人类社会的发展正在引起地球环境的加速变化, 这是我们这一代人面临的最严峻的挑战。

　　研究证明, 今天, 人类的社会和经济活动的范围之广和强度之大, 已经足以开始对整个地球的气候和生态系统产生显著的影响。同时, 随着科学技术的高速发展, 凭借高度发达的智力和想象力, 人类已经能够完整地理解地球系统的整体行为。我们这一代人, 也面临着前所未有的机遇, 从新调整和确立人和地球之间的关系, 实现人和自然和谐发展的理想。

　　“人类圈” ( Anthroposphere ) 和 “人类纪”( Anthropocene Era) 概念的提出正是对地球系统认识的科学总结, 第一次明确了人类在当今地球环境变化中的核心地位。人类既是地球生物圈的组成部分, 受到地球系统自然规律的制约; 同时, 在 “人类纪”的发展中, 她又有区别与生物圈其它组分的能动作用。人类将不再是被动地适应环境的变化, 而是积极主动地调整自身的行为, 使地球环境朝着有利于人类的方向发展。 这就是全球变化和地球系统科学研究的目标。

　　季风亚洲作为一个独特的地理单元, 养育着 57% 以上的世界人民。 这里几乎所有的社会和经济活动都依赖于季风气候和它的变化。另一方面, 大量的证据表明, 工业化、城市化和强化农业等与社会经济高速发展相关联的人类活动, 可能对季风系统产生重要的反馈影响。今天, 我们对季风亚洲环境变化的研究已经取得长足的进步, 有能力在更高的层次上来研究这一特定区域人和地球的关系。针对这一需要, 作为地球系统科学计划(ESSP)的组成部分, 季风亚洲区域集成研究计划(MAIRS) 在2006年正式启动。这是一项由亚洲科学家自己提出并正在组织实施的国际科学计划, 其目的是进一步认识季风亚洲区域环境变化中人类与自然过程的相互作用及其在地球系统中的贡献, 为实施亚洲和全球可持续发展战略提供科学基础。

　　The great challenge we are now facing in the present era, is the acceleration of global environmental changes, mainly due to strong human interface in the earth system. The scale and intensity of social and economic activities that our presence on the planet is starting to have significant impacts on the planets climate and total ecosystem. In the mean time, with the rapid development of science and technology, we are the first generation to have the intelligence and imagination to understand the collective impacts of human being on the earth system. It is our generation that to have the opportunity to start redefining our relationship with the planet earth towards the human and natures harmonizing development.

　　The proposed concepts of "Anthroposphere" and "Anthropocene Era" represent the latest development of earth system science, which further emphasize the role of human being in the changing earth system. The human being is not only a component of biosphere which subjects the regulation of the natural process of the earth, but also has more active function in the earth system which is unique and different from other components of biosphere. Human Beijing should not passively adapt to the changing earth environment, but actively to adjust the behavior of our self so that the earth environment can be developed towards more suitable for human life.

　　Monsoon Asia, as a holistic entity in the context of earth system, supports more than 57% of world population. Almost all aspects of social and economic activities in monsoon Asia, critically dependent on the monsoon climate and its variability. On the other hand, there are indications that human activities, especially those associated with the social and economic development, such as the rapid industrialization, urbanization and intensive agriculture in the region, may be having a detectable impact on the monsoon system.

　　Our understanding of the implication of these multi-level environmental changes has progressed substantially in last decade. There is now a real potential to address critically about the coupled human-natural system of monsoon Asia and its interaction with the earth system. A new element of Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP), the Monsoon Asia Integrated Regional Study (MAIRS) was officially launched in 2006. It was initiated by scientists in Asia and is now in implementation. The vision of MAIRS is "to significantly advance understanding of the interaction between human and natural components of overall environment in the monsoon Asia region and implication for the earth system, in order to support the strategies fro sustainable development of Asia as well as the world.