%0 Journal Article %A Zheng Du %T CHINA’ S AGENDA 21 AND GEOGRAPHY %D 1994 %R 10.11821/xb199406001 %J Acta Geographica Sinica %P 481-489 %V 49 %N 6 %X This century has seen remarkable advances in the development of science and technology, as well as in productive forces. However, aggravations caused by population expansion, excessive consumption of resources and global environmental issues have seriously hampered the development of economic and society and improvements in quality of people’ s life. It is now necessary to find a path for sustainalbe development, wherein considerations of population, resources, environments and development are coordinated as a whole, so that a path for non-threatening sustainable development can be found which will meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.The content of China’ s Agenda 21 may be divided into four parts, they are: overall strategy for sustainable development, sustainable social development,sustainable economic development and sustainable ecological development. Geography can play an important role in implementing the blueprint and planning of the China’ s Agenda 21.According to the object and nature of geography as well as its integrative and regional features,geographers may make efforts in the following aspects, such as the man-land relationship coordinating,regional sustainable development, global environmental issues and geographic information technique.To coordinate the man-land relationship is the core of China’ s Agenda 21. Either the strategy and countermeasures,or the theory and methodology of sustainable development are dealt with key issues of corrdinated development and optimized management of the man-land relationship. Geography has a long tradition for studying the man-land relationship. Sustainable development strategy of Agenda 21 opens up a train of thought to the research field.Sustainable development may be studied in time and space at different levels. Agenda 21 is a guiding principle for sustainable development on a global scale-while China’ s Agenda 21 is a strategic outline for sustainable development on a national scale. The earth surface is characterized by obvious regional differentiation, therefore. the study on sustainable development at regional level is the dominant field for geographers,such as to coordinate inter-regional connections,to draw up development planning at different terms,ect.In connection with global environmental issues,such as climate change. ozone depletion,maintenance of biodiversity. desertification and land degradation, etc, a series of conventions the framework convention on climate change, convention on biodiversity, convention for ozone layer protection and convention for combating desertification,were drawn up respectively. The implementation of the Agenda 21 will be a new opportunity for strenthening international cooperation,promoting economic and social development,and prot ecting global environments.Global environmental change and its regional response are dealt with paleogeographic environmental evolution, the impact of global change on critical and fragile zones, and the countermeasures of global change,etc. Social and economic countermeasures relates to land use.readjustment of energy structure,preventive measures in coastal zones,the shifting of natural zones,and rational utilization of natural resources, etc. All the above mentioned issues are needed further research.Developed from combination of computer and space techniques,geographic information system becomes the strong techniques for contemporary geographic sciences. Most program areas of China’s Agenda 21 are relevant to sustainable development information, improvement of monitor network for dynamic monitoring, establishment of information database, and to develop supporting system for management and decision-making.As concerns capacity building for sustainable development, in particularly importance is to develop the high-technologies for geographic information systems-remote sensing,satellite communications, computer networks and their application. Sustainable development relates to abundant information and data ,as well as the interrelationship and %U https://www.geog.com.cn/EN/10.11821/xb199406001