Earth is the only planet known to bear life. It is the only place where humans could evolve and where they have the chance to survive in the foreseeable future. We crucially depend on the functioning of the Earth system and the resources provided by Earth, and yet endanger them by our activities. Research at the Department of Gesciences follows a system-science approach for the Earth in total, environmental subsystems therein, and the embedeness of anthropogenic activity – with five overarching research foci:
