Earth System sciences view our planet as a whole, interconnected, and complex system, shaped by interactions and feedback loops that occur through the exchange of material and energy fluxes, drawing on various disciplines such as geology, chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and others. This system is self-regulating and operates across multiple scales and timeframes, embodying the features of life through the coupling between living forms and their environments.



Our understanding of the Earth System remains fragmented, incoherent, scattered, shaped and disrupted by the world-system. Human activities are now profoundly challenging the stability of the earth. What was once a self-regulated system now shows clear signs of disruption. These fluctuations are apparent not only in the material and energy fluxes within the Earth System but also in the evolving data collection and knowledge production that seeks to understand it. We are overwhelmed by the complexity that surpasses our understanding of our planet, having ignored that we are facing a new condition of our planet—the Anthropocene.