The four-day conference is sponsored by the International Council for Science's (ICSU) global environmental change research programmes. It will bring together natural, physical and social scientists, together with economists. It will also involve engineers, health specialists and many others disciplines, plus with national and international policymakers, industry representatives, technologists, NGOs and development experts.

• Meeting global needs: food, energy, water and other ecosystem services
• Transforming our way of living: development pathways under global environmental change
• Governing across scales: innovative stewardship of the Earth system

The event will take place prior to the next UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Presenting the latest research findings, the London conference is anticipated to provide a solid scientific foundation for the summit.