The World Climate Programme (WCP) was established at the eighth World Meteorological Congress following the first World Climate Conference in 1979.<!---but what is it? 1st sentence should just say what it is.---> It was created both to increase understanding of the earth's climate system and to apply that knowledge to help societies cope with climate variability and climate change.
The major sponsors are the World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the International Council for Science (ICSU).
History
When it was first established in 1979, the WCIP consisted of four components: