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What Is START?
Human activities are inducing environmental change ranging in scale from earth-wide to local. The challenge to address such change is greatest in developing regions, which are the most vulnerable to environmental changes, but lack scientific knowledge and technology to conduct regional and local research and to inform and influence decision-makers. START, the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training, provides an international framework for such capacity building.
START is sponsored by the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) comprising the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and the International Human Dimensions Programme on global environmental change (IHDP), and DIVERSITAS.
START fosters regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions in developing countries to conduct research on regional aspects of environmental change, assess impacts and vulnerabilities to such changes, and provide information to policy-makers. START also provides a wide variety of training and career development opportunities for young scientists.
The START Scientific Steering Committee guides the development and implementation of START programs. The START-SSC also serves as an informal forum for discussion between representatives of governmental and non-governmental initiatives. Members of the START-SSC include scientists associated with the three sponsoring programs (IGBP, WCRP, and IHDP) as well as individuals connected with national, multi-lateral and intergovernmental bodies.
The International START Secretariat is located in Washington, DC (USA). Five START Regional Centers located in Asia and Africa promote regional research cooperation and provide a framework to support syntheses and assessments relevant to policy-makers. START’s activities within each region are overseen by regional committees composed of regional scientists and members of national and regional bodies.
START fosters strong ties with the inter-governmental community focused on global environmental change. START scientists are actively engaged in international programs such as UNDP, UNEP, and IPCC. In addition, START has forged strong linkages with regional governmental organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), the Inter-American Institute (IAI), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, and the European Commission (EC). START furthermore collaborates with other organizations dedicated to building scientific research capacity across disciplines in developing regions, such as the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), the International Foundation for Science (IFS), and the United Nations University (UNU).
The importance of START’s objectives and its role in addressing scientific research and capacity building needs has been formally recognized by several UN bodies, garnered support by numerous national scientific academies, and been supported by a variety of governmental and non-governmental instututions.
