THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PLANET EARTH: LESSONS LEARNED

In 2001, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) developed an initiative to launch an International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). This was followed up directly by UNESCO's Earth Science Division. As politicians, decision makers, the media and the public at large were chosen as the main targets, obtaining a proclamation by the General Assembly of the United Nations was crucial. Not only did the beauty and usefulness of Geosciences have to be demonstrated, but also the potential of the timely use of Geoscientific knowledge to minimise loss of life and property, e.g. during the Tsunami and Katrina disasters, had to be made crystal clear. Some of the lessons learned during the preparation for the IYPE (2007-2009) may be summarized as follows.

« Support from scientific organisations: from the onset very positive, many joining as Founding or Associate Partners.

« Individual geoscientists: some were sceptical, many (very) positive.

« UN diplomats: the major natural disasters in 2004-2005 helped trigger their support throughout the UN proclamation process; so-called small countries proved to be more open-minded in lodging this initiative in the UN Agenda.

« Politicians: Support for UN proclamations must be decided at the Ministerial level. This procedure may consume considerable time and cannot be influenced from outside.

« National Committees: UN proclamation strongly stimulated the creation of National Committees for the IYPE; today they number 46 with a potential to reach 60 or more. Most of the actions planned at national level comprise outreach activities.

« Fundraising: Significant funds have already been raised by National IYPE Committees. Fundraising for international events and to bolster the infrastructure of the International Year have proved to be more difficult.

« Patrons - Goodwill Ambassadors - Senior Advisors have proved to be essential in promoting the ambitions of the IYPE and in the vital process of fundraising.

« Good examples and models: IGY (1957-58) and the German GeoJahr (2002).

Conclusion: Global ventures of this kind demand a few dedicated individuals with terrier-like mentalities; they must be ready to work hard and be prepared to go public in the face of more than a few disappointments. They must never give up!