International Council of Scientific Unions is a federation consisting of about twenty unions which are themselves a composite structure made up of a large number of subsidiary organizations. In order to direct the diverse and highly specialized resources of the Union to the major global problems.
ICSU work through intrusion, interdisciplinary committee devoted to particular scientific issue or problem. Among the several types of committee established by ICSU important ones are: Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) formed in 1957, Scientific Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) established in 1958, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the Scientific Committee on Problems of Environment (SCOPE) established in 1969.
SCOPE is probably one of the most important committee established by ICSU concerned with the problems of environment. Its main objectives are to advance knowledge of the influence of humans on their environment as well as the effect of this environmental change upon the people, their health and their welfare.
It pays more attention to those influencers and affects which are either global or are shared by several nations or serves as a non-governmental, interdisciplinary and international council of scientists which is a source of information, advice and guidelines for the benefit of governments and inter-governmental and nongovernmental bodies regarding the matters of environment.