Global change: Past, present and future

A major international effort is now underway to understand in quantitative terms the interacting physical, chemical and biological processes that govern the global environment. The contributions of Professor Bert Bolin to this initiative are noted. It is now timely to incorporate the social processes into the triad of natural phenomena that determine global change. If society is to cope successfully with global change generated by an exponential growth in both population and economic production, society itself must change—in its way of thinking and in its institutions. A dynamic and creative interaction among science, technology and society must be fostered worldwide. The UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 provides an opportunity to take a decisive step toward this end.