Over six years of operations, Future Earth’s mission to accelerate transformations to global sustainability through research and innovation has only grown in relevance and urgency.

The ongoing global experience of COVID-19, the rapid transition of the Amazon rainforest from a carbon sink to a carbon source, and the IPCC’s recent warning that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C is quickly moving beyond our reach, are just some of the recent headlines that underscore our collective need to repair our broken relationship with nature in order to build a sustainable and equitable world for all.

To better engage with these and other critical issues, Future Earth is making a bold shift to become a more inclusive, accessible, transparent, and transformative organization, working to promote sustainability science across local, national, and global levels.

Earlier this year, Future Earth opened a call for expressions of interest to host Global Secretariat Hubs (as well as a Global Coordination Hub, to be announced in the near future) to any country or region working to promote global sustainability science and seeking to support Future Earth’s global mission. After a rigorous review process, Future Earth is pleased to announce its eight Global Secretariat Hubs:

• Global Secretariat Hub Canada
• Global Secretariat Hub China
• Global Secretariat Hub France
• Global Secretariat Hub Japan
• Global Secretariat Hub South Asia
• Global Secretariat Hub Sweden
• Global Secretariat Hub Taipei
• Global Secretariat Hub USA 

In addition to the five original Global  Secretariat Hubs of Canada, France, Japan, Sweden, and USA, the global Secretariat now welcomes China, South Asia, and Taipei to its expanding Secretariat. These additions align with Future Earth’s commitment to greater inclusion of the Global South, and will bring critical sustainability science perspectives from these geographies to Future Earth’s core programs.

While the Global Hubs will help collectively shape the direction of sustainability research globally, they will also have an important role in the new Future Earth Assembly, which will include voices from across the entire Future Earth community. The Assembly will help set priorities, decide on strategic directions, and support the election of the Governing Council, who will in turn enable the expanded Secretariat to serve the community and carry out actions to help Future Earth reach its goals and fulfill its mission.

In the face of mounting environmental crises, Future Earth will continue to pursue a deep understanding of complex Earth systems and human dynamics across different disciplines to underpin knowledge-based policies and strategies for sustainable development. The Future Earth Global Secretariat Hubs will ensure this important work is not only planetary in scope, but also grounded in distinct regional, national, and local contexts.