflet tells you why. Visit www.esfs.org
Why an International Year of Planet Earth? Only one Earth The human race needs its planet. We depend on it completely, because we evolved from it, remain forever part of it, and can exist only by courtesy of the self-sustaining Earth System. The more we learn, the more we understand that we must nurture the Earth as we would our children, for their sake. Earth science key to sustainability Earth scientists have unravelled many of the Earth s secrets and have made great progress in understanding how our planet works. However, this information is often not properly used. We often build in the wrong places and exploit resources unsustainably, despite now being able to forecast many kinds of natural hazard with considerable accuracy. We act as though we are still ignorant, when the key to a better life sits in our hands. Earth scientists worldwide are ready and prepared to assist society arrive at a safer, healthier and wealthier environment for all.
Who is behind it? Initiated by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 2001, the proposed International Year of Planet Earth was immediately endorsed by UNESCO s Earth Science Division, and later by the joint UNESCO-IUGS International Geoscience Programme (IGCP). The main aim of the International Year - to demonstrate the great potential of the Earth sciences to lay the foundations of a safer, healthier and wealthier society - explains the Year s subtitle: Earth sciences for society. Across a crowded room - over 180 delegates attended a high - level information meeting about the Year at UNESCO, Paris, 11 February 2004. How will it work? To achieve maximum political impact, the IUGS-UNESCO team aims to have the International Year proclaimed through the UN system, targeting 2006 as the Year itself. Its ambitious programmes cannot, however, be implemented in twelve months. We expect the Year s activities to begin in 2005 and culminate in 2007. The International Year will have two major lines of action: A Science programme to provide answers to specific scientific questions vital in addressing societal needs; An Outreach programme, to explain and promote the many societal benefits of geoscience through education and public relations activities.
The Year will have two equal components - science and outreach Science programme A panel of 20 eminent geoscientists from all parts of the world decided on a list of eight broad science themes - Groundwater, Hazards, Earth & Health, Climate, Resources, Megacities, Deep Earth and Ocean. The next step is to identify substantive science topics with clear deliverables within each broad theme. A key-text team has now been set up for each, tasked with working out an Action Plan. Each team will produce a text that will be published as a theme prospectus. These prospectuses should be available for the 32nd International Geological Congress in Florence, August 2004. A series of Implementation Groups will then be created to set the work under the eight programmes in motion. Every effort will be made to involve specialists from countries with particular interest in (and need for) these programmes. Financial opportunities to support PhD studies within less-developed nations will be explored through the World Bank and similar institutions, building on the 32 years of IUGS-UNESCO experience within the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP), from which tens of thousands of scientists have benefited notably from emerging nations. Each science programme will result in a set of products ( deliverables ). A parallel Outreach Programme will be developed, to help convey news of practical results to those who need the answers. * Outreach programme The Outreach programme will serve the general public. An Outreach Plan, which will form the tenth and final brochure in the set describing all the Year s activities, will demonstrate how the Year will help to promote activities such as: communicating progress in and provisional results of the science topics generating involvement of a non-scientific audience involving the general public in the research sponsoring excursions and tours to geoscientifically interesting places, including Geoparks and Geosites commissioning and badging lasting education resources on Earth science s significance for society supporting production of Earth science TV documentary programmes supporting travelling and fixed exhibitions, (e.g., in museums, ships, (video-) conferences, round table discussions, etc. on geoscientific/societal topics) generally promoting of the Earth sciences to a wider public. Currently the Outreach Programme Committee is responsible for the design, editing and production of PowerPoint presentations, prospectus brochures (Planet Earth in our Hands being the first in the final series of 10). To find out more about the Outreach Programme, and the eight themes of the Science Programme, go to www.esfs.org, or get a free copy of the Year Prospectus Planet Earth in our Hands (pictured, inside back) from the address on the back cover.
Earth scientists are today s key players in building sustainability Links with other initiatives Two other Earth-related initiatives are currently in preparation: IGY+50 and IPY (International Polar Year). IGY+50 is an IUGG initiative and IUGG is already a full partner in the Year of Planet Earth. The provisional relationship between these three initiatives is shown in the diagram. The road to the UN Year UN International Years may be proclaimed only at autumn General Assembly meetings, and only at the request of one (or more) UN member states. The People s Republic of China has taken the lead, and the list of political support from other countries is growing. Koichiro Matsura (Director General, Unesco) at the high-level information meeting, 11 February 2004. I wish you well in your deliberations... A high-level information meeting was organised at UNESCO on 11 February 2004, to which permanent national UNESCO delegates and representatives of leading scientific and non-scientific organisations were invited. There were 180 participants at that meeting, including permanent delegates from 58 Member States. By early April 2004, eight UN member countries have already expressed political support for the International Year of Planet Earth: China, Russia, India, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Jordan. Ministerial support has been collected in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany and The Netherlands, National geoscience communities in Iran, Mongolia, Japan, Norway, Iceland, India, France, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Peru, Rumania, Uzbekistan and the United Kingdom have also expressed support. All Earthrelated unions of ICSU (IUGG, IGU, IUSS and SCL-ILP) have agreed to be full partners. The German Senckenberg Museum and Research Institute, and other German nature museums, are cooperating. A letter will be sent shortly to the UN General Assembly, requesting proclamation of the International Year of Planet Earth in 2006. Further UN member countries will be approached to provide support as the General Assembly draws near. History and organisation The vision of an International Year of Planet Earth was first expressed at the 31st International Geological Congress (2000). A Management Team, a Scientific Programme Committee and an Outreach Programme Committee were created. Both parent organisations are represented in the Management Team (MT) in the persons of the President of the IUGS, Prof Eduardo F J de Mulder, and of the Director of the Earth Science Division of UNESCO, Dr F Wolfgang Eder. The MT also includes the Chairman of the Scientific Programme Committee, Prof Edward Derbyshire, and the chairman of the Outreach Programme Committee, Dr Ted Nield. The MT is led by Dr Henk J W G Schalke. The Management Team is underpinned by a Support Team, consisting of members of the IUGS Executive Committee, representatives of other organisations, and other individuals.
We expect that a separate professional organisation with legal status will be set up to take responsibility for the implementation of the International Year. Budget Running costs during the Feasibility Phase (2001) were almost entirely covered by the home organisation of the IUGS President, TNO-NITG (Geological Survey of the Netherlands). The direct costs (excluding salaries) for the Preparatory Phase (2002 and 2003) amounted to about $135,000 and were mainly covered by IUGS, UNESCO, Shell International, and TNO-NITG. The services of Dr Ted Nield were provided free by The Geological Society of London. The budget foreseen for the Implementation Phase (2004) is approximately $280,000. For the full period of the International Year (2005-2007) a minimum total budget of $20,000,000 is envisaged. The Science Programme will need a minimum of $1m per theme. The Outreach Programme will need a minimum of $10m, and organisation, communication, co-ordination and publication a minimum of $2m. We expect to source these funds from commercial companies, international banks, national science foundations and others. To find out more Consult the Prospectus for the Year Planet Earth in our hands Earth sciences for society (picture, right) or visit www.esfs.org Editing Ted Nield Photography Ted Nield Design André van de Waal, Coördesign, Leiden April 2004 Earth Sciences for Society Foundation, Leiden, The Netherlands United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation www.esfs.org