The goal of this organized oral session is to present important issues that exemplify the need for the earth stewardship as an initiative of the Ecological Society of America. Specific objectives are to provide examples that 1) link science and society, 2) encompass a broad array of ecosystems, including both terrestrial and aquatic systems, 3) have regional and global implications, and 4) point out opportunities for future research, education, and practical application. The proposed oral session is important in informing members of ESA about the need for earth stewardship, and linking this major initiative of the Society to specific research and training activities. The session can help orient members of ESA toward involvement in the Earth Stewardship Initiative, and stimulate them to suggest additional emerging issues and ecological approaches. In addition, we expect the session to help suggest cases to be used in future White Papers on the Earth Stewardship Initiative. Each speaker will be asked to briefly describe the issue, the social-ecological drivers, ecological consequences, and potential pathways to solutions. The session would start with a statement from Bill Clark suggesting how science can be more useful in the social and policy dialog that affects the success of earth stewardship. It will move on to an assessment of successes and limitations of plans to respond to climate change, provided by Moser. Two examples of specific kinds of globally important human-environment interactions follow, one on fire management and the other on stream function and restoration, provided by Schoenagel and Bernhardt. Because urbanization and access of people to economic and social resources are key to their ability to affect earth stewardship, we include talks from an expert on architecture and urban design, and an expert on issues of distribution of wealth and access to justice. We close with two compelling and examples of energy extraction and use that show the increasing importance and impact of this aspect of the global enterprise. We look forward to inserting the two cases or perspectives from the Program Chair to fill out the examples we have chosen.