How to model future scenarios considering anthropocentric activities and suggest solutions which are strategic, targeted, and more fundamental in nature which will have positive outcomes/results for ecosystems, their services and human well-being?

Human activities threaten the Earth’s ability to sustain future generations. Increasing population obtains its resources has caused irreversible changes that are degrading the natural processes that support life on Earth. This burgeoning world population drove an unsustainable rush for these natural resources. To decrease stress on earth systems requires changes in consumption patterns, better education, new technologies and higher prices for exploiting ecosystems. The range of current responses is not commensurate with the nature, the extent or the urgency of the situation that is at hand.

What is the relative importance of climate change compared to other human induced influences (hydrological, physical) on the water system (at river basin level)

It is important not to over- or underestimate the impacts of climate change in order to have the proper position in negotiations about climate change and in discussions about funding of adaptation. Obstacles are: high uncertainty levels; lack of basic data series of sufficient length (rainfall, hydrology of surface and groundwater, land use changes); downscaling of climate change scenarios to river basin level

What is the agreed time span (Number of years) over which Climate Change (as distinct from Climate Variability) should be assessed, and what are the agreed major contributors in assessing Climate Change?

Climate Change is a topical subject, but there appears no international agreement as to how many years would be valid to assess Climate Change in the Earth’s system. The Earth is not in a constant position relative to those of other planets, and “change” has been a natural aspect of the Earth’s evolution.

Since the Industrial Revolution, human contributions to use and modifications of the Earth’s Ecosystems (Forest, Dryland, Inland Waters, Coastal, Marine, Island, Mountain, Polar [MA])have become increasingly significant, human energy utilisation has increased, as have population numbers, and per-capita consumption of living and non-living resources; gaseous emissions and solid and liquid waste have all increased.

Structures have been built from materials of widely different heat absorptive and light- and heat-reflective properties.

What long-term standardised measurements or indicators(and therefore comparable over significant lengths of time) have been established and maintained?

Many changes to natural ecosystems have been made by humans, without adequate knowledge of the interactions and interdependencies of the living (micro- and macro-) and non-living components of such ecosystems. A holistic approach is necessary.

How should the human community reorganize its activities towards a healthy relationship with Earth?

The focus of Earth System Research (ESR) involves, according to Reid et al. (2009), the interaction between land, atmosphere, water, ice, biosphere, societies, technologies and economies. Eventually ESR should lead to the prediction of global environmental changes.

Amongst these eight sectors of the system, those capable of some control by the human community are ‘societies’, ‘technologies’ and ‘economies’. These then are the sectors where human-induced unwarranted changes should be confronted with priority. We know much about the other sectors through research in the natural sciences but we have no control over them beyond the effects of the above three sectors. Limited predictability leads to social uncertainty, consequent unpleasant and intense but fruitless debate as in the field of climate change.

Despite voluminous research on societies, the predictability of social dynamics is also limited. Yet, the required confrontation seems, in principle, rather simple. We just have to realize that with its increasing complexity the human community has soiled and continues to soil its own nest in the widest sense and in ever greater measure, local counteraction over the last two decades notwithstanding.

Society, technology and economy can, of course, clean the nest and keep it clean. This is all that mankind can do to confront and possibly contain the well-known undesirable human-induced changes in the environment. It is not a matter of further natural and social science research but of political will because of the myriad of serious conflicts of interest that have to be resolved. Against this background a new ESR agenda is not as urgent as Reid et al. (2009) suggest. The priority is in cleaning up System Earth.

How much, and what, global climate change will climate models project for the next 20-30 years, when taking into account both natural and anthropogenic forcing?

How much of the global climate change for the next 20-30 years as projected by the climate models with both natural and anthropogenic forcing? The projections of the global climate change as shown by the IPCC WG1 four reports are only considered the anthropogenic forcing scenarios. The predictions of the natural climate change that is very important are ignored.

What are the Global changes induced by anthropogenic activities and their effect in Subsurface (3-5m below the surface) Biosphere?

It is a well known fact that there are three components viz. Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere. At the intersection of these three the fourth one i.e. Biosphere is evolved. The new perspective of Earth System Science recognises that they all are inter-related to each other. Any global change in any one of the component will leave a clear imprint on the other. We humans are part of Biosphere as most intelligent species on earth should take responsibility for the changes by anthropogenic activities. It is most important Question to know the effects of anthropogenic changes.

The very thin layer of earth i.e.3-5m below the surface is very important layer as it supports the life in our Earth in one or another way. Any type of changes due to anthropogenic activities should be taken into consideration. It is well known fact that now human beings have evolved as a new geological agent to modify all the four spheres of earth system as the accessibility of human has increased due to development of technology.

How will anthropogenic factors change local weather systems? Where are the areas most vulnerable to a change in the weather which could significantly affect the ability of their human population to survive?

Any change in the climate system will affect different areas to different extents. Some places (particularly in poorer countries) rely on growing food locally and do not have the infractructure to deal with large weather fluctuations. We need to understand how changes in large atmospheric and oceanic systems affect weather on smaller scales in order to provide support to those communities and protect nearby wildlife habitat.

What are the anthropogenic disturbance regimes and teleperturbations that matter at the earth system level?

The human induced changes are now very much significant in earth system science. It is a well known fact that after the industrial revolution mankind had evolved as new geological agent. Human induced changes are needed to be minimised to maintain the ecological balance in earth system.