It was a cool, sunny Monday morning in Geneva. Hundreds of people pushed through the glass doors on this August 31 to attend the first day of the World Climate Conference-3.

Many of them knew each other. All were involved in some way with climate change — as scientists, experts, researchers, policymakers, government or organization officials, resource managers, academics, industry representatives, students, teachers and private citizens. But this was the first time any of them had been to a formal international meeting dedicated to climate change adaptation.

They’re meeting for the first time this week to hammer out what it will take to establish a global framework for delivering climate services — including seasonal and decadal forecasts, hazard maps, early warning systems and long-term environmental prospects. Such services will be available to all those who need them; people in developed and developing countries, rich nations and poor.

See a quick snapshot of key messages I heard today at a conference that will surely be remembered as historic:

Hans-Rudolph Merz, president, Swiss Federation
Exactly four years ago, heavy rainfall in Switzerland led to flooding and landslides. Several people were killed. We need precise information, such as short-term weather forecasts or hazard maps to have the time to act in the future. Currently, various regions of Africa and Asia are enduring serious storms, flooding and drought. In many places, the humanitarian situation is a major concern. Many people have fallen victim to the extreme weather. Many others are in danger. We need urgent advance climate forecasts and efficient early warning systems.

Alexander Bedritsky, president, World Meteorological Organization
To help all regions adapt to the changing climate, the global community must come together to develop and disseminate the climate information and predictions based on the best available science. WMO and its members have been rising to this challenge, developing climate research and products to help policymakers and decision makers prepare for changes in climate and respond with actions informed by the best available science. This work was the impetus for holding World Climate Conference-3 now, at a time when the science has advanced to the point that climate services are now possible across a range of applications.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, U.N. special envoy on climate change, speaks during the World Climate Conference-3.

Dr. Gro Harlen Brundtland, special envoy of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on climate change

The basis for all adaptation is a high-quality early warning mechanism. The first challenge is therefore to establish a sufficiently comprehensive system for collection of relevant data over time. Once that is in place, we need a sufficiently advanced system for modeling and prediction, into which data is fed. The result is a weather forecast. The problem is that a forecast is not enough. We already know that by 2020, up to 250 million people in Africa will face growing shortages of water due to climate change. Still, very little is done to prepare for such a development. Our challenge is to communicate information about what to expect in a more efficient manner to those who need this information in order to make the right decisions for their country, their business, their farm, their family and their lives.

Sherburne (Shere) Abbott, associate director for environment, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy
We gather here this week because we have a shared challenge. It has taken decades of outstanding and Nobel-Prize-winning climate science to bring it into view. It has taken the persistence of a community of researchers all over the world, some who are represented here. It has taken shepherding by international organizations, many of which fill this hall and it has taken the support of governments and other partners working together. The shared challenge is this: We now know that climate is changing all across the globe. We know the primary cause of these perils beyond any reasonable doubt — it is the emission of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping pollutants from our factories, our vehicles and our power plants. And we know what we can and what we must do to avoid the worst of the possible outcomes of climate change.

I would say in partnership with the WMO over the past 30 to 40 years we’ve put in place a global observing system that the United States leverages and the rest of the world leverages. We run global models today. We have scientific exchange. When I began weather forecasting in 1970 our forecast window was maybe a day or two. Now I think if you look at the output in developed countries, our models are capable on many days of accurate forecasts out to a seven-, maybe even a 10-day window. We need to extend that window. Our focus in the United States will be seasonal and interannual (from year to year) but it can’t stop there. It’s got to go on to the decadal and beyond, where you address climate change.