Building partnerships between measurement specialists and the climate & ocean observation communities to enhance metrological best practice across Europe and beyond.

The 2015 Paris Agreement seeks to limit the rise in temperature of the Earth to less than 2 °C, with a target of less than 1.5 °C, above pre-industrial levels to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. To achieve this, many countries have policies to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions by the middle of the century. This extremely challenging goal requires immediate, sustained and significant annual decreases in greenhouse gas emissions and a simultaneous increase in carbon sinks (in soils, forests and ocean phytoplankton).

The ocean is an example of the challenging balance between human and environmental needs. Many people depend on the oceans for food security, tourism, transportation, heritage and climate regulation. Many are also vulnerable to sea level rise and from the increased storms generated by a warming ocean and atmosphere. We have over-exploited the seas, with fish stocks reducing, mineral resources over-extracted, plastics found even at the deepest parts of the ocean, and with coral reefs and other unique habitats dying from increasing temperatures and acidity.
Governments, international organisations, businesses and charities, need to make complex, inter-related decisions to meet ambitious targets for environmental sustainability and social and economic development. Such decisions rely on the availability of reliable environmental data information services that have been quality assured.

Metrology provides expertise for accurately and reliably monitoring essential climate variables (ECVs) and essential ocean variables (EOVs) over the long timescales needed to be able to detect and understand climate trends.