An Evolving Partnership Model

To develop the core capabilities and applications associated to the Planetary Skin platform, a number of global and regional partnerships are in development. These will create cross-disciplinary collaboration clusters around the following areas: global platform R&D capability development (core horizontal, Earth Observation and modeling capabilities, ICT, etc); application R&D domains (core vertical capabilities in energy, water, food, land-use decision support , etc); international science and climate change policy advisory partners (contextual advisory); regional climate science/policy/technology networks (regional networks).

While development of the Planetary Skin platform is aimed at creating a vital climate change decision-support system of systems, success will also rely on drawing together experts and capabilities across sectors, institutions and regions to participate in an international system development effort. So, along with the core technical challenge, we face the need to organize scientists, engineers, policymakers, businesses, financiers and citizens into a collaborative network or ‘connected commons’. As a collective problem, climate change requires collective solutions. No single organization, enterprise or public institution or group of citizens can resolve this problem alone.

Programs like the UN’s IPCC AR5 process, the UNFCCC Adaptation Taskforce, the UN’s Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS), the CGIAR Challenge on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), the Group of Earth Observation and GEOSS, the IGBP, WCRP , DIVERSITAS and IHDP programs under the Earth System Science Partnership, and WMO’s recently mandated ‘Global Framework for Climate Services’ amongst others , are needed to spur international, inter-governmental collaboration and cooperation in the policies, in the science, the modelling and in the earth observation required.

New, hybrid organizations, are needed to stimulate innovation from, create opportunities for, and leverage the capabilities of non-governmental/non-profit and private sector actors and stakeholders working with such governmental actors. Engaging such a range of organizations and partnerships in collaborative activity will fuel development, deployment, operation and sustainability of the systems and practices under development.