As we enter this new era of a holistic approach to the earth sciences, Africa is poised to play a major role  exceptional people, and because of its unique geographic location. The African land-mass and the adjacent oceans are blessed with a remarkable variety of climatic niches for a great diversity of life-forms. For example, in southern Africa, the western coast is cold and exceptionally productive; the eastern coast is warm and has a multitude of entirely different species; and the southern ocean towards Antarctica is a very fertile, essentially unexplored world. Scientists speculate that the southern oceans play a major role in determining the fate of the carbon dioxide we inject into the atmosphere. To investigate such possibilities will require the collaboration of biologists, geologists, oceanographers and atmospheric scientists, using the methods and tools of mathematicians, computer scientists, chemists and physicists.

These calls for an integration of the disciplines that constitute the earth sciences: biology, geology, meteorology, oceanography, and more.  This vision can only be achieved by attracting young people to science and by making them aware of the exciting developments concerning a matter of great importance and concern to all of us: the stewardship of planet Earth.

To this end, ACCESS' CAREER DEVELOPMENT includes efforts to make the public at large, students in high schools, and undergraduates at universities aware of exciting developments and opportunities in the earth sciences. ACCESS therefore participates in the development of e-courses, documentaries, short courses and workshops, conferences and much more.  The core of ACCESS is a master's degree in earth system science that capitalizes on the research projects by involving, in the mentoring and tutoring of students, local and foreign scientists and post-doctoral fellows.  ACCESS welcomes all young people into Earth System Sciences.