Bridging science and policy through collaborative, interdisciplinary global change research in the Americas

Abstract

There is an urgent need for science-policy knowledge and tools to address the global change challenges faced by humanity, which are increasingly complex, dynamic, and with considerable uncertainties (Berkes et al., 2003 Holling, 2001 Liu et al., 2007 Polasky et al., 2011). Herein we define global change as, &ldquothe interactions of biological, chemical, physical and social processes that regulate changes in the functioning of the Earth system, including the particular ways in which these changes are influenced by and impact on human activities (The IAI Scientific Agenda, 2019).&rdquo This special issue, coordinated by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), is focused on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary global change research in the Americas.