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Overview

Implementation of systematic observation

Implementation of systematic observation is supported through the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Joint Working Group on Climate (WG Climate) of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS), and other partners and relevant organizations.

The WMO supports the UNFCCC through a wide range of scientific and technical inputs, including annual GHG bulletins and Statements on the State of the Global Climate, in collaboration with a wide range of UN partners.

GCOS provides its status reports and implementation plan (GCOS IP) to the UNFCCC. GCOS specifies 54 Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) that are key for sustainable climate observations. ECV datasets provide the empirical evidence needed to understand and predict the evolution of climate, to support evidence-based decision-making on climate change and to manage associated risks.

The GCOS Implementation Plan describes the proposed implementation of the global observing system for climate, building on current actions and taking into consideration the climate monitoring needs of the Convention in the context of the Paris Agreement, sustainable development and other multilateral agreements. It sets out the framework for the science community to provide the data and information to implement the global climate observing system, advance scientific research knowledge and support climate services and the development of climate indicators.

The CEOS/CGMS WGClimate coordinates and encourages collaborative activities between the world’s major space agencies in the area of climate monitoring with the overarching goal to improve the systematic availability of Climate Data Records through the coordinated implementation and further development of a global architecture for climate monitoring from space. WGClimate activities include the Strategy Towards an Architecture for Climate Monitoring from Space and the ECV Inventory.

Climate services are increasingly needed to package observation, modelling and research outputs into information that can be used to advise decision making. The WMO Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), the Group on Earth Observations, and Copernicus, the European Union's Earth Observation Programme, are some of the programmes and organizations providing these services.

Earth Information Day: SBSTA 50 invited the secretariat to organise an Earth Information Day at sessions of the SBSTA at which systematic observation is considered, as appropriate, starting at SBSTA 51 (December 2019) recognizing that this could be a valuable opportunity for exchanging information on the state of the global climate system and developments in systematic observation (FCCC/SBSTA/2019/2 paragraph 58).

Implementation of research

Implementation of research under the Convention and Paris Agreement is supported through cooperation with the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), which coordinates the coupled model intercomparison project (CMIP) and the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), the Integrated Assessment Modelling Consortium (IAMC), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), IPCC experts and other partners and relevant organizations active in climate change-related research.

The secretariat facilitates dialogue and communication on the research needs and priorities expressed by Parties to the scientific community and on the most recent and relevant information from the scientific community to Parties, through annual meetings of the research dialogue.  

Research dialogue: The foundation for the research dialogue was given in decision 9/CP.11 (FCCC/CP/2005/5/Add.1) on research needs relating to the Convention, which stipulated an enhanced communication between Parties and the scientific community, and requested the SBSTA to regularly consider research needs and systematic observation relating the Convention. The objective of such communication is two-fold:

  • To inform Parties about on-going and planned activities of regional and international climate change research programmes and organizations, and
  • To communicate Parties' views on research needs and priorities to the scientific community.

In response to this request, the SBSTA initiated a dialogue on research needs under the Convention between Parties and regional and international climate change research programmes and organizations. At SBSTA 26 (see FCCC/SBSTA/2007/4, para 47), it was agreed to develop and maintain such dialogue in the context of decision 9/CP.11, and relevant research programmes and organizations were invited to regularly inform the SBSTA of developments in research activities relevant to the needs of the Convention, including: emerging scientific findings, research planning activities, research priorities and gaps, research capacity building activities particularly in developing countries, regional climate change research networks and relevant communication issues

Decision 16/CP.17 (FCCC/CP/2011/9/Add.2, page 47, para 3) urges Parties, in particular developing country Parties, and invites regional and international research programmes and organizations active in climate change research to utilize the research dialogue as a forum for:

  • Discussing needs for climate change research and research-related capacity-building, particularly those of developing countries, to support the work of the Convention;
  • Conveying research findings and lessons learned from activities undertaken by regional and international research programmes and organizations of relevance to the Convention.

IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has a well-established role in the Convention process in assessing scientific information and communicating this information to the Convention through its regular assessment reports and its wide range of special reports and technical papers. Although the IPCC does not carry out its own research, it plays a key role in assessing the information from worldwide climate research in peer-reviewed literature, journals, books and other sources. It also has an important function in identifying priority needs for further research activities. IPCC experts are key partipants at many of the meetings of the research dialogues.

National communications

Parties provide information on research and systematic observation in their National Communications.  In regards to research this includes national and cooperative research activities and their contributions to climate science, as well as emerging research needs and priorities. In regards to systematic observation, this includes, detailed technical reports on the status of their national systematic observation in line with the guidelines in decision 11/CP.13, and in consideration of the latest GCOS Implementation plan with its updated list of ECVs.

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