A new 10-year international initiative on global environmental research for sustainability was successfully launched at the Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development in Rio De Janeiro on June 14, and shortly afterward at a very well attended side event of the Rio + 20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. Future Earth will provide a cutting-edge platform to coordinate scientific research which is designed and produced in partnership with governments, business and, more broadly, society. The initiative is scientifically sponsored by an alliance of partners, including the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the Belmont Forum of funding agencies, UNU, UNEP and UNESCO, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as observer.
