LATEST NEWS
More news »

  • A personal note on IGBP and the social sciences


    Humans are an integral component of the Earth system as conceptualised by IGBP. João Morais recalls key milestones in IGBP’s engagement with the social sciences and offers some words of advice for Future Earth.

  • IGBP and Earth observation:
    a co-evolution


    The iconic images of Earth beamed back by the earliest spacecraft helped to galvanise interest in our planet’s environment. The subsequent evolution and development of satellites for Earth observation has been intricately linked with that of IGBP and other global-change research programmes, write Jack Kaye and Cat Downy .
More features »
More multimedia »
Published: April 11, 2004

Global Change and the Earth System (2004)

NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD (13MB)
The book synthesises research from IGBP's first phase; it's 336 pages capture the state of the planet and the pressure it is under. As IGBP embarks on synthesising its second phase, it is making this seminal book freely available.
The interactions between environmental change and human societies have a long, complex history spanning many millennia, but these have changed fundamentally in the last century. Human activities are now so pervasive and profound that they are altering the Earth in ways which threaten the very life support system upon which humans depend. This book describes what is known about the Earth System and the impact of changes caused by humans. It considers the consequences of these changes with respect to the stability of the Earth System and the well-being of humankind; as well as exploring future paths towards Earth System science in support of global sustainability.
More information:
Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet under Pressure

Series: Global Change - The IGBP Series (closed)

Steffen, W., Sanderson, R.A., Tyson, P.D., Jäger, J., Matson, P.A., Moore III, B., Oldfield, F., Richardson, K., Schellnhuber, H.-J., Turner, B.L., Wasson, R.J.

1st ed. 2004. 2nd printing, 2004, XII, 332 p. 258 illus., 145 in color. With CD-ROM.

Hardcover, ISBN 978-3-540-26594-8

To purchase this book go to the Springer home page:
Global Change and the Earth System

See also the original Crutzen and Stoermer article on the AnthropocenePDF (pdf, 723.1 kB)

Share this page
Tell a friend (opens in new window)
Follow us
IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index IGBP Climate Change Index

Please note!

IGBP closed at the end of 2015. This website is no longer updated.

No events available
Event Calendar »

  • Global Change Magazine No. 84


    This final issue of the magazine takes stock of IGBP’s scientific and institutional accomplishments as well as its contributions to policy and capacity building. It features interviews of several past...

  • Global Change Magazine No. 83


    This issue features a special section on carbon. You can read about peak greenhouse-gas emissions in China, the mitigation of black carbon emissions and the effect of the 2010-2011 La Niña event on gl...
More publications »
RECOMMENDED
More recommended »