The ESF is involved in climate change research through many of its activities. ESF aims to facilitate international cooperations through its activities as this is the only way forward in order to really understand the underlying causes of climate change and to stand a chance of making a difference. Therefore, ESF operates within the framework of IGBP (The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme), DIVERSITAS (An international programme of biodiversity science), IHDP (The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change) and WCRP (World Climate Research Programm).

The International Geosphere-Biopshere Programme (IGBP)

IGBP's vision is to provide scientific knowledge to improve the sustainability of the living Earth. IGBP studies the interactions between biological, chemical and physical processes and interactions with human systems and collaborates with other programmes to develop and impart the understanding necessary to respond to global change.

IGBP´s research goals are to:

• Analyse the interactive physical, chemical and biological processes that define Earth System dynamics
• The changes that are occurring in these dynamics
• The role of human activities on these changes

DIVERSITAS

Biodiversity underpins the life-support system of our planet. Yet several factors, including human behaviour, have brought us to a critical point. The world is experiencing an unprecedented rate of species extinction, which may have far-reaching consequences for all life forms.

DIVERSITAS brings together biological, ecological and social sciences to address four key questions that underlie our limited understanding of the current situation.

How did biodiversity evolve in space and time to reach current state?
How much biodiversity exists and how does its change or loss affect the system as a whole?
How does biodiversity correspond to the delivery of ecosystem functions and services, and what is the true value of these commodities?
How can scientific investigation support policy and decision making to encourage more sustainable use of biodiversity?

Armed with a broader, deeper knowledge of biodiversity, we will be better equipped to safeguard the future of Earth’s natural resources.

The International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)

IHDP is an international, interdisciplinary and non-governmental science organisation, dedicated to promoting, catalysing and coordinating research, capacity-building and networking on the human dimensions of global environmental change. It takes a social science perspective on global change and works at the interface between science and practice.

IHDP fosters high-quality research. The dynamics of land-use and land-cover change, interactions between institutions and global environment, human security, sustainable production and consumption systems as well as food and water issues, urbanisation and the global carbon cycle are investigated in the context of global environmental change.

World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)

The World Climate Research Programme, sponsored by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, is uniquely positioned to draw on the totality of climate-related systems, facilities and intellectual capabilities of more than 185 countries. Integrating new observations, research facilities and scientific breakthroughs is essential to progress in the inherently global task of advancing understanding of the processes that determine our climate.

The two overarching objectives of the WCRP are:

• to determine the predictability of climate; and
• to determine the effect of human activities on climate