World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)

The co-sponsored¹ World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) leads the way in addressing frontier scientific questions related to the coupled climate system — questions that are too large and too complex to be tackled by a single nation, agency, or scientific discipline.

The Programme coordinates and facilitates international climate research to develop, share, and apply the climate knowledge that contributes to societal well-being. WCRP research addresses the most pressing scientific questions related to the climate system to predict its near-term evolution, anticipate future pathways of climate change, and advance our scientific understanding. This supports the development of actionable climate information, scientific assessments, educational approaches, and public communication strategies that require collaborative efforts with multi-sectoral actors in all regions of the globe.

WCRP’s work involves hundreds of scientists throughout the world, organized around a large number of research projects, activities, events, and publications. WCRP science underpins the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including national commitments under the Paris Agreement of 2015, and contributes to the knowledge that supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and multilateral environmental conventions. Please visit the WCRP website for more information.

¹ Co-sponsored by WMO, the International Science Council (ISC), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.