Since the beginning of direct high-precision atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) measurements on Mauna Loa and the South Pole more than 50 years ago, scientific interest into the study of the global carbon cycle and its perturbations by man and climate has increased almost exponentially. The recognition by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of carbon dioxide as a major driver behind the current and future warming of the world climate and the subsequent establishment of international initiatives to curb carbon dioxide emissions, such as the Kyoto protocol, has further greatly intensified global carbon cycle research into understanding the changing carbon cycle in the past, present and future, as well as carbon management strategies for sustainable development. Since 1981 the worldwide scientific community meets every four years at an international conference for an exchange of the latest knowledge and to gain a better understanding on the multitude of interdisciplinary aspects of the global carbon cycle. After the previous conferences held in Bern, Switzerland (1981), Kandersteg, Switzerland (1985), Hinterzarten, Germany (1989), Carqueiranne, France (1993), Cairns, Australia (1997), Sendai, Japan (2001), Broomfield, USA (2005:http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/icdc7/), Jena, Germany (2009: http://icdc8.org ), the 9th International Carbon Dioxide Conference will take place in Beijing, China, June 3-7, 2013.