About GCP |
On this page: Goals | Mandate | 10 Years |
| Topic links |
|---|
| > Who is Who |
| > Sponsors |
The Global Carbon Project was formed to assist the international science community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base supporting policy debate and action to slow the rate of increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The growing realization that anthropogenic climate change is a reality has focused the attention of the scientific community, policymakers and the general public on the rising concentration of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, and on the carbon cycle in general. Initial attempts, through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, are underway to slow the rate of increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These societal actions require a scientific understanding of the carbon cycle, and are placing increasing demands on the international science community to establish a common, mutually agreed knowledge base to support policy debate and action.
The Global Carbon Project is responding to this challenge through a shared partnership between the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and Diversitas. This partnership constitutes the Earth Systems Science Partnership (ESSP).
Goals
The scientific goal of the Global Carbon Project is to develop a complete picture of the global carbon cycle, including both its biophysical and human dimensions together with the interactions and feedbacks between them. This will be:
- Patterns and Variability: What are the current geographical and temporal distributions of the major pools and fluxes in the global carbon cycle?
- Processes and Interactions: What are the control and feedback mechanisms - both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic - that determine the dynamics of the carbon cycle?
- Carbon Management: What are the dynamics of the carbon-climate-human system into the future, and what points of intervention and windows of opportunity exist for human societies to manage this system?
For further information, please see:
- Science Framework and Implementation
- Overview complete (PPT, 7.74Mb)
- Overview slides 1-16 (PPT, 3.98Mb) and Overview slides 17-33 (PPT, 4.18Mb)
- Activity Report 2004-05 (PDF, 16.0Mb or PPT, 5.1Mb)
Mandate
- To develop a research framework for integration of the biogeochemical, biophysical and human components of the global carbon cycle, including the development of data-model fusion schemes, and design of cost effective observational and research networks.
- To synthesize current understanding of the global C cycle and provide rapid feedback to the research and policy communities, and general public.
- To develop tools and conceptual frameworks to couple the biophysical and human dimensions of the carbon cycle.
- To provide a global coordinating platform for regional/national carbon programs to improve observation network design, data standards, information and tools transfer, and timing of campaigns and process-based experiments.
- To strengthen the broad carbon research programs of nations and regions, and those of more disciplinary projects in IGBP, IHDP, WCRP, and IGCO through better coordination, articulation of goals, and development of conceptual frameworks.
- To develop a small number of new research initiatives that are feasible within a 3-5 year time framework on difficult and highly interdisciplinary problems of the carbon cycle.
- To foster new carbon research in regions (e.g., tropical Asia) that will provide better constrains of continental and global carbon budgets through promoting partnerships between institutions and exchange visits.
10 Years of Activity
The Global Carbon Project (GCP) was established in 2001 in recognition of the scientific challenge and critical importance of the carbon cycle for Earth's sustainability. Ten years on, the GCP continues to work with the international community to lead and promote a coordinated research effort. The brochure "10 Years of Advancing Knowledge on the Global Carbon Cycle and its Management" summarises some of the achievements of these first ten years.
For further information, please see:
- GCP - 10 Years (low res) (pdf, 7.7Mb)
- GCP - 10 Years (high res) (pdf, 33Mb)
