Deliang Chen

University of Gothenburg, Sweden

19 February 2017

Deliang Chen (R) with Professor Yao Tandong from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (Photo provided to CAS)

The relationships between humanity, its environment and the Earth are considered as interlinked parts of the Earth System. Although Earth System Science (ESS) is a relatively new field focusing on the interactions between atmosphere, hydrosphere, solid earth, snow/ice, biosphere and human activity – it has provided the Earth and Environmental sciences with a powerful conceptual framework to carry out research that is scientifically exciting and socially relevant.

I have been involved in ESS research at the international level in various ways over the past years from my Swedish position since 1993 and my former Chinese position as Science Director of the National Climate Center from 2002 to 2008. In addition, I acted as Executive Director of the International Council for Science (ICSU) from 2009 to 2012. ICSU is the most important sponsor for International Global Change Programmes such as the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Programme of Biodiversity Science (DIVERSITAS), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), and Future Earth. Since 2001, I have been engaged in the development of ESS in China by working with so many wonderful scientists and science leaders, many of whom are from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

With my limited experience I can say that many research projects  carried out at CAS are embedded within the ESS conceptual framework either as focused studies of specific components of the system such as atmosphere or cryosphere, or as integrated studies of the interactions between several system components with the help of Earth System models and/or field experiments. Through my interactions with Chinese scientists I have witnessed and shared their fantastic progress in developing research capacity and producing high quality scientific results within ESS.  Chinese scientists, especially those from CAS, have also played an increasingly important role in coordination of international ESS research, thanks to the tremendous development of science in China over the last decade.

Globally, ESS has been pointed out as a key research area for sustainability issues such as urbanization, water, climate and biodiversity. Great potential for new ways to develop research in ESS has also been identified. Several global initiatives and programs have been developed over recent years. Notably ICSU led strategic planning for the future ESS research, which identified five major challenges for the coming decades, and created a new global initiative called Future Earth. It aims to concentrate efforts on interdisciplinary research in global environmental change to solve the challenges ahead. I am happy to see that some of my Chinese colleagues, especially those from CAS, have been actively engaged in forming the Future Earth program from the very beginning, facilitating and supporting global/regional research initiatives, and organizing national activities by aligning with the global strategy of Future Earth. The first two contributions are new for China from a historic perspective, and mark the beginning of a new era for the crucial role played by leading Chinese scientists at the international level.

Looking ahead, the Chinese scientific community is still facing a number of important challenges which can certainly be turned into great opportunities. In what follows I will just mention two overarching ones which in my view are also among the most important. I would say that to varying extent these are also valid for others. But they are especially relevant for China.

The first challenge is about profiling. Due to the integrative and complex nature of the Earth System, no single discipline, institution, or country alone can tackle all aspects in ESS.  At the same time, new insights and knowledge require long-term efforts and in-depth studies. While interdisciplinary research is the main melody of ESS, the disciplinary expertise serves as the critical foundation and important source of inspiration. To increase efficiency and improve quality in research, novelty must be emphasized. Therefore, it is extremely important to create a clear strategic vision and distinct profile for any research units at all levels. At the same time one must be open to cooperation with others to achieve the needed synergies. A successful dealing with this challenge would make the Chinese ESS research more effective, productive, influential, and sustainable. Further, it could also help in organizing and coordinating cooperation among CAS institutes and between CAS and other Chinese research bodies.

The second challenge is related to a sense of urgency and the way to conduct ESS. Over the recent years it has become clear that the current pace and magnitude of human-induced global and regional changes are unprecedented and are manifest in increasingly dangerous threats to societies and human well-being.  Decision-makers and citizens have an urgent need for knowledge and solutions that will enable effective responses to these threats, in order to generate opportunities that may provide the basis for sustainable development. However, our organizational structure, research tradition, evaluation system, and researchers’ mindset are not yet aligned with the real needs of society and the ESS vision. Although many of the building blocks for ESS can be found from the existing structures in China, they will need to be organized in fundamentally new ways to address new research priorities and social needs. More incentives need to be created to encourage interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research. It is also necessary to reach out much more than before to social, humanity and engineering sciences. In this regard, I am glad to see new CAS Centers of Excellence have taken the lead not only on enhancing effective inter-institute cooperation within CAS, but also on finding new ways to tap into the intellectual resources of Chinese universities and other research bodies. I am convinced CAS has the capacity to take the lead on ESS research in China by mobilizing diverse teams to quickly and strategically tackle existing and emerging scientific and societal challenges, and to act as a strong base for sustained research efforts. Only concerted, dedicated, and long term efforts can ensure proper management of the knowledge production in ESS and timely delivery of useful solutions to society at local, regional and global levels.

Deliang Chen with Wu Guoxiong, CAS member from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics. (Photo provided to CAS)

Source: CAS