Change is a natural and essential feature of our planet and all the life it supports.

Within the last generation, however, researchers from many disciplines have concluded that the pace of change in our atmosphere, waters, forests and soils is accelerating, at least partly as a result of human activities. Changes that might have evolved naturally over hundreds, even thousands, of years are occurring within a few decades. The consequences of these changes the ability of the planet's complex yet fragile systems to respond to this stress are not yet known for certain. But many researchers believe that the human-induced changes in our global environment could pose severe threats to our way of life.

If we are to respond successfully to the challenge of a changing planet, we must strengthen our understanding of the changes taking place and of what we can do about them.