GRF · Climate and Nature Governance

Test in Universe

The mission themes Climate and Nature Governance brings to the annual Universe programme, governed by The Global Risks Forum, with its own website at universe.nexus.

02Six pillars

Universe among the six pillars.

Where everything comes together in the annual programme, with the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), GRF and the Global Risks Alliance (GRA) each contributing in its role and capacity. It is led by the Nexus Consortium; its home is universe.nexus.

Select pillars · hover lines16 / 18 handoffs

Route

Around Universe

The pillars Universe hands work to and receives it from.

L · F · U · S · R · A

Pillars
5 of 6
Handoffs
16 of 18
Loops
16 closed

Handoffs in play

  • F01Universe → Foundry · Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision caseReadiness preparation
  • F02Foundry → Universe · Core Build Report and go or no-go evidenceControlled build
  • F03Foundry → Reports · Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profileCloseout
  • F04Universe → Reports · After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13After-action review

and 12 more

F01 to F14 are the recorded handoffs of the programme year, each with the artefact that moves and its phase; R1, R2, R3 and R4 carry work around the ring. A loop counts when every pillar on it is selected. Every pillar is led by the Nexus Consortium.
  1. LabsWhere questions become experiments and prototypes: new methods, data and tools are tried in the open, with their limits on record, before the Foundry builds them, under the Nexus Consortium.Labs
  2. FoundryWhere the evidence behind a mandate or commitment is built, with its owner and limits on record.Climate and Nature Governance in FoundryFoundry
  3. UniverseWhere mandates become missions: GRF records each gate, convenes the parties and keeps implementation accountable.Climate and Nature Governance in Universeuniverse.nexus
  4. Nexus StandardsWhere shared rules are agreed in the open; each jurisdiction decides adoption, and no global body holds a veto.Climate and Earth Systems in Standardsnexustandards.com
  5. ReportsWhere governance analysis and the year’s results are published, so commitments can be followed and checked.Climate and Nature Governance in ReportsReports
  6. Risk AcademyWhere policymakers, diplomats and agency staff learn the programme roles and decision-making on the record, on Risk Academy.Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Academyrisksacademy.com

Universe in every area of the work

AreaUniverse
LeadershipGRF steers the annual programme and records each gate decision from G0 to G7, with dissent kept on the record.
StrategyNational and regional priorities become the year’s missions; the annual mandate at gate G0 sets which missions the programme takes on.
CadenceOne year to prepare, one month to build, one week to act and test in Q3, a planned stand-down, then review and renewal in Q4.
OwnershipOwns the cycle mandate, mission admission decisions, gate decisions, after-action records and the renewal decision.
ProcessTwelve phases, from planning to renewal, each closed by a gate or a record.
DevelopmentDevelops national demand into admitted, qualified missions, and carries the lessons into the next mandate.
SimulationsTests work under exercise control in Action Week with independent evaluators; nothing simulated is reported as observed impact.
ReportingAuthorises publication of the year’s results at gate G6 and supplies after-action and scenario findings.
GovernanceGRF governs the programme; a cycle gate is a programme decision, not a public-authority approval.
Data and evidenceRun, decision and observation records from Action Week are sealed at closeout, gate G5.
Finance and resourcingData, people and resource offers are qualified before the build at gate G2; an offer is not an allocation.
Risk and assuranceExercise controls and stop-work events keep Action Week controlled, reversible and independently evaluated.
ParticipationGovernments, agencies, researchers, finance, civil society and communities take part through missions, tracks and national contributions.
CommunicationMission themes are presented as proposals until admitted, and confirmed exercises are announced with their gate record.
LocalExercises run on named places and systems, under exercise control.
NationalNational demand forms the agenda, and national counterparts own the agenda, data and decisions.
RegionalRegional programmes contribute missions that cross borders.
PlanetaryThe annual programme brings national and regional work together once a year.

What each institution brings

PillarGCRIGRFGRA
UniverseIts technical office prepares the scientific and data readiness of each mission.Stewards and governs the programme: the mandate, gates G0 to G7, convening and Action Week.Runs finance-readiness dialogues on what each mission means for finance and insurance.
03Missions from this field

Exercising drought, flood and ecosystem decisions.

Planned missions test basin drought declarations, coastal flood decisions that touch protected areas and the coordination between environment and disaster agencies when an ecosystem fails.

04Process

How the process runs.

Process

Test in Universe: Drought plan in operation

WMO and GWP drought guidelines use several monitored indicators to trigger mitigation and response, while each plan sets its own stages, thresholds and measures.

  1. 01 Indicators

    1. 01Reservoir storageDataset · Disclosure regulatorReservoir and lake levels are among the physical indicators to monitor, reflecting drought impacts on water users.
    2. 02Rainfall index (SPI)DatasetThe Standardized Precipitation Index uses monthly precipitation over time scales from 1 to 24 months, each suited to a different drought.
    3. 03Groundwater levelsDatasetGroundwater levels are monitored with reservoir levels and streamflow. Long-term SPI values are tied to streamflow and groundwater.
  2. 02 Plan

    1. 04Drought stageGate · Disclosure regulatorMultiple drought indices trigger mitigation and response, and areas are subdivided so stages follow severity. The plan sets the stages.
  3. 03 Measures

    1. 05Allocation rulesStep · Disclosure regulatorA plan can set how water is shared between user classes at each stage, agreed before the drought. The guidelines do not set the rules.
    2. 06Demand restrictionsStepA plan can pair stages with demand-reduction measures and public notice. The guidelines do not set the measures.
    3. 07Environmental flowStepA plan can set a minimum flow for downstream ecosystems. This is water-resources practice, not from the drought guidelines read.
  4. 04 Review

    1. 08Monitoring and forecast reviewModelMonitoring continues through the drought. Review frequency is set by the plan.
    2. 09Step up or exitDecision · Disclosure regulatorThe responsible body decides whether to move to a higher stage or end the response, and records the decision. The body is set by the plan.

Neutral outline of a published external standard or method, from its issuing body. Not a record of operation. Nexus does not perform, certify or approve any step shown. A gate or decision belongs to the party the source names.

05Themes

Mission themes from this field.

  1. 01

    Adaptation governance under compound hazards

    Proposed for controlled testing in the annual programme; a theme is not a confirmed exercise.

06How testing works

Controlled, reviewed and reversible.

Selected work is tested under controlled conditions, reviewed and then published with its limits. Results that pass go to Reports. The planned stand-down of each edition keeps review, reconciliation and corrections going after the event.

07Sources

Where this page’s references lead.

The bodies and documents this page is read against. Status and editions change; each link goes to the issuing body.

08Questions

Questions and answers.

Where is Universe?
It has its own website at universe.nexus. GRF governs the programme.
Climate and Nature Governance

Bring a governance question to the Forum.

Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.

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