What is Global Change?

Global change refers to the many changes unfolding across our planet, including changes to climate, land, water, and ecosystems. Humans increasingly shape these changes and are a consequential part of the Earth system.

Global change research is the interdisciplinary effort to better understand these changes, why they happen, how they connect, and how we can work together toward sustainable solutions.

Global Change Challenges

Global change takes many forms. In these interviews, AGCI workshop participants and lecturers discuss key global change challenges.
Melting iceberg floating at sea
Coming Soon
Vanishing Ice
Endangered Costa Rican golden toad on leaf
Coming Soon
Biodiversity Loss
Forest being clearcut, exposing bare plot
Coming Soon
Deforestation
Man leans against dead tree, straes out into arid landscape
Coming Soon
Drying Landscapes
Vast expanse of Amazon rainforest showing illegally cut down trees

Earth’s systems, human impacts: Understanding global change

Human activities, from deforestation to fossil fuel combustion, profoundly alter Earth’s natural systems. We now stand at a crossroads, influencing and being influenced by the planet in profound and often unsettling ways. This dynamic underscores the importance of acknowledging our role in global change and rethinking our interaction with Earth’s systems to safeguard its future.

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Global Change Key Questions