TERRAenVISION: Science for Society. Environmental issues today

Our Planet suffers from human activities. As scientists, we know more and more about our environment, about processes, rates of change, new threats, and risks. However, the challenges we face seem to grow quicker than the solutions we can create. To achieve sustainability, the key is to make solutions not only functional from an environmental point of view, but also socially acceptable and economically viable. In this context, the TERRAenVISION conference series gathers diverse groups of scientists to discuss sustainability. The first TERRAenVISION meeting in January 2018 was framed around 7 themes: (1) Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation, (2) Water Resources: Quality and Quantity, (3) Land Degradation and Restoration, (4) Nature-based Solutions, (5) Fire in the Earth System, Effects, and Prevention, (6) Ecosystem Services and Health, and (7) Science Interface with Policy and Public. Among the works presented in the conference, this Special Issue collates 22 papers that illustrate the best, problems and solutions the scientific community is currently working on to achieve sustainability. Similar to the concept of the SDGs, paper subjects often intertwine and bridge the conference themes. The papers are grouped in two main chapters dealing with Water and Land, with two additional cross cutting chapters of Scientific Tools and Science-Policy Interface. Drawing from the conclusions of these works as well as those of the TERRAenVISION 2018 conference, we make recommendations regarding raising awareness, connecting scientific fields, and supporting robust economic and policy transitions.