Ebook: Challenges of a Changing Earth: Proceedings of the Global Change Open Science Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 10–13 July 2001

This volume is based on plenary presentations from Challenges of a Changing Earth, a Global Change Open Science Conference held in Amsterdam, The Neth- lands, in July 2001. The meeting brought together about 1400 scientists from 105 co- tries around the world to describe, discuss and debate the latest scientific - derstanding of natural and human-driven changes to our planet. It examined the effects of these changes on our societies and our lives, and explored what the future might hold. The presentations drew upon global change science from an exceptionally wide range of disciplines and approaches. Issues of societal importance – the food system, air quality, the carbon cycle, and water resources – were highlighted from both policy and science perspectives. Many of the talks presented the exciting scientific advances of the past decade of international research on global change. Several challenged the scientific community in the future. What are the visionary and creative new approaches needed for studying a complex planetary system in which human activities are in- mately interwoven with natural processes? This volume aims to capture the timeliness and excitement of the science p- sented in Amsterdam. The plenary speakers were given a daunting task: to reproduce their presentations in a way that delivers their scientific messages accurately and in sufficient detail but at the same time reaches a very broad audience well beyond their own disciplines. Furthermore, they were required to do this in just a few pages.

---

---

Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XVI
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Opening Address....Pages 3-5
Challenges of a Changing Earth....Pages 7-17
Front Matter....Pages 19-19
Toward Integrated Land-Change Science: Advances in 1.5 Decades of Sustained International Research on Land-Use and Land-Cover Change....Pages 21-26
Climate Variability and Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics: Implications for Sustainability....Pages 27-29
Food in the 21st Century: Global Climate of Disparities....Pages 31-38
Equity Dimensions of Dam-Based Water Resources Development: Winners and Losers....Pages 39-43
Atmospheric Chemistry in the “Anthropocene”....Pages 45-48
Fires, Haze and Acid Rain: The Social and Political Framework of Air Pollution in ASEAN and Asia....Pages 49-55
Carbon and the Science-Policy Nexus: The Kyoto Challenge....Pages 57-64
Industry Response to the CO2 Challenge....Pages 65-71
Global Change and the Challenge for the Future....Pages 73-73
Front Matter....Pages 75-75
Ocean Biogeochemistry: A Sea of Change....Pages 77-80
The Past, Present and Future of Carbon on Land....Pages 81-85
Can New Institutions Solve Atmospheric Problems? Confronting Acid Rain, Ozone Depletion and Climate Change....Pages 87-91
Emissions from the Oceans to the Atmosphere, Deposition from the Atmosphere to the Oceans and the Interactions Between Them....Pages 93-96
The Impact of Dams on Fisheries: Case of the Three Gorges Dam....Pages 97-99
Global Change in the Coastal Zone: The Case of Southeast Asia....Pages 101-105
Climate Change Fore and Aft: Where on Earth Are We Going?....Pages 107-108
Climate Change — Past, Present and Future: A Personal Perspective....Pages 109-112
The Changing Cryosphere: Impacts of Global Warming in the High Latitudes....Pages 113-115
Front Matter....Pages 75-75
The Coupled Climate System: Variability and Predictability....Pages 117-120
Hot Spots of Land-Use Change and the Climate System: A Regional or Global Concern?....Pages 123-124
Africa: Greening of the Sahara....Pages 125-128
The Role of Large-Scale Vegetation and Land Use in the Water Cycle and Climate in Monsoon Asia....Pages 129-132
Can Human-Induced Land-Cover Change Modify the Monsoon System?....Pages 133-136
The Amazon Basin and Land-Cover Change: A Future in the Balance?....Pages 137-141
Front Matter....Pages 143-143
Virtual Realities of the Past, Present and Future....Pages 145-150
Coping with Earth System Complexity and Irregularity....Pages 151-156
Simulating and Observing the Earth System: Summary....Pages 157-159
Marine Biodiversity: Why We Need It in Earth System Science....Pages 161-163
Does Biodiversity Matter to Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes and Services?....Pages 165-167
Biodiversity Loss and the Maintenance of Our Life-Support System....Pages 169-173
Maglevs and the Vision of St. Hubert — Or the Great Restoration of Nature: Why and How....Pages 175-182
Industrial Transformation: Exploring System Change in Production and Consumption....Pages 183-188
Will Technology Spare the Planet?....Pages 189-191
Challenges and Road Blocks for Local and Global Sustainability....Pages 193-195
Research Systems for a Transition Toward Sustainability....Pages 197-200
Summary: Towards Global Sustainability....Pages 201-201
Closing Address....Pages 203-206
The Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change....Pages 207-208
Back Matter....Pages 209-216

