UN Division for Sustainable Development

Case Study Detail Record

Organization type:	Major Groups

Submitting organization:

Affiliation:	- Scientific and technology community

Initiative Title:	Implementing Improvements in Systematic Climate Observations

Internet links:	http://www.wmo.ch/web/gcos/gcoshome.html

Scope:	Global

Status:	Ongoing

Timeframe:	Start: End:

Lead Institution:	Global Climate Observing System

Stakeholders/Partners:	Global Climate Observing System, UNFCC, climate researchers & developers in climate technology, developing governments, communities in developing states affected by climate change

Relevent issues:	- Adaptation - Mitigation policies/measures - Technology innovations and transfer

Objectives/Challenges:

• Improve climate observing systems
• Help participants understand the UNFCCC guidelines for reporting on systematic observations
• Identify national and regional needs and deficiencies for climate data (including needs for assessing climate impacts, conducting vulnerability analyses, and undertaking adaptation studies)
• Improve links between national climate change coordinators and national meteorological and hydrological services
• Initiate development of Regional Action Plans for improving climate observing systems

Lessons Learned:

• As a small secretariat, GCOS must rely on collaboration with regional organizations, which enables GCOS both to utilise existing regional expertise and to develop relationships with those most capable of carrying out the priority actions identified at workshops
• Action Plans cannot be implemented without the necessary resources
• Funding, particularly for least developed countries, is necessary in order for regional Action Plans to be implemented
• Multiple sources of funding are necessary
• Proposals may need to be directed toward a consortium of funding organizations and donor countries, with each member of the consortium requested to fund that portion that best relates to its mandate or interest

Policy Options:

• Fund and promote research for development of climate observation models and tools
• Provide the necessary resources identified for implementation of Action Plans
• Facilitate regional and international coordination and cooperation for climate observation
• Fund capital improvements, training of personnel, and continuing operations, especially in the least developed countries

Summary:

As the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) works to improve global climate observations, a second major thrust in its programme of activities is its Regional Workshop Programme. The COP (Conference of the Parties to UNFCCC, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) invited GCOS in its decision 5/CP.5 to establish this programme in order to help developing countries identify and address gaps and deficiencies in their climate observing systems and, more generally, build capacity to undertake the systematic observations needed to address climate change and its potential consequences. The first regional workshop was held in Apia, Samoa in August 2000 for the Pacific Island countries, in October 2001 Kisumu Kenya hosted the workshop for 25 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, San Jose, Costa Rica held the third workshop in March 2002 for Central America and the Caribbean, Singapore held the fourth for East and Southeast Asia in September 2002, and the countries of the Mediterranean Basin, Eastern and Central Europe held their workshop in November 2005.

In each region, GCOS has facilitated the development of Regional Action Plans. These plans, which have been endorsed at the regional level, contain project proposals based on the highest priority needs in the region as identified in GCOS regional workshops. CGOS works with a four-part workshop strategy. First, the acquirement of a basic understanding of the deficiencies in the particular region and identification of a regional partner with whom to work; for instance, the Drought Monitoring Centres of Nairobi and Harare are the GCOS’s partners in Eastern and Southern Africa. Second, workshops are held to build consensus on what needs to be done by bringing together national climate change coordinators, directors of national meteorological and hydrological services and observing system experts. Third, a regional Action Plan is identified and detailed with the regions themselves taking the lead in addressing needs for training, analyses, continuing operations, infrastructure, and/or hardware procurement. The fourth phase is implementation, which involves obtaining necessary resources.

Some projects in the Action Plans have begun to be implemented; however, there is a considerable disparity between the resources needed to implement projects and the resources currently available. Resources are needed for capital improvements, training of personnel, and continuing operations, especially in the least developed countries. If developed countries wish to ensure the proper functioning of global networks, they will need to do more to assist developing countries. For its part, the COP, in Decision 11/CP.9, has urged developed Parties in a position to do so to support the priority needs identified in the Second Adequacy Report and Regional Action Plans, especially in the least developed countries and small island developing states.