Global Change and the Prospects for Humanity in the Knowledge Age1

Development of a holistic, integrated, and reliable framework for characterizing, assessing, and managing North American forest ecosystems is a task inextricably embedded in the overarching challenge confronting society in the twenty-first century. We are challenged to transform the Environmentally unsustainable, economically inequitable and politically unstable trajectory on which global society is presently embarked into a path that is sustainable, equitable, and stable. An appropriate response to this challenge is to articulate a vision* of the future that exploding knowledge in the natural sciences is bringing within reach and, then, to design a knowledge-based and stakeholder-driven strategy to pursue this vision. The strategy will involve harnessing that knowledge explosion to human progress, by (I) integrating it with expanding knowledge in the social sciences and the humanities, (2) augmenting this body of knowledge with new findings in all disciplines, (3) disseminating a growing knowledge base widely with the aid of a revolution under way in information technologies, and (4) applying this expanding storehouse of all knowledge wisely and imaginatively to the human choices that will determine the future course of society. Nothing less daunting is involved here than changing the way people think and act, and making human knowledge an organizing principle for society-just as energy and finance have been during the 20(th) century. Entirely new patterns of interdisciplinary collaboration must be fostered. Novel modes of cooperation need to be forged among nations, and among academia, business and industry, the several levels of government and nongovernmental organizations. The proposal is made that the nations of the Americas act in concert to address this challenge in their own interests and with the intent of creating the prototype of a model that might he emulated globally. A suggested agenda for an American Vision and Knowledge Strategy for the 21(st) century (AV/KS-21) includes as priority items: (1) alternative energy sources to power environmentally benign economic growth, (2) nutritious food, (3)human health, and (4) potable water-with an overarching educational theme of lifelong learning for all individuals. Worldwide, a Global Vision and Strategy for the 21(st) century (GV/KS-21) is in order to ensure an attractive prospect for humanity as we enter the Knowledge Age. It is within such an American and Global context that efforts to develop an effective framework for the care of North American forest ecosystems are most likely to succeed.