The World Climate Program: Collaboration and Communication on a Global Scale

This article discusses the rationale and history of the World Climate Program (WCP) as a prime example of gains in scientific knowledge achievable only through collaboration and communication on a worldwide basis. The WCP is managed jointly by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Program, both of which are specialized agencies of the United Nations, and by the International Council of Scientific Unions. This unique arrangement has both given strength and presented problems in getting governments and scientists from all over the world to work together in the pursuit of program goals. Vital to this work are the tools made available by contemporary communications technology, particularly supercomputers and satellites. Nevertheless, the availability and usefulness of those tools does not supplant the more basic ground work that has to be laid and maintained in order to conduct global research. The necessary groundwork requires intra- and intergovernmental collaboration, and also continued progress in the underlying science base. The WCP is composed of the World Climate Data Program, the World Climate Applications Program, the World Climate Impact Program, and the World Climate Research Program.