TM18 | World Climate Research Programme: Research Highlights and Future Directions
World Climate Research Programme: Research Highlights and Future Directions
Convener: Narelle van der Wel | Co-conveners: Tim Naish, Pascale Braconnot, Hindumathi K Palanisamy
Tue, 29 Apr, 18:30–20:00 (CEST)
 
Room 2.23
Tue, 18:30
The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) coordinates research on some of the most pressing scientific questions related to the complex nature of the climate system, working with all nations to find answers from a multidisciplinary perspective. WCRP-supported research builds the climate science that 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. Through its Core Projects, Lighthouse Activities and the Academy, WCRP brings together scientists from all over the world at all stages of their careers. The aim is to advance our understanding of the multi-scale interactions between components of the climate system, to investigate climate predictions from intra-seasonal to multi-decadal time scales, to understand the response to external forcing anomalies, and to address and study the role of humans on climate. WCRP is also working with partners at the science-society interface to ensure that global, regional, and national climate research communities provide the rigorous and scientific foundation needed to meet society’s demand for robust and useful climate information. WCRP also works with nations and funding agencies to mobilize the resources required to achieve these aims.

This townhall will bring together the WCRP community, its partners, and stakeholders to discuss the latest progress of the Programme and its scientific directions for 2025 and beyond. The townhall will present new scientific highlights and initiatives that bridge science and society and outline the different types of engagement that individual researchers, whatever their career stage, can have with the Programme. We aim to strengthen international collaborations within our scientific activities to ensure a vision for the future that reflects the needs of all regions of the world. A discussion will follow on research gaps and priorities, at a regional or global scale, that require scientific engagement from WCRP in the future. There will also be time for discussion with some of WCRP's partners and with funding agencies.

Programme 

  • Overview of latest WCRP science - Tim Naish (WCRP JSC Chair), Pascale Braconnot (WCRP JSC Member) (18 mins) 
  • Assessing high-impact climate events, tipping points, and irreversible regional impacts - Lina Teckentrup (8 mins)  
  • Why is Transient Climate Response to cumulative carbon Emissions (TCRE) and Zero Emissions Commitment (ZEC) important in the context of carbon budgets - Christopher Jones (8 mins)  
  • Bridging climate science to the economic and finance sectors in the Safe Landing Climates Lighthouse - Steven Sherwood (8 mins)   
  • Attribution of multi-annual to decadal changes in the climate system – Erich Fischer (8 mins)  
  • Discussion – Moderated by Tim Naish and Pascale Braconnot (25 mins) 
  • Wrap up – Tim Naish and Pascale Braconnot (5 mins) 

Speakers

  • Tim Naish, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
  • Pascale Braconnot, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat-IPSL, France
  • Lina Teckentrup, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Spain
  • Chris Jones, Met Office Hadley Centre, United Kingdom
  • Steven Sherwood, University of New South Wales, Australia
  • Erich Fischer, ETH Zürich, Switzerland