This paper outlines the scientific achievements and insights gained from the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) project, which has been jointly sponsored by the international Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (iCACGP) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) since 1990. A short history of IGAC is followed by representative key scientific achievements. Over 25 years, IGAC has facilitated international scientific collaborations that have deepened the understanding of how atmospheric composition impacts air quality, climate change, and ecosystems from local to global scales. Activities fostered by IGAC show how the field of atmospheric chemistry has evolved from a focus on the atmosphere as a single natural compartment of the Earth system to an emphasis on its interactions with other Earth components, such as oceans, the cryosphere, the biosphere, and the impact of humans on atmospheric composition. Finally, one of IGAC’s significant accomplishments has been building scientific capacity and cooperation in the field of atmospheric chemistry around the globe, especially through its biennial science conferences. As part of IGBP, IGAC has contributed to improving the current state of knowledge of the Earth system and providing the scientific basis to suggest that we have entered the Anthropocene. IGAC will continue to play this role and expand its connections to the larger global change and sustainability research communities, capitalizing on the transition to Future Earth.
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