GCP International Project OfficeCSIRO Earth Observation Centre

Canberra, AustraliaPrepared by Pep Canadell

January 2004

Outline

• Rationale for the establishment of the GCP• Brief History• Mandate, Science and Implementation• Portfolio of Activities• Products

Rationale for the establishment of the GCP

1. Past and future atmospheric composition

IPCC 2001, GCP 2001

280ppm

180ppm

IPCC 2001

2. Global and annual mean radiative forcing

>60%

3. Multiplicity of research disciplines

Biologicalsequestration

Geologicalsequestration

Energy systems

InstitutionsBio

phys

ical

sys

tem

Man

agem

ent

syst

em

Canadell et al. 2000

4. National and regional research

LBA

CarboEurope

China

Australia

North AmericaCarbon Plan

Siberia

Jp

SA

NZ

Canada

International Geophere-Biosphere Program

IHDP

WCRP

Diversitas Water Food

GlobalCarbonProject

Joint Projects on Global

Sustainability

Earth System Science Partnership

World ClimateResearch Program

International Human Dimensions Program

IGBP

Brief History

• 1997 GCTE (Hal Mooney and Pep Canadell) convene a meeting in Palo Alto, California, to discuss the integration of process level studies, inverse CO2 concentrations approaches, biogeochemical modeling, and flux and remote sensing data for C cycle studies. They recognize the existence of a programmatic gap.

• 1998 IGBP (Berrien Moore and Will Steffen) recognize the need for an IGBP-wide integration effort on the carbon cycle outside of GAIM.

• 1999 IGBP convenes the first IGBP-wide meeting in Isle-sur-la-Sorge, France.

• 1999 Jil Jäger, IHDP executive director, challenge IGBP to make more concrete the collaboration with IGBP and the C cycle is chosen as the first challenge.

• 2000 IHDP and IGBP organize a meeting in Oslo with Oran Young, Arid Underdal, Will Steffen and others to address the challenge.

Brief History - 1

• 2000 Interest on Earth system science is on the rise and becomes clear that WCRP brings another fundamental piece of the carbon-climate-human system that we want to study and manage. The concept of the triple sponsorship for the C project is now a reality.

• 2001 The GCP is presented at the IGBP-IHDP-WCRP Open Science Conference in Amsterdam. Right after, the project is approved by the Chairs and Directors, and the first SSC is assembled. The idea to institutionalize the partnership among the 4 major global environmental change programmes (IGBP, IHDP, WCRP, Diversitas) result in the creation of the Earth System Science Partnership which becomes the official sponsor of the GCP.

• 2001-2003 The GCP develops a science framework and implementation building upon a number of meetings: Isle-sur-la-Sorge-1998, Stockholm-1999, Lisbon-2000, Paris-2000, New Hampshire-2000, San Francisco-2001, Tsukuba-2002, Tsukuba-2003.

• 2003 The GCP Science Framework and Implementation is published.

Brief History - 2

Mandate, Science, and Implementation

Objectives

To develop comprehensive, policy-

relevant understanding of the global carbon cycle, encompassing its natural and human dimensions and their interactions.

Mandate

1. Providing international coordination (gaps, duplications, recommendations)

2. Leveraging resources among countries

3. Increasing comparability and standardization among national progr.

4. Adding the global connectivity and constraints to national and regional programmes

7. Leading a highly interdisciplinary research agenda on the CC

5. Providing capacity building opportunities6. Working with FCCC and other Conventions as a Research Non Governmental

Organization

ObservationsIGOS-P

(IGCO)

ResearchGCP

Links to other C international efforts

AssessmentIPCC

What are the geographical and temporal patterns of carbon sources and sinks?

Science Themes

What are the control and feedback mechanisms – both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic – that determine the dynamics of the carbon cycle?

What are the likely dynamics of the carbon-climate system into the future and what points of intervention and window exist for human societies to manage this system?

[aCO2] Land use

Theme 1

Theme 2

Theme 3