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More than a hundred scientific societies, universities, research institutes, and organizations all over the world have banded together to dedicate 2013 as a special year for the Mathematics of Planet Earth.

Our planet is the setting for dynamic processes of all sorts, including the geophysical processes in the mantle, the continents, and the oceans, the atmospheric processes that determine our weather and climates, the biological processes involving living species and their interactions, and the human processes of finance, agriculture, water, transportation, and energy. The challenges facing our planet and our civilization are multidisciplinary and multifaceted, and the mathematical sciences play a central role in the scientific effort to understand and to deal with these challenges.

The mission of the MPE project is to:

* Encourage research in identifying and solving fundamental questions about planet earth
* Encourage educators at all levels to communicate the issues related to planet earth
* Inform the public about the essential role of the mathematical sciences in facing the challenges to our planet

MPE2013 has now reached the breadth of an international year under the patronage of UNESCO. MPE2013 is run by its partners. The partners, mostly scientific institutes, learned societies, international organizations, associations of teachers have committed to organize scientific and outreach activities on the theme. For several years already, an intense planning of scientific activities is taking place all over the world. Many research institutes will host long-term programs, workshops and summer schools throughout 2013. The learned societies or teachers associations introduce MPE components in their congresses, with related plenary or public lectures, and special sessions. They also organize outreach activities on MPE topics. An international competition of museum quality exhibits (modules) will produce the basis of an Open Source MPE virtual Exhibition, which will be officially launched at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris on March 5 2013.

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