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Abstract Non-technical summaryThe Anthropocene era demands urgent societal changes as we exceed planetary limits. Addressing key sustainability and governance challenges requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. Future Earth, a global initiative, brings together leading scholars to advance sustainability science by connecting natural and social sciences and humanities with policymaking. This Special Collection emerged from a 2021 call by Future Earth. Featuring 12 manuscripts, it explores themes like cutting-edge sustainability knowledge, interdisciplinary methods, cultural and developmental issues, and strategies for sustainable transformations. This collection offers a forward-looking view on critical research to guide policy and funding for a sustainable world. Technical summaryThe Anthropocene era necessitates urgent societal changes as we surpass planetary boundaries. Addressing the pressing questions of biogeochemical monitoring, feedback mechanisms, and effective governance systems requires interdisciplinary approaches. Future Earth, a global initiative formed by consolidating networks from major research programs, has been pivotal in advancing sustainability science through such approaches. By bridging natural and social sciences and humanities for enhancing the science–policy interface, Future Earth fosters research and innovation essential for global sustainability transformations. This Special Collection, ‘Charting the Course for the Next Decade of Sustainability Research and Innovation,’ arose from a 2021 call by Future Earth. The Special Collection highlights key scientific questions and future research directions. Contributions span themes such as state-of-the-art sustainability knowledge, transdisciplinary methods, cultural and developmental tensions, multi-actor process efficacy, and integrated knowledge for sustainable transformations. With manuscripts sourced from Future Earth's Global Research Networks and other aligned organizations, this issue underscores a forward-looking perspective on critical interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research needed to support high-level policy and funding directions, ultimately aiming to inform societal decisions for a sustainable and equitable world. We conclude that addressing the sustainability crisis requires a diverse and multi-faceted approach that draws upon the best knowledge of humankind. Social media summaryExplore urgent societal changes and sustainability science with Future Earth's Collection on sustainability research.
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Looking for Theory‐Practice Synthesis for Actionable Outcomes: A Continuing Special Collection for Translational Water Research
Abstract Translational research (TR) represents a promising systematic process for going from scientific discoveries to practical applications. Through conversations with academics, practitioners, decision‐makers and users, there has emerged a broad level of water science community support for including TR in Water Resources Research (WRR) publications. Based on this, we now open a continuing special collection of TR papers in WRR. The aim is to facilitate a community within hydrology and water science that seeks to provide actionable knowledge for societal benefit across disciplines, scales and contexts, with a focus on water as a key societal resource or a risk (e.g., of floods, droughts, or as pollutant carrier). This Editorial discusses what the multi‐faceted nature of TR may include in the context of WRR, why it is important to encourage TR papers in WRR, and how the opening of a continuing special collection of translational water research papers initiates a process to include such articles in the journal.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2021874
- PAR ID:
- 10560876
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Volume:
- 59
- Issue:
- 12
- ISSN:
- 0043-1397
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2023wr036728
