German Advisory Council on Global Change

Humans are interfering significantly in the way the Earth's ecosystems function, and this on a global scale, which is why the present period is being referred to as the Anthropocene. A peaceful future for our societies depends to a large extent on whether human development and our prosperity models can be redesigned in such a way as to ensure the regeneration of ecosystems, thus sustaining humankind's natural life-support systems. The Agenda 2030 with its global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which has been adopted by the United Nations, lays down the political framework here. A fundamental departure from previous development pathways is needed in order to achieve these goals – the WBGU speaks of a global transformation towards sustainability. The WBGU's work focuses on how this transformation can succeed and which measures are relevant in achieving it.
The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) was set up in 1992 as an independent scientific advisory body. The WBGU's remit is to publish reports that

- analyse global environmental and development problems,
- evaluate research on globally sustainable development, identify gaps in research, and generate stimuli for science,
- point out new problem areas like an early warning system,
- appraise global sustainability policy,
- give recommendations for action and research.