---

Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-XVI
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Opening Address....Pages 3-5
Challenges of a Changing Earth....Pages 7-17
Front Matter....Pages 19-19
Toward Integrated Land-Change Science: Advances in 1.5 Decades of Sustained International Research on Land-Use and Land-Cover Change....Pages 21-26
Climate Variability and Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics: Implications for Sustainability....Pages 27-29
Food in the 21st Century: Global Climate of Disparities....Pages 31-38
Equity Dimensions of Dam-Based Water Resources Development: Winners and Losers....Pages 39-43
Atmospheric Chemistry in the “Anthropocene”....Pages 45-48
Fires, Haze and Acid Rain: The Social and Political Framework of Air Pollution in ASEAN and Asia....Pages 49-55
Carbon and the Science-Policy Nexus: The Kyoto Challenge....Pages 57-64
Industry Response to the CO2 Challenge....Pages 65-71
Global Change and the Challenge for the Future....Pages 73-73
Front Matter....Pages 75-75
Ocean Biogeochemistry: A Sea of Change....Pages 77-80
The Past, Present and Future of Carbon on Land....Pages 81-85
Can New Institutions Solve Atmospheric Problems? Confronting Acid Rain, Ozone Depletion and Climate Change....Pages 87-91
Emissions from the Oceans to the Atmosphere, Deposition from the Atmosphere to the Oceans and the Interactions Between Them....Pages 93-96
The Impact of Dams on Fisheries: Case of the Three Gorges Dam....Pages 97-99
Global Change in the Coastal Zone: The Case of Southeast Asia....Pages 101-105
Climate Change Fore and Aft: Where on Earth Are We Going?....Pages 107-108
Climate Change — Past, Present and Future: A Personal Perspective....Pages 109-112
The Changing Cryosphere: Impacts of Global Warming in the High Latitudes....Pages 113-115
Front Matter....Pages 75-75
The Coupled Climate System: Variability and Predictability....Pages 117-120
Hot Spots of Land-Use Change and the Climate System: A Regional or Global Concern?....Pages 123-124
Africa: Greening of the Sahara....Pages 125-128
The Role of Large-Scale Vegetation and Land Use in the Water Cycle and Climate in Monsoon Asia....Pages 129-132
Can Human-Induced Land-Cover Change Modify the Monsoon System?....Pages 133-136
The Amazon Basin and Land-Cover Change: A Future in the Balance?....Pages 137-141
Front Matter....Pages 143-143
Virtual Realities of the Past, Present and Future....Pages 145-150
Coping with Earth System Complexity and Irregularity....Pages 151-156
Simulating and Observing the Earth System: Summary....Pages 157-159
Marine Biodiversity: Why We Need It in Earth System Science....Pages 161-163
Does Biodiversity Matter to Terrestrial Ecosystem Processes and Services?....Pages 165-167
Biodiversity Loss and the Maintenance of Our Life-Support System....Pages 169-173
Maglevs and the Vision of St. Hubert — Or the Great Restoration of Nature: Why and How....Pages 175-182
Industrial Transformation: Exploring System Change in Production and Consumption....Pages 183-188
Will Technology Spare the Planet?....Pages 189-191
Challenges and Road Blocks for Local and Global Sustainability....Pages 193-195
Research Systems for a Transition Toward Sustainability....Pages 197-200
Summary: Towards Global Sustainability....Pages 201-201
Closing Address....Pages 203-206
The Amsterdam Declaration on Global Change....Pages 207-208
Back Matter....Pages 209-216
....