ESRL to Participate in World Climate Conference–3


August 17, 2009

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NOAA researchers Randy Dole [ESRL Physical Sciences Laboratory] and Roger Pulwarty [National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS)] will participate in the World Climate Conference–3 (WCC–3), August 31-September 4, 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. Roger will give a talk entitled "Climate information services in support of risk management: the U.S. experience." This talk will highlight services activities across the U.S., especially across NOAA and other agencies. He is also on the U.S. position statement on climate services in which NIDIS is highlighted as prototype services system. The goal of this international conference is to build on existing interactions between climate information providers and users of the information, to increase partnerships, and to develop a framework for international climate information services in support adaptation to climate variability and change. End-users include decision- and policy-makers working in a variety of sectors including: food and agriculture, water, health, disaster preparedness and risk management, environment, tourism, transportation, and energy. The international framework developed at this Conference will guide the development of climate services, linking science-based climate predictions and information with climate-risk management and adaptation to climate variability and change throughout the world. The NIDIS is being proposed by the U.S. as a prototype for developing effective climate services.

The First World Climate Conference organized in 1979 influenced the establishment of a number of important international scientific initiatives such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (co-sponsored by WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme), the WMO World Climate Programme and the World Climate Research Programme (co-sponsored by WMO, the International Council for Science and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The Second World Climate Conference called for the establishment of a climate convention, adding momentum to international efforts that resulted in the development of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. It also led to the establishment of the Global Climate Observing System and to recommendations for future activities of the World Climate Programme.

With expertise in climate variability and change research, and in designing and implementing collaborative mechanisms for working with decision makers and other end-users to improve our information and services in support of adaptation, NOAA is positioned to contribute valuable and scientifically sound input at influential international forums such as WCC-3.


Contact: Roger Pulwarty More Information: