The IPCC Data Distribution Centre Non-climate Baseline Data

An evaluation of climate change impact requires the establishment of some baseline period against which changes will be measured. Baseline data are required for the relevant climate variables (see Climate Baseline) and also for non-climatic information (for example, carbon dioxide concentration, soil characteristics, population, income levels, etc.). Ideally, these various baseline datasets should all refer to the same time period, whether 1961-90 averages or the 1990 value. We provide here a set of country and regional-level indicators of socio-economic and resource variables as estimated at the beginning of the 1990s. These data are reproduced from the IPCC report on The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: an assessment of vulnerability published in 1998 by Cambridge University Press (Appendix D). These data in turn were collated from a variety of sources such as the World Bank, UNEP and FAO.

These baseline data have been organised into nine major world regions and they can be viewed (and downloaded) following the links below.

• Africa
  
• Australasia
  
• Europe
  
• Latin America
  
• Middle East/Arid Asia
  
• North America
  
• Small Island States
  
• Temperate Asia
  
• Tropical Asia

We also provide a variety of other data, or pointers to data, representing other non-climatic environmental baseline variables:

• Atmospheric carbon dioxide
  
• Stratospheric ozone depletion