Partnerships in Climate
During the 1960s and 1970s, a series of highly publicised climatic and environmental events with disastrous consequences demonstrated the fragility of world food production and trade systems and their dependence on the earths climate system. In response, WMO, UNEP, FAO, UNESCO and WHO convened in 1979, The First World Climate Conference (FWCC) to assess the state of knowledge of climate and to consider the effects of climate variability and change on human society. The First World Climate Conference followed a series of UN convened conferences during the 1970s: the United Nations Conference on Environment, Stockholm, 1972 which resulted in the establishment of UNEP, the UN World Food Conference Rome, 1974, which recognized the central role of climate in world food production, UN World Water Conference in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, 1976, UN Conference on Desertification, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Resolution endorsing the WMO initiation of a World Climate Programme, that drew attention to the global condition, each identifying climate impacts as a central concern. The First World Climate Conference led to the establishment of the World Climate Programme and its research component, the WMO/ICSU/IOC-UNESCO sponsored World Climate Research Programme.
The Second World Climate Conference (SWCC) cosponsored by the WMO, UNEP, UNESCO and its IOC, FAO and ICSU was convened in Geneva in 1990 with the objectives to review the work of the first decade of the WCP, the First Assessment Report of the IPCC, and the development of an International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). The Conference Statement of SWCC noted that additional international observational and research efforts would be necessary to strengthen the knowledge-base of climate processes and human interactions. It endorsed four streams of international activities:
The Future Structure of the WCP,
Special Needs of the Developing Countries to build up their capabilities,
Cooperation in International Research through the WCRP, IGBP and other related international programmes
Coordinated International Activities and Policy Development through global measurement and research efforts, assessment functions of IPCC and development of a Convention on Climate Change
Role of WMO, IPCC, UNFCCC and the UN system
In 1988, WMO and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with the goals to (i) assess available scientific information on climate change; (ii) assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of climate change; and (iii) formulate response strategies. United Nations General Assembly through a resolution in 1988 entitled Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind endorsed this action.
IPCC has been successful in reaching its main goals as awareness building and providing the objective scientific and technical information as sound scientific basis for the climate negotiations. The IPCC produces key scientific material that is of the highest relevance to policymaking and is very important for the international climate agenda in the coming years. One of the most important principles of the IPCC, perhaps the reason for its success, is to be policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. Other important factors are scientific integrity, objectivity, openness and transparency, achieved through a rigorous review process for all IPCC reports and an adoption and approval process that is open to all member governments.
Following the First Assessment Report of IPCC and the Ministerial declaration of the SWCC, UN General Assembly formed an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) which later established INC/FCCC. The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and the subsequent award the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change", has had a major impact in creating public awareness on various aspects of climate change. The Bali Action Plan in 2007 has identified the need for enhanced action on adaptation by Parties to the Convention. The latest UN initiative is the development of the UN Delivering as One on Climate.
During the 1960s and 1970s, a series of highly publicised climatic and environmental events with disastrous consequences demonstrated the fragility of world food production and trade systems and their dependence on the earths climate system. In response, WMO, UNEP, FAO, UNESCO and WHO convened in 1979, The First World Climate Conference (FWCC) to assess the state of knowledge of climate and to consider the effects of climate variability and change on human society. The First World Climate Conference followed a series of UN convened conferences during the 1970s: the United Nations Conference on Environment, Stockholm, 1972 which resulted in the establishment of UNEP, the UN World Food Conference Rome, 1974, which recognized the central role of climate in world food production, UN World Water Conference in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, 1976, UN Conference on Desertification, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Resolution endorsing the WMO initiation of a World Climate Programme, that drew attention to the global condition, each identifying climate impacts as a central concern. The First World Climate Conference led to the establishment of the World Climate Programme and its research component, the WMO/ICSU/IOC-UNESCO sponsored World Climate Research Programme.
The Second World Climate Conference (SWCC) cosponsored by the WMO, UNEP, UNESCO and its IOC, FAO and ICSU was convened in Geneva in 1990 with the objectives to review the work of the first decade of the WCP, the First Assessment Report of the IPCC, and the development of an International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP). The Conference Statement of SWCC noted that additional international observational and research efforts would be necessary to strengthen the knowledge-base of climate processes and human interactions. It endorsed four streams of international activities:
The Future Structure of the WCP,
Special Needs of the Developing Countries to build up their capabilities,
Cooperation in International Research through the WCRP, IGBP and other related international programmes
Coordinated International Activities and Policy Development through global measurement and research efforts, assessment functions of IPCC and development of a Convention on Climate Change
Role of WMO, IPCC, UNFCCC and the UN system
In 1988, WMO and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with the goals to (i) assess available scientific information on climate change; (ii) assess the environmental and socio-economic impacts of climate change; and (iii) formulate response strategies. United Nations General Assembly through a resolution in 1988 entitled Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind endorsed this action.
IPCC has been successful in reaching its main goals as awareness building and providing the objective scientific and technical information as sound scientific basis for the climate negotiations. The IPCC produces key scientific material that is of the highest relevance to policymaking and is very important for the international climate agenda in the coming years. One of the most important principles of the IPCC, perhaps the reason for its success, is to be policy relevant but not policy prescriptive. Other important factors are scientific integrity, objectivity, openness and transparency, achieved through a rigorous review process for all IPCC reports and an adoption and approval process that is open to all member governments.
Following the First Assessment Report of IPCC and the Ministerial declaration of the SWCC, UN General Assembly formed an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) which later established INC/FCCC. The Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and the subsequent award the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change", has had a major impact in creating public awareness on various aspects of climate change. The Bali Action Plan in 2007 has identified the need for enhanced action on adaptation by Parties to the Convention. The latest UN initiative is the development of the UN Delivering as One on Climate.
