Earth information scientists and world leaders from 150 countries, the European Commission and many NGOs are attending the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) in Geneva, Switzerland, 31 August – 4 September 2009. “Climate prediction and information for decision-making” is the conference theme.

The conference, organized by the World Meteorological Organization, will focus on climate predictions and information for decision-making at the seasonal to multi-decadal timescales. The goal is to create a global framework that will link scientific advances in climate predictions and the needs of their users for decision-making to better cope with changing conditions. Key users of climate predictions include food producers, water managers, energy developers and managers, public health workers, national planners, tourism managers, as well as society at large. The conference includes both technical sessions and a plenary for international leaders addressing climate-related issues. The conference also aims to increase commitment by world leaders to climate observations and monitoring in order to better provide climate information and services worldwide.

This is the third world climate conference organized by WMO. The first two World Climate Conferences, in 1979 and 1990, were groundbreaking in their impacts, heralding awareness of climate change and new observational and research capacities to monitor and understand the climate.