To deliver effective climate policy, it is essential to make sure that information and data collected via observations of the real climate is as accurate as possible.

The past, present and future state of our climate is monitored and observed through satellite and in-situ instrument networks. The information these devices observe is then processed into data which is used to define essential climate variables (ECVs).

The global climate science community use ECVs to form climate models designed to analyse past climates and help predict how future climates may look. These models can help inform policy in governments, industry, NGOs and wider society, and allow us to better understand the impact of economic, industrial and societal actions.   

As policies are created, these lead to changes in emissions (both reductions and increases) and changes in land use, such as through afforestation or deforestation and wetland destruction or preservation. These changes can further be observed to input back into integrated assessment models and utilised to assess policy impact, as well as assess any additional benefits that have occurred such as improved air quality.