以经济建设为中心是我国长期的、基本的国策，可持续发展纲领从总体战略上、社会发展上、经济发展上、生态发展上为经济建设提供了框架。在此框架下，地理学可以在人地关系、区域可持续发展、全球环境变化及地理信息技术等领域发挥学科优势，同时也面临着巩固理论基础、扩展应用领域方面的机遇与挑战。

Geography can play an important role in implementing the blueprint and planning of the China’s Agenda 21, which includes four parts: overall strategy for sustainable development, sustainable social development, sustainable economic development and sustainable ecological development. According to the object and nature of geography as well as its integrative and regional features, geographers may make efforts in such aspects as the man land relationship coordinating, regional sustainable developemnt, global environmental issues and geographic information technique. With hopes and opportunities, as well as difficulties and challenges, the countermeasures of geography are to keep up with the widespread intergrative trend of modern science, strengthen intergrated research, meet the needs for construction, develop talent for resolving practical problems, promote geographical education and train transcentury high level talents.