3 
503 
to support mankind's existence at 
5, 10 or any number of billions of 
souls. 
Global Change Research Goals 
Planning for extensive global 
change research is being conducted 
in many countries around the world. 
Much of this research will utilize 
current and planned earth observing 
satellite systems as major tools to 
observe and monitor environmental 
change on a global basis. Inter 
national cooperation between 
government research programs and 
the use of different national earth 
observation satellite systems is 
well underway. 
The goals and objectives of 
global change research are well 
stated in those of the U.S. Global 
Change Research Program (CES, 
1989) . 
"U.S. Global Change Research 
Program Goal: To establish the 
scientific basis for national 
and international policy making 
related to natural and human 
induced changes to the global 
earth system" 
" U.S. Global Change Research 
Program Objectives: 
1. Establish an integrated, 
comprehensive monitoring program 
for earth system measurements on a 
global scale; 
2. Conduct a program of focused 
studies to improve our 
understanding of the physical, 
chemical, and biological process 
that influence earth system changes 
and trends on global and regional 
scales; and 
3. Develop integrated 
conceptual and predictive earth 
system models." 
In general, the U.S. and other 
programs seek to measure, under 
stand, and develop predictive 
models of global change that 
discriminate between man made and 
natural changes to the earth's 
environment. From such knowledge, 
it is hoped that national and 
international policy makers will 
set and implement prudent policies 
to correct appropriate undesirable 
man-made changes, while at the same 
time understand and accept those 
man made changes to the environment 
which are inevitable consequences 
of man's continued existence on 
earth. 
Many national global change 
research programs are being 
organized to involve government, 
industry and academia. In the 
United States, industry has yet to 
be included in government global 
research planning. In order to 
attain maximum effectiveness in 
reaching the goals and objectives 
of global change research, 
industry, as a major environmental 
factor, must be included in global 
change research in the United 
States and worldwide. 
INTERNATIONAL EARTH OBSERVING 
SYSTEMS FOR RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT. 
GLOBAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 
Current Systems 
Earth observing systems for 
global change studies and environ 
mental management for the period 
1990-2010 will consist of the 
current operational systems and 
their presently planned follow-on 
systems with the addition of 
several international "next 
generation" polar-orbiting systems 
towards the end of the 1990's