Future Earth (USA)

At Future Earth, we believe that research, innovation, and collaboration can transform the world toward sustainability. We harness the experience and reach of thousands of scientists and innovators from across the globe. Together, this global community facilitates research, mobilises networks, sparks innovation, and turns knowledge into action.

Our organization is rooted in the work of 27 Global Research Networks. These networks have a long history, in some cases stretching back decades, of generating research at the forefront of sustainability science. They played a critical role in forming the field of Earth system science – which considers how all of the parts of the planet, including human societies, connect to and shape each other. Our Global Research Networks also led in defining the Anthropocene, a new epoch in the geologic history of Earth marked by the influence of humans on the planet.

Future Earth builds on this scientific legacy to accelerate transformations to sustainability through research and innovation. We are a major international convenor that fosters a culture of an engaged research based on the co-design and co-production of knowledge and tools.

We work to incorporate the latest research findings into government, business and community decisions and policies. The Global Carbon Project’s annual projections of greenhouse gas emissions, for example, have helped to shape the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change. We experiment in generating new ideas, innovations, and collaborations. In that vein, we are working with tech companies to develop new approaches to reducing carbon emissions. We also foster networks of early career researchers and other innovators, encouraging new ways of thinking about how sustainability research and practice gets done.